We all stumble in many ways. This cannot get much clearer than that— we all sin. Daniel Doriani says this: Scripture has long used sins of the tongue to describe human fallenness.
We all stumble in many ways. This cannot get much clearer
than that— we all sin. Daniel Doriani says this: “Scripture has long used sins
of the tongue to describe human fallenness”. A few examples of this would be:
•Psalm
34:12–13 (keeping tongues from evil and lips from telling lies)
•Romans
3:10–14 (Throats open graves, tongues practice deceit, mouths full of cursing
and bitterness)
•2
Corinthians 12:20 (slanderers, gossips, fits of rage)
All too often, we speak without thinking. Then we make
excuses and minimise. We don’t think through the weight, the cost, and the harm
of our uncontrolled words.
Daniel Doriani puts it like this: “The tongue daily
demonstrates both our sinfulness and our inability to reform ourselves.” This
one little muscle in our bodies reveals not only the state of our hearts but
our inability to control it in our own strength.
2) The destructive and deadly tongue:
The tongue is a weapon, more powerful and more destructive
than any other weapon known to man. It is not even a weapon made by man. This
weapon has been known to start wars, destroy friendships, devastate
relationships, break hearts, cause enmity, and spark national revolutions. It
has ruined more reputations, wrecked more homes, split more churches, driven
more people out of the ministry, and caused more hatred than any other weapon
in the world. Concealed and deadly, this weapon is the three-inch animal that
lives in a pool of saliva; behind an ivory cage of teeth and covered by a pair
of lips is “the tongue.”
Gossip is saying nasty things about people instead of good
things. Gossip is spreading rumors that might not be true. Gossip hurts people.
If you think about the world of others, you won’t tell the world all about
others and their problems. There are a few sins people commit in which the
tongue is not involved.
Ever wondered why people gossip? The foremost reason— they
want to get noticed so badly, and gossiping gives them that brief moment of
fame and attention. The ninth commandment of the Ten Commandments tells us not
to bear witness. Bluntly speaking it just means— “shut your mouths unless your
words are going to bless people and glorify God.”
4) Analysis of James on gossiping:
We have a tendency to talk about other people’s affairs, the
unpleasant ones. The Bible warned us to watch our tongues. It warned us against
the danger of gossiping but it happens all the time. In James 3:1-12 we are
told that genuine religion should exert a controlling influence over a person’s
tongue. James’s treatment of the topic may be broken into three subdivisions:
•The
weighty responsibility of teachers (vv. 1-2)
•The
powerful influence of the tongue (vv. 3-6)
•The
perversity of the tongue (vv. 7-12)
The judgment of teachers will be especially strict because
greater responsibility rests on them. The reason for this is that the teacher’s
essential instrument, the tongue, has such great influence.
James illustrates the powerful influence of the tongue by
the practice of putting bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us. A
small bit can turn the whole animal. So a person who controls the tongue can
control his or her whole being. The next illustration of the influence of the
tongue is the rudder of a ship. Compared to the size of the vessel and the
power of the gale, the rudder was but a minute part; yet it guided the ship.
The tongue, too, is a small item like the rudder. Yet, like the rudder, it
exerts a powerful influence. The tongue can sway multitudes. It can alter the
destinies of nations. The destructive potential of the tongue is graphically
pictured by a forest fire. Thousands of acres of valuable timber may be
devastated by a small spark.
When James says, “No man can tame the tongue,” he is stating
that no one by himself or herself can subdue the tongue. This is not to say
that God cannot bring it under control, for the tongue of the regenerate person
can be controlled by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The mouth should be used consistently to praise God and to
express love and kindness to other people. A plant produces according to its
nature, whether figs, grapes, or any other fruit. Similarly, a salt spring
cannot produce fresh water. Therefore, out of the mouth of a good person comes
good words, and out of the mouth of a wicked person comes sinful words.
5) Games people play:
Prayer time in a Christian fellowship is a subtler version
of sharing time. It occurs during a gathering of small groups, Bible study
groups. The group leader asks if anyone has a prayer need or a prayer request.
This moment is perfect for spilling the personal news of other people. Gossip
veterans know when to give the juicy details. Since they are “talking to God,”
they can disguise the gossip beautifully wrapped as a prayer request. They can
spill the beans without appearing to take any delight in the unfortunate
situation of a person who is not present.
6) Glorify God with your tongue:
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but
that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the
hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). God has a divine purpose for our tongues. Our
tongues are for glorifying God. Our tongues are to be used to build up not tear
down. When we encourage someone, it changes their life. Our words should
comfort the heartbroken, encourage the faint, and teach truth and wisdom.
Sinclair Ferguson says: “The unregenerate tongue roams the
wilds, quick to defend itself, swift to attack others, anxious to subdue them,
always marked by evil. It mimics Satan in this respect, who, having rebelled
against the God of peace, can never settle. He goes to and fro throughout the
earth (as in Job 1:7; 2:2), like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1
Peter 5:8). The tongue that is under his lordship always shares that tendency.
It has an inbuilt need to guard its own territory, to destroy rivals to itself,
to be the king of the beasts.”
So let’s ask it again: Who are we serving with our words?
