Faith Speaks

James says we all stumble in many ways, and this is seen particularly with regard to the sins of the tongue (see Rom 3:13-14, 23). First, he tells us we need to recognize the great power of the tongue in verses 3-6. He gives three illustrations to hammer this point home. He says in verse 3, "Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal." My wife and I lived in Louisville while I was in seminary, and one of the part-time jobs I had during my first year of school was at an assisted living home called Atria. I was the assistant activities director, where I basically learned to play a mean game of bingo and to drive the elderly (whom I loved) to all the activities they enjoyed doing, like dancing and watching horse races at Churchill Downs (and no, I never gambled). It was captivating to watch those beautiful, strong, fast horses glide around that track with such precision as they were ridden by those rather short men on their backs. At the time I did not think about how that little bit in the horse's mouth was used to guide and direct such a large animal. This is James's point in verse 3: by controlling the mouth of a strong horse, we can control his whole body.

James then goes on to mention a ship as his next example in verse 4: "And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs." When I lived in Miami, Florida, I remember driving down by the coast and seeing huge harbors filled with Carnival cruise ships. I never got to ride on one, but it is amazing how one of those boats can be guided out of the harbor, onto the sea, and to its destination by such a small rudder on the stern. All the captain does is turn the wheel, and the rudder shifts from one way to the other, and then the entire ship follows. Something 76as small as a rudder can control something as large as a Carnival cruise ship. And that is James's point: something as small as the tongue can have a huge impact on our entire lives, and the lives of others.

The last of James's three illustrations comes in verse 5, and it has to do with a spark and a fire: "So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites." Water does not spread rapidly; it stays where it falls. But not fire. If you drop a spark in the right place, like a dry forest, then you could have a blazing inferno on your hands in a matter of moments because fire multiplies fast. A small spark can start a large fire. Notice what Proverbs says about people's tongues:

Show me a man or woman who stirs up strife, who is a gossip, or who criticizes everything due to a proud and critical heart, and I will show you someone who has hurt many people in their path, starting in their own home. Think of ways the words of people have affected you positively and negatively (see Jas 1:19). Words hurt, and many of us have been affected deeply by them. In fact, some of us have never gotten over what someone said to us in the past. Many still carry the wounds from those hateful, evil, satanic words. "Satanic?" you ask. Yes, satanic. In verse 6 James says that the tongue is actually "set on fire by hell." The word "hell" in verse 6 is the word gehenna in Greek. It is a reference to the place right outside of Jerusalem where trash was burned around the clock. During and after Old Testament times, pagan peoples would sacrifice their children at this location, which is also called the Valley of Hinnom. Jesus used the word gehenna as a reference to hell itself, the place where the wicked would spend eternity and the place that was prepared for Satan and his demons. The tongue is a dangerous weapon! That is probably why James told us earlier in 1:19 that we are to be "quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger."

You must recognize the danger of the tongue, and you must recognize our inability to tame the tongue. This is brought out clearly in77 verses 7-10. Humans can tame all kinds of animals. Some dogs obey better than some children. I remember living in Miami and going to the Miami Sea Aquarium to watch the big orca (whale) that had been tamed by trainers to do all kinds of amazing tricks. It's amazing that we can train something so huge but that no human being can tame the tongue! The tongue, James says, is a "restless evil, full of deadly poison" (v. 8). We use the tongue to bless God, and then on the other hand we use it to curse people (vv. 9-10).

I have learned over my Christian life that it is pretty easy to fool people. We can seem so nice, gentle, loving, and kind in public, but our families or our closest friends know who we really are. The truth is we are all in bad shape if we are left to ourselves. Despite the advice of many self-help books and so-called experts today, we cannot change ourselves, and that includes our speech. No man can tame the tongue because our problems are deeper than our mouths.

On your own you are in a helpless predicament, and you need to recognize that your words are an indication of your heart and therefore of your true spiritual condition (see Jer 13:23; Mark 10:25-27). In 3:11-12 James uses several illustrations: fresh water springs don't produce salt water; fig trees don't produce olives; a grapevine does not produce figs; a salt pond can't yield fresh water. Sinful words inevitably come from a sinful heart. Our problems are deeper than most people think. Consider Mark 7:14-23:

Words that are evil, immoral, deceitful, hateful, adulterous, wicked, sensual, slanderous, proud, and foolish come from within. They come from the heart, and that is a deeper problem than the mouth. Jesus is not talking about the heart as the organ in your chest. It is the real you, the core of who you are. He says something similar in Luke 6:43-49:

Imagine a man who has an apple tree in his backyard that only produces rotten apples. He really wants it to produce delicious, red apples in order to make an apple pie, but all he gets is rotten fruit. Then he tells you he has a plan to fix the tree, and you see him come home from the grocery store the next day with a big bag of shiny red apples. He gets out his heavy-duty nail gun and starts stapling these good apples to the tree. The tree is alive and healthy, right? Wrong.

The fruit on the tree may look good from a distance, but there's still a problem with the root. So it is with us: our hearts, and not just our behavior and our speech, are bad apart from Christ. So much of what we read and hear about in terms of people changing and growing spiritually is nothing more than fruit stapling. When our children use bad language, we tell them to talk better. That's certainly necessary, but we've got to address the problem at a deeper level. Jesus tells us that our tongue problems are heart problems. We don't need a spiritual tongue doctor but a spiritual cardiologist. And, praise God, we have one.

God Speaks to the Fallen, the Dying, and the Hopeless

All of us are guilty of sinning with our words, and if we're honest, James's warnings can leave us feeling condemned. But this is where I want to encourage you, in light of your sin, to recognize God's provision for the imperfect words we have spoken and the imperfect words we have believed. God speaks in creation, Satan speaks in the fall, but then God speaks again in redemption. And God has the last word! He has revealed a word of gospel promise. All of us have been burned by broken promises, and we have even burned others by broken promises of all kinds. But God always keeps His promises. Therefore, no matter how the words of other people and their broken promises have affected you, as you learn to hear God's voice above all other voices, you can find hope and healing.

In the beginning, right after the fall, we read in Genesis 3:15 that God promised to send a baby, a child, the seed of the woman, and that this child would crush the head of the serpent—the enemies of God: Satan, sin, death, hell, and the grave. God kept this promise by sending His only Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who had broken His law (Gal 4:4-5). Jesus came and lived the perfect life we could not live. He spoke the perfect words all of us have fallen short of, and He died in our place for our sinful words and actions. And then He was raised from the dead! The death that results from our sinful words has been overcome by the Word made flesh.

God has revealed His word of gospel wisdom, which is the wisdom we all need. James 3:13-18 describes what this wisdom ought to look like in our lives:

James talks about the "wisdom from above." The question is not, What is this wisdom? but Who is this Wisdom? First Corinthians 1:24 says that Christ is the wisdom of God. Similarly, 1 Corinthians 1:30 says that Christ 80became wisdom for us. As our substitute on the cross, our foolish words and their consequences were all imputed to Him, and His righteous words, His wisdom, was imputed to us. Colossians 2:2-3 says that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ! John tells us that Jesus is the eternal Word who came from heaven to earth (John 1:1, 14). Gaining wisdom is ultimately about knowing Him.

The Word of God is the ultimate solution to our word problem. And God always has the final word! James 1:18 makes clear that He saves sinners by the "message of truth." In other words, regeneration (being born again) happens through His Word. Death does not have the final word for God's people because on the cross Jesus defeated death for us and took on God's wrath in our place. He cried out, "It is finished!" (John 19:30). When Jesus returns, He will consummate His kingdom and will have the last word. This is the testimony of Revelation 21:5-7, where we learn that we will be sons of God for eternity in a new heaven and a new earth:

The Church Speaks

So how do we respond to such powerful words from God? He has spoken so beautifully, and now the church speaks. We recognize our responsibility to speak the truth in love to one another. Each part of the body of Christ needs the other parts to grow to maturity (see Eph 4:11-16). We need to love one another in word and deed, and we need to do this in biblical community for the glory of God.

While we grow up together as the body of Christ, we need to recognize our responsibility to take this gospel (good news!) to our neighbors and to the nations. The prophet Isaiah's life was changed when he saw God in His holiness and recognized his own sinful lips and speech. He saw that God alone could cleanse his lips and his life (Isa 6:1-8). As a result, Isaiah was ready to go wherever God would send him. "Here I am. Send me," was his cry. God's response was clear: "Go! Say to these people ..." (emphasis added). In other words, "Go and speak words of life!"

81Is this your cry? Have you surrendered your life today to going and speaking His gospel? How will they hear if we don't open our mouths? Romans 10:14-17 makes clear that if we don't open our mouths, people will not hear, and if they do not hear the word of Christ, they will not be saved.

Reflect and Discuss