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James 3:5b-12
James continues in this passage of James 3:5b-12 to warn of the power and influence of the tongue. He compares it to how a small fire can consume an entire forest (James 3:5b), and goes on to proclaim that the tongue is a fire and a world of iniquity (James 3:6). James continues in verse 6 to warn us that the tongue has the power to defile the whole body, and of how this fire is of the sinful nature that in itself is from the darkness of hell. James tells us that man has been able to tame every kind of wild animal, but that no man has the power to tame his tongue (James 3:7-8). James reaches out to the farthest realms of the sinful nature to describe the tongue as, “and unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8b,c, NKJV). In James 3:9-12 he seems to be in awe of how man is able to bless and curse with the same tongue and pleads with his hearers of how this should not be possible as spring cannot produce both fresh water and salt water. He pleads in James 3:12 stating, “Can a fig tree, by brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.”
This is a warning of how powerful and defiant the tongue is.
This is a plea for understanding that one who has put their faith in Jesus should not produce these evils of the tongue, but through Christ be a renewed life and reflection of our Savior Jesus.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 15:11,17-18 (NIV), “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.”
So, with this ungodly tongue that we all possess, how do we overcome this vicious evil? The Apostle Peter gives us good instruction in 1 Peter 1 & 2 as he tells us in 1 Peter 1:22-23 (ESV), “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;” and in 1 Peter 2:9 he proclaims (HCSB) “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” We are incapable of controlling/taming our tongues, but it is through the purity of our salvation in and through our Savior Jesus Christ that we are able to put on a new life that is reflective of Him as He, “called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9f).
Dear LORD,
Our tongues rule our lives with words spoken in praise, and in hate. Please help us to monitor our speech to be respectful of Jesus and in love of one another as He commands us in John 13:34-35 (NKJV), “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Please help us to live truly repentant lives from the evils of the sinful nature to the new life You have given us through Your great gift to us in salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. In Jesus name I pray, amen.