We read: “But if you have bitter jealousy and contentiousness in your hearts, do not be bragging and lying against the truth.” (Jas. 3:14)

11. Why could James imply that the bitterly jealous and contentious would-be teacher is “bragging and lying against the truth”?

¹¹ A bitterly jealous and contentious man, by calling attention to his qualifications as a teacher, would indeed be bragging or boasting. Yet, Christian truth, which he would profess to teach, condemns the bad traits that he is manifesting. Hence, a man who has a divisive spirit of rivalry and yet feels that he qualifies as a Christian teacher misrepresents or lies against the truth set forth in the Scriptures. Furthermore, because he has such undesirable traits, he would have no basis for bragging about his qualifications as a teacher. His doing so would be a lie.