James has explained to us two characteristic of the mature Christian - he is patient in trouble (James 1), and he prctices the truth (James 2). In this section (James 3:1 - 12), he share the third characteristic of the mature believer - he has power over his tongue.
The power of speech is one of the greatest powers God has given us. With the tongue, man can praise God, pray, preach the Word, and lead the lost to Christ. What a privilege! But with that same tongue he can tell lies that could ruin a man's reputation or break a person's heart. The ability to speak words is the ability to influence others and accomplish tremendous tasks.
In order to impress upon us the importance of controlled speech, and the great consequence of our words, James gave us six pictures of the tongue - the bit, the rudder, fire, a poisonous animal, a spring (fountain), and a fig tree. You can put these six pictures into three meaningful classifications that reveal the three powers of the tongue - power to direct, the power to destroy and the power to delight.
Power to direct - the bit and the rudder (James 3:1 - 4)
James said: "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires" (James 3:1 - 4, NKJV, emphasis added).
Apparently, everybody in the assembly wanted to teach and be a spiritual leader. Perhaps they were impressed with the authority and prestige of the office, and forgot about the tremendous responsibility and accountablilty. Those who teach the Word face the stricter judgment. Teachers must use their tougue to share God's truth, and it is easy to commit sins of the tongue. Furthermore, teachers must practice what they teach; otherwise, their teaching is hypocrisy. Think of the damage that can be done by a teacher who is unprepared, or whose spiritual life is not up to par.
But teachers are not the only ones who are tempted and sin, every Christian must admit that "we all stumble in many things" (James 3:2). And sins of the tongue seem to head the list. The person who is able to discipline his tongue gives evidence that he can control his whole body. Consequently, be becomes a mature (perfect) man.
In selecting the bit and the rudder, James presented two items that are small of themselves, yet exercise great power, just like the tongue. A small bit enables the rider to control the great horse, and a small rudder enables the pilot to steer the huge ship. The tongue is a small member in the body, and yet it has the power to accomplish great things.
Both the bit and the rudder must overcome contrary forces. The bit must overcome the wild nature of the horse, and the rudder must fight the winds and currents that would drive the ship off its course. The human tongue also must overcome contrary forces. We have an old nature that wants to control us and make us sin. There are circumstances around us that would make us say things we ought not say. Sin on the inside and pressures on the outside are seeking to get control of the tongue.
If we let Jesus Christ to control our tongue, then we need not fear saying the wrong things - or even saying the right things in a wrong way!
David prayed: "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, ..." (Ps. 141:3, 4).
David knew that the heart is the key to right speech:
Jesus said: "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt. 12:34).
When Jesus Christ is the Lord of the heart, then He is Lord of the lips too.
The bit and rudder have the power to direct which means they affect the lives of others. A runaway horse or a shipwreck could mean injury or death to pedestrains or passengers. The words we speek affect the lives of other. A judge says "Guilty!" or "Not Guilty!" and those words affect the destiny of the prisoner, his family, and friends. Even a simple "Yes" or "No" from the lips of a parent can greatly affect the direction of a child's life.
Never underestimate the guidance you give by the words you speak or do not speak. Jesus spoke to a woman at a well, and her life and the life of her neighbors experienced a miraculous change (John 4). Peter preached at Pentecost and 3,000 souls came to salvation through faith in Christ (Acts 2).
It would do us all good to read frequently the Book of Proverbs, and to note especially the many references to speech:
"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Prov. 15:1).
"Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, ..." (Prov. 12:22).
"In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise" (Prov. 10:19).
Yes, the tongue is like a bit and a rudder; it has the power to direct. How important it is that our tongues direct people in the right way!
Power to destroy - the fire and the animal (James 3:5 - 8)
James said: "Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:5 - 8).
The fire
A fire can begin with just a small spark, but it can grow to destroy a city. Our words can start fires.
Solomon said: "Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife" (Prov. 26:20, 21).
In some Local Churches, there are members or officers who cannot control their tongues, and the result is destruction. I suggest they move out of town or be replaced in office, and let a beautiful spirit of harmony and love take over.
Like a fire, the tongue can "heat things up."
David, the psalmist said: "I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue. ... My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue: ..." (Ps. 39:1, 3).
A hot head and a hot heart can lead to burning words that we will regret. God can help us in controlling our temper.
Solomon said: "He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit" (Prov. 17:27).
Solomon also said: "He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, but he who is impulsive exalts folly" (Prov. 14:29).
Fire not only starts small and grows, and creates heat; it also defiles. When the basement of a house suffers a fire, the smoke and fire damage so soiled (defiled) the upstairs of the house that the family has to move out while the house undergoes repair. Fiery words can defile a home, a fellowship and a Church. The only thing that can wash away that defilement is the blood of Jesus Christ.
Fire burns and hurts, and our words can burn and hurt. One of the sorrows our Lord had to bear when He was here on earth was the way His enemies talked about Him. They called Him a "glutton and a winebibber" (Matt. 11:19) because He graciously accepted invitations to dine with people the Pharisees did not like. When He performed miracles, they said He was in league with Satan. Even when He was dying on the cross, His enemies could not let Him alone but threw vicious taunts into His face.
James said: "The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature and it is set on fire by hell" (James 3:6, emphasis added).
James suggests that all of life is connected like a wheel, and therefore we cannot keep things from spreading. A person's entire life can be injured or destoyed by the tongue. Time does not correct the sins of the tongue. We may confess our sins of speech, but the fire keeps on spreading.
The tongue is "set on fire by hell" because our words can break hearts and ruin reputations. They can also destroy souls by sending them into eternity without Christ. Therefore Paul suggests that our speech always be "with grace, seasoned with salt (Col. 4:6).
The animal
Not only is the tongue like a fire, but it is also like a dangerous animal. It is restless and cannot be ruled (unruly), and it seeks its prey and then pounces and kills. Some animal are poisonous and some tongues spread poison. The deceptive thing about poison is that it works secretly and slowly, and then kills. How many times has some malicious person injected a bit of poison into the conversation, hoping it would spread and finally get to the person he or she wanted to hurt? Poisonous tongues do great damage to individuals, families, fellowships, and entire Churches.
James reminds us that animals can be tamed; and, for that matter, fire can be tamed. When you tame an animal, you get a worker instead of a destroyer. When you control fire, you generate power. The tongue cannot be tamed by man, but can be tamed by God.
Your tongue needs not "set on fire by hell" (James 3:6). Like the Apostles at Pentecost, it can be set on fire from heaven! If God lights the fire and controls it, then the tongue can be a mighty tool for the winning of the lost and the building up of the Church.
Power to delight - the spring (fountain) and tree (James 3:9 - 12)
James said: "With it (the tongue) we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear fig? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh" (James 3:9 - 12).
The spring
The spring or fountain, of course, provides the cool water that man needs to stay alive. Man needs water not only for drinking, but also for washing, cooking, farming, and a host of other activities so necessary to life.
The following verses parallel what James has written and underscore the importance of our words:
"The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; the wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook" (Prov. 18:4).
"The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, ..." (Prov. 10:11).
"The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death" (Prov. 13:14).
Water is life-giving, and our words can give life. However, if water is not controlled, it bring death and destruction in the form of floods and landslides. Similarly, our tongue can bring death to the hearer.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, ..." (Prov. 18:21).
However, when we bend over a fountain for a drink of cool water, we rarely think of floods. we think only of the precious gift of refreshment that comes with a drink of water. we could not be healthy without enough water.
"There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health" (Prov. 12:18).
The tongue of the wise refreshes and promotes health. Paul's prayer was that he might "refresh" the saints in Rome when he came to them (Rom. 15:32). He often named Christians who had refreshed him (1 Cor. 16:18; Phile. 7.20).
Water also cleanses. There was a laver in the Old Testament tabernacle and temple, provided for the cleansing of the priests' hands and feet. God's Word is the spiritual water that cleanses us (John 15:3; Eph. 5:26, 27). But our words to others can also help to cleanse and sanctify them. Our words ought to be like that river described in Ezekiel 47 that brought life to everything it touched.
A tree
The tongue is also delightful because it is like a tree. In Bible lands, trees are vitally important to the economy - they help to hold down the soil; they provide beauty and shade; and they bear fruit. Our words can help to shelter and encourage a weary traveler, and can help to feed the hungry soul.
"The lips of the righteous feed many, ..." (Prov. 10:21).
Jesus said: "... The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).
As we share His Word with others, we feed them and encourage them along the way.
The most important thing about a tree is the root system. If the roots do not go down deep, the tree will not grow in a healthy manner. If we are rooted in the things of the Lord, then our words will be the fruit of our fellowship with Him. One reason our Lord was able to say the right words at the right times was because He communed with the Father and heard from heaven each day.
Isaiah said: "The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the leaned" (Isa. 50:4).
If you and I are going to have tongues that delight, then we must meet with the Lord each day, in prayer and meditation, and permit the Spirit of God to fill our hearts with God's love and truth.
James understands our problem - the tongue that blesses the Father, and then turns around and curses men made in God's image. How easy to worship God in a Church service, and then get into the family car and argue and fight all the way home!
James said: "My brethren, these things ought not to be so" (James 3:10).
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