perfect man. “Perfect” may refer to true perfection, in which case James is saying that, hypothetically, if a human being were able to perfectly control his tongue, he would be a perfect man. But, of course, no one is actually immune from sinning with his tongue. More likely, “perfect” is describing those who are spiritually mature and thus able to control their tongues. 3:3–5 James provided several analogies that show how the tongue, even though small, has the power to control one’s whole person