Taming the Tongue and the Mature Christian

2005-06-20

This is a Bible study on James 3:1-18.

Introduction

James was originally writing to Jewish believers throughout the world that have been going through various trials. He wants to show them how to live appropriately in light of these conditions, so that they might survive and live godly lives. He begins by showing them what true faith is, working through love and by God’s grace.

The phrase “my brethren” in 3:1 is a phrase that shows that James is moving onto a new, yet related, topic. The stress is not on this phrase “my brethren,” but on “be not many masters.” The reason for this is that the leaders will receive a greater judgment. The one that should become a leader is one who is a mature man. Who is such a person? James states in verse 2 that we all stumble in many ways, but if one does not stumble in what he says, this is the mature man. His following discussion explains why.

The epitome of self-control is one who can control the tongue, as James says. He uses both the example of the horse’s bit, where people can control the horse’s whole body. The ship’s rudder is the same way, that despite fierce winds, the ship can be controlled. Such metaphors season the entire passage.

The Tongue Boasts Great Things (3:5)

This statement is accompanied with the illustration of the small flame that can destroy a large forest. The tongue is a fire, and it is a world of iniquity. By the tongue of the serpent, the woman was deceived into eating of the tree she was not allowed to eat. By the tongues of this same woman and of the man also, they passed the blame of their own sin onto God and onto each other.

The tongue that boasts has two things that it can boast about: of God or of something else, usually of oneself. By nature we can only do the latter (cf. 3:8). The tongue is the manifestation in the flesh of what comes from our hearts.

Boasting comes from pride, and pride was the first sin where the devil wanted to be like God. Taking glory from God and attributing it to ourselves is the revisiting of this original sin, and why it is so grotesque. An able leader, as James is talking about, can easily be puffed up with pride. This is why the teacher must have a controlled tongue.

The Tongue is a World of Iniquity (3:6)

The tongue defiles the whole body, and it affects the entire world around us (“course of nature” in 3:6). It is set on fire of hell; this is the kind of place the tongue is compared to. Hell is the eternal painful judgment of the damned. Likewise the tongue can say things that are permanent, either by permanently hurting others, or forever tarnishing your reputation. It can cause pain to other, and things you say can turn into painful regret. And with the tongue, you can judge others. As we know from the Sermon on the Mount, righteous judgment can only occur when the beam is out of your own eye; unrighteous judgment will bring judgment upon yourself in the end.

The tongue is at the forefront of the world around us. By the speaking of words God created the universe. By the words we use, people can either be encouraged or be saddened, angered, or defeated. Because of the source of the tongue’s uncleanness, as discussed above, the natural thing to do is lift ourselves up and defeat others. By this, we defile ourselves and destroy people around us.

Nobody Can Tame the Tongue (3:7-8)

People were given charge over every creature at the dawn of time, “but the tongue can no man tame.” The key words are “no man.” We in ourselves cannot stop the tongue because the source of the tongue, the built-in hell, is our fallen-nature hearts. It is full of deadly poison that destroys ourselves and the people around us. So how can people be fully mature and “offend not in word”? People cannot do it in themselves, and will not be “perfect” or fully mature this side of heaven. Though we cannot tame the tongue, the Lord our God is very capable, if we allow Him.

Living a Contradiction (3:9-12)

Can we truly praise God and curse the brethren at the same time? James challenges the readers, including us today, “My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” It is not even possible for us to praise God and curse our brethren, for people were created in “the similitude of God.” James then demonstrates that we cannot bless God and curse people using a series of illustrations. The fountain does not produce waters both sweet and bitter, the fig tree does not produce olives and the vine figs, and the fountain yields not salt and fresh water.

The Source of Our Newness (3:13-18)

James asks the question in 3:13, “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you?” Such a person must live out a life of good works and behavior, with “meekness of wisdom.” Meekness implies everything opposite of which our tongues boast. We boast of ourselves, showing ourselves to be better than others, even better than the God who created us. If we do have bitterness within our hearts, we should not boast and “lie... against the truth.”

Bitterness within our hearts is a warning sign that we are not right with God, because such bitterness “is earthly, sensual, devilish” (3:15). Now the implication of verse 15 is that the meekness of wisdom that is requisite for the mature believer is from above. That is the source of godliness: that we surrender our hidden agendas of pride and self-righteousness and turn to God so that He can tame our tongues and give us such meekness and such wisdom. Verse 17 contrasts this wisdom with the strife that exists within us. Wisdom from above shows all lowliness, peacefulness, and righteousness. God is the only source of righteousness. He is our only lifeline of righteous works, of love, and of truth. Trusting God is the beginning of wisdom, as the Proverbs of Solomon testify repeatedly.

As Victims and Agents of Sin in a Fallen World

James stated in 3:2 that we all stumble in many things. We will not be perfect this side of heaven. Nonetheless, we have God, who forgave us for sins. He has prescribed for us prayer that we can turn to Him at any time throughout the day so that we can find our strength in Him. When we do stumble, it is a reminder that we are sinners. It also is a sign that we immediately must turn to Him and remember His provision in Christ. If we offend another, we also must immediately be reconciled to that person even before offering praise to God, as Jesus also testified (Matthew 5:23-24). James was writing to Jewish people who were experiencing great trials all over the Mediterranean world because they became Christians. Many of them had lost everything, such as their businesses and families. Becoming a Christian will bring us trials and many kinds of problems. Nonetheless, though we may be harmed by the world, we cannot seek to harm the world in return, and especially not harm our fellow believers. Within the community of believers, if we sin against each other, we must confess our sins to each other. If we harbor hard feelings toward another, as difficult as it may be, we must talk the issues through. There are two major reasons I can think of. First, Jesus commanded us “that ye love one another.” Second, the community of believers is our only line of defense for accountability to God. Knowing that we are sinners and that the source of our tongues is that of hell, we must be able to encourage one another to seek the Holy Spirit to press on toward maturity. Therefore this passage shows us what kind of quality a leader and a wise person ought to have; but it speaks to all Christians at all times as to what the mature Christian must look like.