The Book Of James Pt. 31 Poisonous Words From An Unruly Tongue!

[Please remember the index to all posts from 2022 was posted on January 24, 2023. The index for all other years was posted on September 7, 2022. Thus, you have a resource to help you find a topic that you want to know more about.]

The apostle James is taking a good bit of time to address the sin of an unruly tongue. 

He has shown us that the tongue exerts as much influence over our Christian testimony, as a small rudder that steers a large ship, or a small bit that makes a horse turn. 

He has warned us about our tongue. It can explode into iniquitous speech and it is set on the fires of hell.

In this post, the apostle continues his warnings about an ungoverned tongue, and we must pay attention. 

Our culture is polluted with ungoverned tongues spewing out vile speech, not caring whether innocent people are hurt in the process. 

Most forms of animal life have been tamed by man.

James 3:7  For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 

We must remember that the corrupt trends in our culture are constantly pressing in, seeking to squeeze us into an evil mold. James now speaks of knowledge that was common to those living in the Roman world. 

Almost every type of animal, bird, and to a lesser degree, snakes and fish, have been tamed by mankind. The idea of taming them is that people figured out how to curb their unwanted intrusions into our spaces. 

For example, we call animal control if a skunk or snake invades our property. We call pest control agents to fight termites, and other insects.  

Some animals are "tamed" or domesticated for beneficial uses. Their natural impulses restrained and they become productive and useful creatures.

Horses still pull plows and wagons for the Amish community.  Domesticated hens produce eggs for the market. 

God gave mankind dominion over animal life.

Genesis 1:27-28  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28)  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 

In the beginning, God gave mankind authority or dominion over fish, birds and all land based creatures. 

However, after the flood of Noah, God placed a fear of man into all animals (Genesis 9:1-2). Mankind still retained dominion over them. 

We are all familiar with the picture James gives us, but what he says next is pretty shocking. 

Our tongue cannot be tamed by any ordinary means. 

James 3:8  But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Our tongue cannot be tamed. Our tongue is unrestrainable and unruly. It is evil, and left to itself, is pernicious, wicked and destructive. The key phrase is "no man can tame it."

I lived out this truth. I used to curse and swear and use vile language. After I was married, I really wanted to stop and I tried to discipline my speech. Self reformation did not work. I would always revert to cursing and using vile language. 

I learned that our tongue cannot be governed by ordinary means, for it will break through any boundaries. Our tongue is full of deadly venom like a snake bite. 

James makes a strong indictment of our tongues. We see far too many examples of venomous speech in the news and hateful posts on social media. 

We bless God and curse man who is made in God's image. 

James 3:9  Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 

What an awful picture of our tongue. On one hand, we bless God the Father, but on the other hand, we are swift to erupt in wrath and condemnation toward people who are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). 

It is absurd to think of praying and praising God, and then quickly turning to ask God to destroy those with whom we disagree. 

This was a big problem in the time of the early church, when James wrote, and it is a problem today!

I know of some Christians who pray that God will kill their children if they are rebellious, or that He will take the life of a politician they do not like. 

It is wrong to pray this way and it certainly does not reflect the heart of God toward us. 

Michael the archangel was careful in his speech. 

Jude 1:9  Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. 

The Bible tells us about an incident involving the body of Moses. We have no other details except what this text says. 

The contention mentioned by Jude is not about the soul of Moses, but about the Body of Moses. Why or wherefore we are not told. Some think the devil wished to show the Israelites where Moses was buried, knowing that they would venerate his body, and that Michael was sent to resist this discovery.

Michael was an archangel of Jehovah and he contended with the devil. Notice, that the scripture says Michael did not explode with angry words and rage toward Satan. Instead, he said "The Lord rebuke thee." 

A Christian should not speak both blessing and cursing.

James 3:10  Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 

James tells us that Christians should not use our mouth to speak blessings and utter curses. This is a strong rebuke. The word "Christian" and the act of cursing to not even belong together.  

James 3:11-12  Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? 12)  Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. 

James posed two rhetorical questions and each requires a "No" answer. Both sweet and bitter water cannot flow from the same water source. 

Thus, sweet, drinkable water does not come out of the same fountain that yields bitter, undrinkable water. 

In like manner, a fig tree will never produce olive berries, nor can an olive vine produce figs. 

We will not see the remedy that James has for the unruly tongue until our next post. 

I will tell you that it was not until the Spirit of God regenerated my heart, that my previously unruly tongue was governed. 

God did something marvelous for me when He saved me. Taking away my swearing, was part of the old things passing away, as I began to walk in newness of life in Christ. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

Let us guard our tongues and have our minds engaged before we begin to speak. Let us ask our mighty God to bring our tongues under His control. 

Let us be known as people of God who will refrain from blurting out everything like the culture is doing. 

Let us be good listeners and be ready to speak the words of life to those who are lost.

King Solomon summarizes the problem of an unruly tongue. It has the power of death and life, blessing and cursing. Those who love an unruly tongue will eat the fruit of it.

This is a sober warning for all believers in Christ. 

Bob

Proverbs 18:21  Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.