Gospel Light Christian Church Thru-The-Bible Series (30.2)

The General Epistle of James

James Chapter 3:5-10 - Read this Bible passage once through before referring to the notes below.

The danger of the tongue

v5.       Now consider that both the bits and the helm are very small items, and yet they move objects many times larger and heavier than themselves.  So James here says: Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. James then gives the example of a fire: Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!   History has shown repeatedly that the sparks of a cigarette butt started wildfires!  Huge forest fires can burn for months out of control; oftentimes entire towns are destroyed in the process. 

v6.       Notice how quickly a fire spreads itself.  So James draws an analogy here: And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.  Notice that the tongue is likened to a world of iniquity.  How so?  Because there is such an abundance of sins in the tongue!  An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire (Prov 16:27).

James says here that so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body.  Tongue sins are said to defile the whole body in the sense that the body is often drawn into sin and guilt because of them. We say things that we immediately regret, and thus result in our guilt.  Also things that are said in anger often enough can cause us to commit the sin of envy or hatred.  That’s why Solomon said: Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin (Eccl 5:6). 

The tongue often throws the affairs of men and societies thrown into confusion.  James said it this way: it setteth on fire the course of nature.  See how powerful tongue sins can be?  They can bring down established things like the course of nature.  A man’s reputation takes years to establish, but it can be brought down in seconds by an unruly tongue.

And what is the source of this fire?  James says: and it is set on fire of hell.  When we think of hell, we associate it immediately with Satan.  In the first place God created hell for Satan and his demons.  It is therefore interesting to note that tongue sins are likened to fire of hell.  How so? 

Well, consider this!  What is Satan called in Jn 8:44? Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.  What about Rev 12:10? And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Do you get it now?  Satan has been expressly called a liar, a murderer, and an accuser of our brethren.   Whenever men’s tongues are employed in any of these ways, they are set on fire of hell!  These are sins commonly committed by everyone.  We tell lies everyday, although we oftentimes try to excuse them as “small” lies, “white” lies or “insignificant” lies.  But God says they are all sins.  We may not be physical murderers in that we kill someone, but we sure murder the reputations of people by our slandering.  And we accuse others because of envy, anger of covetousness.  Do you know that all these sins spring out of Satan in the first place?

To control the tongue is to avoid, by God’s grace, contentions, revilings, slanders, lies, and every thing that would kindle the fire hell.  But when the tongue is set on fire of hell, it produces rage and hatred, things that delights Satan.

Difficulty in taming the tongue

v7.       James now states an interesting fact: 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.  Think about it.  Man has tamed all sorts of living creatures – on land, air and sea.  Animals have been tamed to help man in transportation (eg ox, horse, etc), birds and fishes are tamed to provide entertainment, and even the most poisonous snakes can be tamed for entertainment purposes. 

            Have you ever wondered why only man can tame these creatures?  The answer is found in the creation days of Genesis.  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth (Gen 1:26).             Did you get it?  God intended that man should have dominion over all the creatures.  No doubt God planted into these creatures a fear of man with the command to submit to man.  That command somehow still etches in the minds of these various creatures even today.  It has been said by many that if you come face to face with an animal, and you leave a way of escape for him, then he will usually choose to escape than to confront you.  The exception is when the animal is wounded and can’t hunt for food himself.

v8.       Now James says that despite this ability to control or tame all kinds of creatures, man is powerless to tame the tongue: But the tongue can no man tame.  Why is this so?  Because taming of the tongue is only possible with the grace of God, not with man’s power or might. The tongue is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Interestingly enough, wild animals can be tamed by sheer brute force if necessary, and even the poisonous snakes can have their poisonous venom neutralized.  The tongue is however very difficult to control, and it often spits out poisonous words.  Therefore much more care is needed to guard the tongue.

v9.       Have you ever marvelled that this same tongue that is used to praise God in prayer one minute can, in the very next minute, be used to curse men?  James says: Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men.  If we bless God with our tongue, then we shouldn’t really curse men.  Do you know why?  The answer is found in the creation of Adam. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Gen 1:27).  Yes, man is created in the image of God.  If therefore you praise God with your tongue, how can you then curse men who are created in God’s image? This is what James means when he says that men are made after the similitude of God.  It just does not make sense, yet that is exactly what is happening!

v10.     Now consider this further.  Man is made in the image of God.  That image becomes somewhat worn off when sin entered the world through Adam.  However, we today who are Christians are being conformed into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.  This is what Paul tells us: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren (Rom 8:29).  Is it any wonder therefore that James now says: Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.  Yes, it ought not to be, that the same tongue can praise God and yet curse those made originally in God’s image, being conformed now into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.   We need only to look to the angels to learn not to curse others with our tongues: Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord (2Pet 2:11); 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 (Jude 1:9).