Scripture: James 3:1-12
“In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.” (James 3:5, NLT)
Control That Tongue! (James 3:1-2).
James’ point is that a man should not take on the role of a teacher unless God has called him to it, because teachers will incur a stricter judgment. Those who teach God’s Word will be more accountable, because the words affect more people. Any time that a person teaches God’s Word, they should be mindful of the serious fact that they will stand before the Lord to give in account.
Verse 2 further explains verse 1 (“For”). James includes himself when he says, “For we all stumble in many ways.” We’re all prone to sin!!! By God’s grace I’m a saint, but I am a saint who stumbles in many ways, not just occasionally.
James then says further addresses the tongue by saying, “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.” Perfect does not mean sinlessly perfect, but rather, mature. We can never achieve sinless perfection in this life, but we can grow to spiritual maturity. One important gauge of spiritual maturity is our speech.
One way to tame the tongue is to recognize that we all will be accountable for our speech. Jesus said (Matt. 12:36-37), “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they will give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be condemned.” Jesus was not teaching justification by faith. But, like James, He was teaching that our works reveal whether our faith is genuine faith. Our words either validate that we are true believers or reveal that we do not know God. If we sin with our speech, we need to ask God’s forgiveness and also the one that we have sinned against.
To tame the tongue, we must recognize its power for good or for evil (James 3:3-5).
James uses two analogies here to make the point that the tongue is small, but mighty: the bit and the rudder. A bit is a relatively small instrument, but when you put it into a horse’s mouth, you can control the entire horse. Both the bit and the rudder must overcome contrary forces to direct the horse and the ship. A horse is a powerful animal that can do much useful work, but only if it can be directed. A ship is a useful means of transporting cargo or people, but if the rudder is broken, it will be the mercy of the wind and waves, and could result in a shipwreck causing the loss of life and cargo. In the same way, the tongue must overcome the contrary force of the flesh and be under God’s wise control if it is to accomplish anything good.