Taming the Tongue

Talk isn't enough to prove you're going to heaven, but it is enough to send you to hell. Both thoughts are true for the same reason: talking is so easy to do, in fact, it has never been easier. Nearly everything in our lives has made it faster and simpler to talk. We came up with the landline to share voices immediately. Then we made the cell phone so we could have this ability anywhere. Then we made the internet so we could permanently place our voices out there to talk for us even when we are not talking. Now with AI I can build things just by talking. Indeed, what hath man wrought?

The way that this promise was presented to us was that all of this communication would be like sending torches into the darkness. Truth as it really was could be revealed for all to see in the flickering digital light. Injustices could be corrected, power could be held accountable, yes, even the gospel could be communicated faster and wider than ever. All of it was and is true. However, as James tells us, the darkness we bear those torches within is a bone-dry forest, branches and leaves everywhere ready to lap up the least spark. It is no wonder that James spends so much time on speech and the tongue, as this is quite a power to steward.

The solution isn't to extinguish the torch. How can the Savior known as the Word have silent followers? Woe to us if we preach not the gospel, but woe to us if we do not tame our tongues.

The solution that James gives to us is implicit rather than explicit, but the way he details the problem is a useful teaching tool in itself. When I began the process of learning how to drive my mother's day one lesson was this: I was driving a 3 thousand pound death machine to myself and others if I use it improperly. It was a sober start, but it was necessary. I had to come to grips with what I was doing. Today, James gives some us talking lessons with the sobering introduction to begin.

Your tongue will steer you into trouble

The passage begins with an odd warning. Not many of us should be teachers. Why is that? Are not the fields white for harvest? The laborers are few and all that (Matthew 9:37)? Is not the office of an elder (ie teacher) a noble desire (1 Timothy 3:1)? Yes and yes, but there will be greater judgement for teachers. Ok, that's understandable. Paul talks about this in Romans 2:1. Don't teach one thing and do the opposite. If you are teaching such things and not doing them, that's bad because you clearly heard the warnings and have not heeded them yourself.

Many have not grasped just how easy it is to do this. Being judged as a teacher is easier than one thinks. We hear all the time about the pastors who destroy their teaching ministries with affairs, but we often don't think about the fact that those affairs started at a much smaller scale.

James makes some comparisons to little things that have great impact. If you have ever been around a horse, or so unfortunate as to be kicked by one, you know how strong these animals are. Yet you can direct all of that massive muscle with just a metal bit in their mouth. The same is true of a boat. When you consider how big a boat is and how much wind is required to move that boat across the water, you would assume that the steering would be huge, but relative to the boat, it's tiny.

The tongue is also a little thing relative to the rest of your body, but behold how much control it can exert in your life. How many ER visits started with the phrase, "Hey, I bet you can't..."? How many fights started by saying what you really thought?

That's what James turns to next in the second half of verse 5. This tongue isn't just powerful but destructive. It doesn't just steer, it can steer into trouble, like a spark to a massive forest fire.

Tomorrow marks the 24th anniversary of the start of the infamous Hayman Wildfire in Colorado. Up until recent years, it was the largest wildfire in Colorado's history as it burned up 137,000 acres of land, destroyed several hundred buildings, and caused the deaths of six people. It took twenty days to get the fire contained. How did it all start? A letter set on fire during a burn ban by a former US Forest Service worker. She served years behind bars, and is now paying off a $42 million dollar restitution judgment to the tune of $150 a month due to low income. It doesn't take much.

It might not be a positive image, but that is the image James draws of our tongues. It is like a fire. And not just any fire, but a piece of the flame of hell itself. James reminds us that the tongue is not neutral. It is fundamentally evil and uncontrolled in its natural state. James then looks around at all the creatures in the world that are powerful yet tamed. The mighty steed can be tamed to carry a child, but he tells us that no one can tame the tongue. As if the point wasn't made strongly enough, he tells us that it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Now, if we are to check our feelings about James' analysis here, we might think that James' only exposure to human language was the comment section of the internet. Surely it can't be that bad? Do we not also use our tongues to worship? How can an untamable, poison-filled, hell-fire fueled tongue do that?

That's just the point, James responds. From the same mouth come praise to God and cursing of man that God created. Such things ought not to be. How can I sing praise to God and then curse the one who bears His image for not using his blinker on the way home? God takes that seriously even though I don't. We tend to think of blaspheme as worse than insult, but James doesn't seem to see much difference. How would you feel if someone cursed out your kid? You wouldn't think, "Well, that wasn't directed at me, so I'm not really bothered by that." No, to insult your kid is to insult you, and God works the same way. To insult a person, to gossip about a person, is to spit on God's image.

Any cursing speech brings God into it. It ought not be.

It especially ought not be for the Christian. Here is where James reconnects this passage to the previous one. James was talking about a fundamental disconnect between words and life. If you say you're a Christian but have no life to back it up, the claim is dead. Similarly, if you claim to have a heaven sent heart but the words pouring out of that heart are hellish, then the claim is suspect. James is obviously drawing from the teaching of Jesus in Luke 6:42-45 "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Nothing comes out of the mouth of a drunk that wasn't already there. Sometimes we are surprised by what comes out of our mouth, but we only fool ourselves when we say, "I don't know where that came from." We should know exactly where that came from.

The tongue be tamed by a changed heart.

We would rather not admit it, but that isn't the solution. James is clear that a salt water spring, not suitable for drinking, will never produce fresh water. The truth is staring at us. What can be done?

Simply not speaking isn't it. There are still those called to be teachers! What we need is a new heart. The Christian doesn't use their words perfectly all the time, but the Christian who has read this passage is growing in that ability. The Christian knows the solution isn't silence but sanctification. The closer we grow to Christ, the more we will speak like He does.

That doesn't mean that there is no place for sharp words. The truth told in love still hurts. It does mean that we need to treat our tongue like the powerful entity that it is. It might not be three thousand pounds, but it can still wound. And used rightly, it can also heal.

We've all heard the questions to ask before speaking: Is it true, is it necessary, Is it helpful? I think James has one more: remember who you are talking about. That human being over there might not have the same political ideas as you do or see life in the same way. But they are in the image of God, so think before you insult them. That doesn't mean we don't confront error. Disagreeing doesn't mean insulting. But make no mistake, gossip, casual dehumanizing joking, cursing, is more than words. It can be an envelope in the Colorado wind.

But the good news is Jesus can put out that fire. Jesus can change out that salty fountain and make a mouth that gives healing and refreshment. The same rudder than can run a ship aground is the same one that can lead to paradise. It isn't cleaned out by soap, no matter what your grandmother thought. It is changed at the root.

So where do we go from here? We recognize that no one is going to be perfect in their speaking. These days we have more opportunity than ever. But recognize the power of speech as James realizes here. Fire in a dry forest is a nightmare. Fire in the fire pit with friends gathered around is a dream. Use your words to warm not burn. And when we slip, we don’t just say, “watch your language.” We should say, “Watch your heart.”