For in many things we offend all
Or "we all offend", slip and fall; no man lives without sin; in
many, in most, if not in all things, a good man himself does, he
sins; and this extends to the most solemn services, and best
works of a good man; there is sin in his holy things,
imperfections in all his performances; his righteousnesses are as
filthy rags; hence no man can be justified by his works before
God, nor is any man perfect in this life, so as to be without sin
in himself: the apostle includes himself in this account, and
that not out of modesty merely, or in a complaisant way, but as
matter of fact, and what he found in himself, and observed in the
conduct of his life: and now this is given as a reason why
persons should not be anxious of teaching others, since in many
instances, in common speech and conversation, men are apt to
offend, and much more in a work which requires a multitude of
words; or why men should be careful how they charge, censure, and
reprove others, in a rash, furious, and unchristian manner; since
they themselves are in the body, and may be tempted, and are
attended with many infirmities, slips, and falls in common life.
If any man offend not in word;
from slips and falls in general, the apostle proceeds to the
slips of the tongue, and to the use and abuse of that member; and
his sense is, that if a man has so much guard upon himself, and
such a command over his tongue, and so much wisdom to use it, as
to give no offence by it, to his fellow creatures, and fellow
Christians:
the same is a perfect man;
not that he is perfect in himself, and without sin, that is
denied before; unless this is considered as a mere hypothesis,
and by way of concession; that could there be found out a man
that never, for instance, offends in word in anyone part of life,
that man may be allowed, and be set down to be a perfect man; but
no such man is to be found, and therefore none perfect: but
rather the sense is, that he who in common is so careful of his
speech, as not to offend his brethren, may be looked upon as a
sincere and truly religious man; See ( James 1:26 ) or he may
be accounted a wise and prudent man, such an one as in ( James 3:13 ) he is not a
babe in understanding, a child in conduct, but a grown man; at
full age; a perfect man; in which sense the word is used in (
1
Corinthians 2:6 ) ( Hebrews 5:14
) .
And able also to bridle the whole body;
either to govern the whole body, the church, to teach a society
of Christians, and to feed them with knowledge, and with
understanding; or rather, as he appears to be able to bridle that
member of the body, the tongue, so likewise to be able, through
the grace of God, to keep under the whole body, that sin shall
not reign in it, or the lusts of it be in common obeyed.