Articles
Controlling Our Tongue
The Bible’s reference to the “tongue” is an example of metonymy, where a related thing is substituted for the thing meant. Speech is the most common way we express our ideas, thoughts and intentions. Whole nations are turned to evil purposes by words that inflame emotions, that tap into suppressed prejudices and ambitions, that change perceptions and values. Words alter the moral landscape of a culture.
Controlling our tongue is not a matter of muscle control but heart control. As Jesus noted, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt 12:34). In his epistle, James gives various instructions concerning our speech.
1. “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (1:19-20). James places more stress on hearing rather than speaking. This advice probably runs counter to the general mindset of the spiritually convicted who encounter things contrary to truth. In our zeal to right wrongs we sometimes inappropriately vent our indignation. But the same advice applies to the quick tempered who impulsively attack and verbally abuse those who provoke them.
James says such speech does not produce the righteousness of God. Stated in the reverse, it damages relationships, harms influence and frustrates God’s purposes. Those who wish to be right with God should listen carefully, patiently assess the situation and respond wisely. Easier said than done.
2. “See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity … it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and is set on fire by hell” (3:5-6). James takes up a fuller treatment of speech in chapter three, and he seems to blend two ideas together:
*The words of a teacher – 3:1: “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” Other passages would caution us against taking this as a literal discouragement from teaching (cf. 2 Tim 2:2; Heb 5:12; Ac 13:1; etc.). The stricter judgment seems to allude to the possibility of mishandling God’s word and thus bringing condemnation upon oneself and one’s hearers.
Paul referred to some Jewish converts who “strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm” (1 Tim 1:6-7). He further warns against the one “who teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness …” (1 Tim 6:3). Any who desire to teach God’s word, publicly or privately, must appreciate the gravity of what he or she undertakes.
*Abusive words toward one’s fellow man – 3:9-10: “With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.” It is difficult to discover a clear transition in this section, but perhaps one is not necessary. The intervening verses contain principles which apply to either kind of faulty speech:
“For we all stumble in many things” (3:2).
“The tongue is a little member and boasts great things” (3:5).
“No man can tame the tongue” (3:8).
This is something we all wrestle with. We speak so many words in a day, and we often speak them without sufficient clarity and consideration. Fear, fatigue, frustration – all of these interfere with expressing ourselves with the care, patience, and humility that we should.
3. “Do not speak evil against one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge” (4:11). This seems to differ slightly from the previous point in that this is abusive speech directed against a brother. In any closely connected group of people there are differences that inevitably cause friction: habits, opinions, preferences – not to mention downright selfishness or a domineering, antagonistic spirit (cf. Jas 4:1-4). There will always be a tendency to denigrate those who transgress our standards of sensibility. But James is blunt here: our responsibility is to keep the law, not judge which parts of it don’t apply to us. Just to nail it down tighter James later adds: “Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” (5:9).
4. And, finally, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless” (1:26). No PC there, just a blunt assessment of how important it is to speak accurately, purely and compassionately.
