Ralph Porter

© 2003

    We've probably all played at one time or another the word association game. That's the game where someone says a word and everyone else tells you the first thing that comes to mind. For example, if I say "cat," what comes into your mind? Good! Some said "dog," others said "mouse." Someone said "curtains;" maybe they should have said "NO curtains!"

    O.K. Let's try another word. How about "aspirin?" Several responded, "headache!" How about "school?" Someone said "teacher." Another said "books." Someone even said "home!" I'm not so sure about the person who said "headache" to all three words!

    Now let's try this one: "tongue?" That one's a little harder! I'd be willing to bet that no one thought first about a small pink piece of flesh in your mouth. Your first thought about the tongue probably has something to do with food, or with words! Right?

    When I tell you we're going to talk about the tongue this morning, you're probably expecting to hear something about your diet, or something about your conversation! Right?

    The question James raises about our tongue is, "How does our tongue deal with the hard times of life? When the "pressure cooker" of life heats up, and the tension grows, how does our speech respond to the pressure? How do we react when we've just hit our finger with a hammer? When someone cuts us off in traffic? When someone we care about has done something that hurts us deeply? Or, when our friends criticize our walk with God, our church, our Lord, or religion in general? What happens to our conversation when we're "under the gun?" how do we use our tongue when the pressure rises?

    James is dealing with Christians facing pressure because of their faith. He calls us to a living faith--a faith that can be seen. He's already pointed out that a living faith doesn't show favoritism for the wealthy and powerful, to gain personal benefit for ourselves (2:1-13). A living faith produces fruit--it looks out for others, even when it means risking our own security for the future (2:14-26).

    Now, a third area where temptation arises in times of suffering--the temptation that is often the most difficult to resist--is controlling our tongue. A living faith shows itself by controlling our speech--controlling what we say (3:1-12). I've mentioned before that I always seem to struggle with this, when we're about to go on a trip! The pressure grows as we try to get the car packed, and all the last minute details arranged, and the tongue shows it! Since the tongue is the most difficult member of our body to control, it is a measure of true spirituality--it's one of the best tests of a living faith.

    "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check."

    James has already told us that it's dangerous to be a teacher, because teachers are judged by their own words. Nobody consistently lives up to the standard that they themselves set for others! We all fall short at times! We tell others what God wants us all to do, but we don't always live up to it ourselves! No where is that more true than in the matter of our speech. We tell people how we ought to speak, but we all fall short sometimes. Thus, if we want to avoid the embarrassment, or even the judgment of God, due because of what we say, we had better not presume to teach others how to speak!

    The tongue is the hardest body part to control! We have the hardest time controlling our tongue--what we say! Have you noticed how much God's Word says about how we use our tongue?

    James told us earlier in this letter: "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (1:19). Also, "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless" (1:26). In other words, people who think they are religious should show it by the way we talk. If you never say the wrong thing, you really ARE perfect. Since we all say the wrong thing at times, it's better not to be teachers. Those who teach others are judged more severely.

    I remember one of the stupidest things I ever said. It sometimes comes back to haunt me! No. I'm not going to tell you what it was! Occasionally someone hears about it, and reminds me of it: ". . . and you call yourself a teacher? You think YOU have a right to teach us?!" That's James' point! How can you preach this truth when you don't always keep it yourself? Yet, here it is, and we're called to preach it--it's part of God's Word we all have to deal with. 

    Now, stop looking so smug! You know there's plenty out there to get YOU too! But watch out! Teachers will be judged more severely! The old biblical principle is still true: "to whom much has been given, of them much will be required!" That's scary! Don't put yourself in that position! Don't seek it!

    So what does James tell us about how we use our tongues? He begins with a warning: "When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark."

    Though the tongue is a small part, it does BIG things! James points to four examples of little things that produce huge results. Each of these examples shows us something big and strong, that is controlled by, or impacted significantly by something very small. First he points out that bits control horses (3:3). A horse is a big animal. It goes wherever it feels like and it's hard to stop because it's so strong. However, put a bit in its mouth and you can control it, so that it will go wherever you want to go.

    The second example James uses to demonstrate that small parts control big things is the that of rudders which are able to control ships (3:4). Ships are huge vessels. The force of the winds and the waves moves those huge vessels around. However, even in a storm, the rudder, though a relatively little piece, controls the ship and takes it where it wants to go.

    Just as those two little things control big things, the tongue also is little. Though one of the smallest visible body parts, tongues are able to impact the whole body (3:5a). The tongue is a small part, that does BIG things! It can change the direction of something much bigger. It can accomplish more than hands, arms and legs put together (for good or for evil)! It can accomplish great things. But it can also destroy God's work. This negative note isn't brought into the picture until the final example.

    As a last demonstration, James points out that sparks ignite forests (3:5b). A spark is small but it causes tremendous damage to an entire forest. It requires great care to avoid destroying something valuable with the wrong use of something so small. That's why we warn our children: "Don't play with fire!" We ought to issue a similar warning concerning the tongue: "Don't play with the tongue!" The tongue is a small part, that does BIG things! If not used carefully, our tongue--what we say--can destroy a great work God is doing.

    "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."

    Satan is an expert at knowing how to make good use of the tongue! He knows what it can do! It's one of his most effective tools and he has been making full use of it for thousands of years to destroy God's plans to glorify Himself. Satan knows how to use the tongue effectively to destroy God's people. The New Living Translation expresses this statement as follows: "And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself."

    It would be appropriate at this point to ask ourselves: "What precautions might we take to assure that we don't collaborate with Satan in this destructive work?" Scripture makes clear that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. We are all too willing to help him do his work! Let's not do his work for him!

    "All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."

    We can tame fierce animals, but we aren't able to control our own tongue. It's an evil thing that no one can stop. Because of the difficulty of controlling it, the tongue is one of the best indicators of our spiritual condition. Nothing is harder to control than the tongue. However, people controlled by the Holy Spirit will have a controlled tongue. They won't be "carriers" of the deadly poison.

    "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water."

    The tongue often contradicts itself. We use the tongue to praise God, and then we turn right around and use the tongue to tear down what God has made! We use the same tongue to bless God and to curse people who God has made. James tells us that such inconsistent use of the tongue is not right. If we profess to love God, we ought to love those God has made, and we especially should love His children. Our speech ought to reflect that love.

    The repeated use of the tongue to harm others is a demonstration that the source is contaminated. James uses three illustrations from nature to verify his point:

            1.    The same fountain doesn't produce both fresh and bitter water.

            2.    A fig tree doesn't give olives; nor does a vine give figs.

            3.    A salty source can't produce fresh water.

    The same tongue can't praise God and keep criticizing the people God has made! This takes us back to the truth stated in James 1:26 again: "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless."

    Our tongue reveals what's in our heart. If our faith is alive and genuine, it will show up in the way we talk! Christ was the One who taught this principle to James. In Luke 6:43-45 he tells us that we are kidding ourselves when we say: "I spoke before I thought!" What comes out of our mouth is no accident!"

    "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

    Better to have "lock jaw" than "hoof in mouth" disease! What we say is no "accidental slip" that we didn't mean to say, that "just slipped out!" Our tongue reveals what our heart conceals!

                •    If our mouth is critical of others, it's because our heart is critical.

                •    If our mouth complains, it's because our heart is full of complaining.

                •    If our mouth speaks in anger, it's because our heart is full of anger.

    Our tongue reveals what our heart conceals! This is especially evident when times are hard. Suffering may bring out the worst in us--but what it brings out IS IN US! When we suffer, we complain and accuse others, because that's what our heart is full of. A genuine living faith will change that as the Spirit of God controls our life and our tongue.

    A living faith motivates us to praise God and suffer with gratitude. This attitude was apparent when the apostles suffered (Acts 5, 7, 16). Instead of complaining about what they were suffering for Jesus sake, they sat up in the middle of the night singing praise to God for having been counted worthy of suffering for His name.

    James' main thought is that until the problem of the heart is fixed, the problem of the mouth will never be controlled! We will continue to respond with complaining, criticism, and self-centered anger, until God works in our heart to fix the problem! His solution brings us back to the basic appeal of the book: we need a living faith-a faith that trusts God, even when we can't see where He's taking us. A living faith will change the way we talk.

    How about us? Have we had our tongue checked lately? What's coming out of our mouth?

            When things are rough at work, . . . .

            When your spouse criticizes the way you speak to the kids, or your failure to

                discipline them consistently, . . . .

            When the kids at school are making it hard, . . . .

. . . how about YOUR tongue?

Does our faith make a difference in the way we speak?

    James tells us it all starts with the heart. Has your heart been made over? Is the Spirit of God controlling your tongue? Does our faith affect our speech? A living faith makes a difference. Our faith affects our speech. Can others tell what God has done in our lives by listening to how we talk?