Faith and the Tongue
“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 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. 5 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. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water” (James 3:1-12, NIV).
Now read the same first two verses of James 3 in the King James Version:
“My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. 2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:1-2, KJV).
James has moved from addressing how a person’s faith is displayed in their works and deeds to how a person’s faith is displayed in their words and speech. We say faith without works is useless and dead. We might also say that a person who says they have faith and yet has an uncontrolled, untamed tongue or speech is not a person who is displaying their faith in Christ.
James warns the believer in the beginning of his epistle regarding the tongue.
“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless” (James 1:26, NIV).
There will be times when we stumble and uses uncontrollable words or unrestrained words, rather than using faith-building words. It will happen at times; no one is perfect. But that is no excuse. The important question is, do we repent for speaking those words or continue unrestrained? Do we seek forgiveness? Will we attempt to control what we say, or will we simply continue to speak with a untamed tongue? Remember, James is addressing believers and our lives should display good deeds and our vocabulary, our speech, is to glorify God Almighty. May we never speak vile, idol words that tear down or cause someone to turn from knowing Christ. We must not lead someone into temptation or sin by the words we use.
As believers in Christ, as Christians, we are servants of Christ. Our entire being is to glorify God. Our lifestyle, actions, deeds, and words are to display to all the world, that we are servants of Christ. Our words, actions and our all-around lifestyle are connected. We are not to live as believers only on Sunday and the other six days live as the world. No, we are called to live as servants of Christ every day; 24/7. Paul said he was called to be set apart for the gospel of God (Romans 1:1).
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13).
James begins this epistle with the declaration of who he is, “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1). As believers in Christ, we are called out of the world, out of darkness, and set apart to live as servants of Christ. Paul, Jude, Simon Peter, Moses, Tychicus, Epaphras, John, John the Baptist, and people down the ages who have placed their faith in Jesus are called to be servants of God. Each of us who have placed our faith in Jesus are servants of God. We are called to be witnesses of Christ.
You are to live a life set apart unto Christ. You have been set free from the bondage of sin and death. You are to live as ambassadors of Christ to the world. In Ephesians 6, Paul speaks of himself as an ambassador for Christ, meaning that he is a representative of Christ to both the believer and the unbeliever. In James 3, we find James is addressing believers who are teachers, but I cannot rule out that James must also have every believer in mind.
We need to carefully consider the words we use and speak: faith, hope, love, and life. Words are powerful and we must remember that “the tongue has the power of life and death” (Proverbs 18:21, emphasis added).
James is saying whoever teaches the word of God will be held to a higher standard of judgement. Teachers, rabbis, religious leaders, pastors are often looked up to because of their position. As parents and grandparents, you are teachers also. You are to teach and be examples to your family in the way he or she should live. But when teachers or religious leaders use their position for personal gain or have a false motivation or evil intentions, James is saying that they will be judged with stricter judgement. James is telling his readers that the person who is in the place of authority and uses that authority to teach others has a serious responsibility and will be judged accordingly.
Your words carry power:
What you say can encourage or discourage.
What you say can speak life or death.
It can be positive or negative.
It can bring healing or destruction.
It can speak hope or hopelessness.
It can spark faith to arise in a person’s heart or it can influence unfaithfulness to keep a person in spiritual bondage.
As a teenager, the men and women of the church I attended were my spiritual teachers just as much as the pastor and youth pastor. Everyone in that church had an influence on my spiritual growth. Their lifestyle, words, and deeds spoke volumes. God used them to guide me in my spiritual development. God by his Holy Spirit used each of them to speak into my life. I watched, listened, and learned how a believer is to live as a servant of Christ.
It is just as easy to watch and pick up the wrong lessons concerning being a servant of Christ from someone you look up to as a spiritual teacher. A person with an uncontrolled tongue or an uncontrolled lifestyle can easily influence a person to live a spiritually uncontrolled life. This is what James is warning teachers and every believer.
As believers we are to be good examples and to guide and teach others in the ways of the Lord. Both in word and deed.
As Godly parents we will make mistakes, we will stumble and make mistakes along the way.
James reminds us that no one is perfect. We will all say things and do things at times that we regret along our spiritual walk with Christ. It is easy to speak out of line because of anger that may result in emotional outbreaks at times. I am sure we have all done so one at time or another. We must try to control our tongues and what we say. Such control is learned as we grow and spiritually mature in Christ. Tight reigns of the tongue must be taught and caught by all. It needs to be modeled each day, but when we stumble spiritually and say things with an uncontrolled tongue we need to confess, repent, and seek to repair the damage and offence we caused.
Idle words spoken can have a tremendous effect on an individual. Words can destroy or slander a person’s reputation. Idly spoken words can set someone on the wrong path in life.
If you tell a child that they are no good, if you tell them that they will grow up to be a loser, if you tell a person they are stupid, in time the person will believe you. They will begin to think, why should I try to be different? Why try to be successful? Why study, why be good, why hope to be different? Why try to be a Christian?
The opposite is also true. As you encourage a person and speak words of faith, hope, love and peace they will learn a great truth. As you speak and model a lifestyle of love and faith in Christ, it will not go unnoticed. It will not return void.
God’s word is true. It is powerful and the Holy Spirit will cause it to come to mind in a person’s life when it is needed. You do your part in speaking the words of life. God, by His Holy Spirit, will use your words, and the words that he has put on your heart to speak, to reach the lost and encourage the person to believe. Now it is up to that individual to respond.
James gives his reader some great examples of how small things can have huge influence and affects outcomes.
Horses have a small bit in their mouths that can turn the horse easily.
A large ship has a small rudder in comparison to the ship, yet the rudder will cause the ship to change directions. It doesn’t matter how strong the wind blows. The rudder directs the ship.
James also uses the idea of a spark that can cause a huge fire that will destroy a forest. Words spoken carelessly can destroy a life, a relationship, a marriage, a family, and a church much like how a small spark can start a fire and destroy a forest.
No one can control the tongue, James says. The tongue is a small member of the body. It is the organ of speech we all have and is untamable and yet James tells us to keep a tight rein on our tongue. The words you speak can bring either life or death.
We can tame animals great and small. We can control horses and ships, but no one is able to control the tongue. It’s the rider on the horse who uses the bit that can control the horse. It is the pilot in the pilot house of the ship, who can control and direct the ship in the direction to go, using a rudder. We need to allow Jesus to pilot our lives and direct our paths. Our steps are directed by God and it’s hard for us to know the way on our own (Proverbs 20:24). We need to allow the Holt Spirit complete access to our hearts and listen for him to reveal things in our hearts that are not pleasing or submissive to his will, so we can turn from them.
God by his Holy Spirit will use a person to speak into your life. He will also use you to speak into someone’s life. the word of God, the preaching of a sermon, a song you sing, a painful situation or a sovereign move of God to cause you to come to a point of decision regarding your spiritual condition and heart. Maybe a phrase or word someone once said long ago, and the Holy Spirit brings it to mind and reminds you of the grace of God.
The Holy Spirit can also use your words to speak into a person’s life. The winds of the world will blow hard and try to get you to move in the direction of the world, but I challenge you to allow the pilot of your heart to direct you in how to live and what you say.
James reminds us that no one can tame the tongue, that it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. In other words, your idle, uncontrollable words can have a spiritually deadly effect on another person or even yourself. If you are negative and speak only negative words and have thoughts that are worldly, you will find yourself spiritually adrift and headed in a direction away from serving God.
As believers we need to allow God by his Holy Spirit to direct or lives, steps, and words in such a way that we obey the leading of the Spirit and not be blown in the direction of the world. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to use the word of God as the rudder to direct our lives and the lives of others. God will use you as servants of Christ, to speak life and hope into lives and encourage individuals in faith as you obey the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit. However, that will not happen if you do not watch what you say and, instead, speak with a untamed tongue.
Remember, words can corrupt and destroy. There is power in the tongue: life, and death. Words that come from a heart of anger, envy, greed, and selfishness are sinful, evil and originate from the pit of hell, and they have no place in a believer’s vocabulary or life.
James explains how a person of faith should not praise God in one moment and curse man in the other (James 3:9-12).
James uses two examples:
The example of fresh and salt water cannot flow from the same spring.
A fig tree will not bear olives, nor a grapevine figs.
James says a salt pond cannot yield fresh water. In Israel, fresh water from the Jordan flows down into the dead sea. The water mixes and is no longer fresh. A river can run into the ocean and the fresh water from the river will mix with the ocean and become salty. The fresh water will become contaminated by the salt water.
Words of blessing become contaminated, confusing, and meaningless when associated with words of cursing. In the same way a believer who praises God should not be someone who curses man. James warns the believer who curses, mistreats, and causes a person to stumble. Understand, every man is created in the image of God. No matter how evil they live. God loves that person and Jesus was nailed to the cross and died for that person, giving that person an opportunity to be saved and delivered from sin.
Who are we to say things or do things that might cause a person to stumble or reject Jesus? I do not want to be the cause of a person to reject Jesus as Lord and savior because of idle words I have spoken. I do not want to be the reason someone turns away from faith because I said or did something. I do not want to be the example that causes someone to sin. We will have to give an account for every careless word we’ve spoken—our words will acquit or condemn us (Matthew 12:36-37).
I am not perfect, but I know the one who is and that is Jesus. It is only by the help of the Holy Spirit that I will be able to hold a tight rein on my tongue and actions. When I fail, it is my desire and prayer that I quickly repent, confess, and seek forgiveness from God and from the one I offended. I desire to be the person of God that he desires. I choose to follow his footsteps and the leading of the Holy Spirit in order to be a faithful servant of God.
Remember, we are all servants of God. We are all ambassadors of Christ to the world. We are all teachers in a way, to our families, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and those around us who are looking at us to see how a servant of Christ is to live and act. Let us carefully choose the words we speak. Words of faith, hope and love.
When the wind of the world blows, when the enemy tempts us to sin, when fear or trouble come our way, and before we say something we should not say, we should remember:
Stop and breath a quick prayer.
Let your life be driven by that small rudder; the word of God.
Follow the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit and stay on course.
Strive to remain a faithful servant of Christ in word and deed.
I heard of a story where a woman once came up to John Wesley and said she knew what her talent was. She said, “I think my talent from God is to speak my mind.” Wesley replied, “I don’t think God would mind if you buried that talent.” Speaking everything that comes to mind can be unwise, poisonous speech.
“What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them” (Matthew 15:11).
May we be led by the Holy Spirit in all we do and speak. Choose today to be a faithful servant of God and have a tight rein on your words. May you always praise God and speak life and hope.
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