Well, we’ve made it to week three in a series I’ve called “Faith Workouts.” We’re taking a section of a chapter of James each week to discover how we can strengthen our faith with some very practical theology. And tonight we’re going to workout a muscle that gets overlooked in the gym, but not in our daily life. It’s the mouth muscle – our tongue – and I’m sure you’ve not only heard, but experienced the power of the tongue.
Our words reveal the truth. They express internal realities. We rarely have to read between the lines on the things people say. Usually their exact words, combined with volume and inflection, communicate very clearly what they mean. We explode angrily; we slander ruthlessly; we sneer perversely. And that is what is biblical about Freud’s theory. You see, the better part of two thousand years before Freud, Jesus made a simple but profound statement. He said, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34). Words are tools of self-expression. When you listen to a person’s words, you listen to his heart. A person’s character leaks out between his lips. Few things can give us a better read on where a person is than the pattern of their speech. You can try to clamp down on your tongue and you’ll probably be successful for a little while, but eventually your heart will speak out.
James knew the power of words and that is why he writes this section. He knew that there were people in his congregation and those Christians that he was writing to that had been affected deeply by the sinful words of people. He knew also the power that could come with words, words of hope and healing and help that surely many of them had experienced. And so James speaks, as a pastor, words to the people of God… here’s James 3:1-12
1. The teacher (of God’s Word) has great responsibility
And in light of that truth, James says in v. 1, not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. Notice James says “we”. James, was an authoritative teacher in the early church by serving as a pastor. He knows the seriousness of words. So he gives a warning of sorts to those who would step in to a teaching capacity without the proper calling from God and the proper gifts that He had given.
Since the church had scattered, many of his readers were striving to fill the void and take on leadership roles through teaching. So James warns them, knowing that the teachers’ essential instrument – the tongue – which is so easily misused, has great influence. He says listen, do you understand the great responsibility that you have to teach my Word? This applies to us all at some level, right? You may not be called to be a pastor, but you are called to teach. In fact, Jesus said if you’re going to make disciples in all nations you should teach them everything that I have commanded you. So the teacher’s responsibility is weighty because the tongue is the most difficult member of the body to control. I think we would all agree that our tongue can get us into quite a jam.
And since the tongue is the easiest to get us in to trouble, he says, if your speech is perfect then you’re a perfect man completely. But we know that none of us is perfect in our speech. In fact, we know that all of us have been born into a fallen world, and we have been affected by sin. Remember what Paul says in Romans 3:12-13?
2. The tongue has great power
So after giving us a pretty bleak picture of our tongues, James goes on to further explain with some illustrations. He says, okay, let me give you three examples in case you’re not convinced yet of the power of such a small instrument like the tongue. The first is that of a bit in the mouth of a horse. Such a small bit can control such a large, strong animal. But in case you’re still not convinced he says I’ve got a second example. Take a ship. Even the largest cruise ship is controlled by a small rudder (in proportion to the ship). Ships of James’ day were very large, lacked technical capabilities like ours and were driven by strong winds, thus difficult to control. Yet a small rudder still gave the pilots the ability to steer wherever they wanted to go. And James said so it is with the tongue, my brothers and sisters. Even though it is so small it guides the entire body.
James goes from the picture of animals and ships being controlled by small objects, to a small object causing great destruction. One little spark can set a blaze and engulf an entire forest. I’ve got some water up here. And if I won’t get in trouble I’ll pour some out and what does the water do? It stays in place. Now if I were to take a match – don’t worry, I don’t have one – and were to drop it what would happen? Different result entirely, right? Fire spreads. And the truth is, at some point of our lives, our tongues have been used as an instrument that has set ablaze pain, destruction, hurt and deep wounds because our tongue is fire.
But why do we have so much trouble? Because v. 9-10 “it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” You know what I’ve learned over my Christian life is that it’s pretty easy to fool people about who we really are. But the people that we can’t fool are those who are closest to us. And eventually your tongue will reveal your character.
4. The tongue has great potential.
You see our problems are deeper than just the organ that’s in our mouth: the tongue. It goes to the very core of who we are. In fact, Jesus made this clear on many different occasions that our words are an indication of our heart and therefore our true spiritual condition. If we belong to Christ, then our tongues should represent Christ! And in one of the great understatements in all of Scripture, James simply says, “My brothers, this should not be” (v. 10). No kidding it shouldn’t be! Christ-followers have been negligent with their speech far too long. It’s time to take those tongues into the gym and teach them to talk all over again. But here’s the good news. The heart that belongs to Christ is under renovation. It’s a work in progress. It’s what we call sanctification in theological terms. And because Christ indwells us – it impacts everything, including our speech.
So James gives us two final illustrations in water and fruit in verses 11 and 12. Fresh water comes from fresh water springs and likewise fig trees produce figs. We don’t get salt water from freshwater springs or olives from fig trees. He’s painting us a picture of a renewed heart. That good fruit comes from good trees. Good, life-giving words come from renewed hearts. And the inverse is of course true as well. There is no point in you trying to talk something that you aren’t. You can try until ultimate frustration to change your exterior – to clean up your talk. But it is futile if your heart hasn’t changed. Christ came to transform your heart – to change you from the inside out.
