The Power of the Tongue
“For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!”
James 3:2-5
| Last week we looked at the first verse in James chapter three that is addressed to teachers, “Do not, many of you, become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment”(James 3:1). Now he expands it to include all believers. He begins by noting how prone we are to wander and sin. “We all stumble in many ways.” He then notes a sure mark of maturity is the ability to control our tongue. I think this is more than a person learning how to “bite his tongue” and not say what he is thinking. There is a difference between harboring feelings in your heart but learning not to say them and having your heart changed so those feelings aren’t in your heart in the first place. Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt 12:34). The things that come out of our mouths are the overflow of what is in the heart. When someone says something awful then says, “I don’t know why I said that, that’s not me.” Actually, those words reveal the true state of your heart. God wants to change our speech by changing our hearts. He says the person who is able to control his tongue will have learned to control his whole body and is “perfect.” By perfect he doesn’t mean that the person has reached some kind of sinless perfection, but that he is mature the way God designed him to be. Much like when we have a child and say, “The baby is perfect.” We mean there are no defects or obvious flaws. He then gives two analogies. First, consider the horse. It is an incredibly large animal, but it is controlled by a tiny bit in its mouth. Likewise, a ship is a large craft but it is guided and directed by its rudder. He says the same is true about a person’s tongue (i.e. what that person says or how he uses his tongue to speak) guides and directs his life. Our words can be twisted and taken out of context. That is true, but it is not what James is thinking about here. He is thinking about the things that we say that get us in trouble. These careless words can have an immense impact on our lives. We lie or “shade the truth.” We exaggerate and boast about our accomplishments or skills. We make promises we can’t or don’t intend to keep. We put other people down or vile and vulgar speech comes out of our mouths. We gossip and slander others. Sometimes it is the things we don’t say when we should speak up that reveal our hearts. We should speak up to defend the weak. We should share the gospel even if it means we will face the reproach of others. The things that we say and the things that we laugh at are a better indication of the spiritual condition of our hearts than what we may profess to others. James will later say that “no man can tame the tongue.” Does this mean addressing our speech is futile? Not at all. He is reminding us that only God’s strength through the power of the Holy Spirit can change our hearts so our tongue can come under control. |
David Monreal
