Passage: James 3:1-18
When we think of the use of the tongue, we think: to taste food, to mock your kinder classmate (at least a child still uses it for those), to taste the coldness of ice and the hotness of a cup of coffee.
Yet, when God talks about our tongue, He’s often referring to the words that come out of our mouth.
Chapter 3 in the book of James is a corrective warning to God’s people on how something so small can cause great damage. It talks about the tongue, a talk we need to listen to from time to time.
Lesson 1: Not everyone should be authoritative tongue-users (aka speakers and teachers).
Contextually, conflict seems to be arising among the believers being addressed due to people wanting to teach, to exhibit their wisdom. This explains why the chapter starts with God addressing those who want to teach (James 3:1-2), and end with a guide on what true wisdom is (James 3:13-18). For many Christians back then, they believe wisdom is seen in the ability to teach profound truths and communicate this clearly to their listeners.
Yet even today, we still believe that people who talk much about various issues are the wise ones. We believe, whether accurately or erroneously, that people speaking and communicating through podcasts and comments are the ones to listen to for wisdom. Not only that, many of us think we have something wise to say about theology, politics, and daily posts of people that people need to know. And so, we record our podcasts, type our comments, hit post – all because we think we have something wise to say.
Yet, very often much of our postings are merely results of an uncontrollable tongue. What I mean is we often speak out without thinking carefully why are we commenting or speaking on such issues. We often comment, because we want to vent our anger. We want to join the choruses of criticizing the celebrity who posted cringe comments defending LGBTQ+ policies because we want to be seen as righteous and caring. We often record podcasts of our own musings on what’s happening in the world or on how someone’s theology is wrong, because we want to be viewed as a person who is wiser than the one we are commenting on.
That’s not to say that we can’t teach. James does not say ‘let no one become teachers.’ What he is saying though, is think carefully before you teach, for if you were to teach, you will be judged by the same standard you have set with your tongue (James 3:1). If you shout anger and condemn corruption in the government, go ahead. Just make sure you are not entertaining corruption in your own transactions. If you highlight a pastor’s theological error communicated on a Sunday preaching, you can do so clearly and truthfully. Just make sure you are not committing a different theological error, one that involves your unrepentant failure of applying God’s Word in your Monday to Friday life.
The passage today makes it clear, that we will be judged by God for what we teach or communicate (James 3:1). If we communicate out of ignorance, we will be judged. If we communicate out of hypocrisy, we will be judged greatly. If we communicate out of pride, we will be judged righteously by the God who does not show partiality.
So the next time we want to record a podcast, post a note or comment, think carefully: is this really wisdom? or an unquenchable habit of an untamed tongue?
Lesson 2: Your tongue control is your spiritual litmus test.
Many people find it difficult to control their tongue. We want to speak the fastest and the loudest in every conversation. We want to have the last say in every rebuttal. God is being truthful to us when He commands us to be slow to speak – because he knows, once we learn the word “dada’, and ‘mama’, and ‘noooo,’ we will start shouting it out every time we don’t get our way.
I recently saw a small child in a church who was running to the front of a stage trying to look behind the scenes of an ongoing presentation. Some of the kuyas and ates in the audience tried to patiently and carefully pull him away from going to the front. However, he kept shouting ‘no! no! noooo!’ Eventually the kuyas and ates relented. Here was a child with an uncontrollable tongue. A small tongue was producing loud words of ‘no!’ The problem is, the words he were uttering, were words of rebellion. Chances are, if his tongue is not controlled through godly discipline, it’s going to make him uncontrollable, undisciplined, and that will destroy him in the end.
How difficult is it to control our tongue? Well, James assures us it’s easier to control horses, large ships, and even any kind of creature on earth or sea (James 3:3-5, James 3:7-8). Yet the tongue? It’s like a fire, that starts so small, and ends up burning up a forest. So is your tongue, and my tongue. When it is uncontrolled – it ends up destroying us and those around us (James 3:6)! Children who have parents say to them repeatedly ‘wala kang kwenta’ knows this. Husband who have heard their wives say uncontrollably ‘wala ka nang nagawang tama’ knows this. Children who said ‘no’ to their parents discipline, know in 20 years how their lives ended up as an undisciplined wreck knows this.
So why all these explanation about the tongue from James? When you know something small that is uncontrolled can destroy you, what are you then expected to do? Well, you’re expected to have it under control! But how can you control something that no human being can control?
The answer we get: Go to the one who is from above (James 3:17). You go to the One who can control things that people can’t control. You go to God and ask God to change you to a person that controls his tongue. The more you draw near to God and humble yourself (James 4:7-8), the more you will see your tongue controlled by His grace and power. That’s why godly people are the ones who are slow to speak. Yet when they speak, it’s not due to uncontrolled anger or bitterness or passions. It’s godly wisdom flowing from God through their tongue.
Lesson 3: A wise person obeys more rather than speak more.
As I mentioned a while ago, many people think that wisdom is shown by how we speak. The eloquence, the Christianese terminology, the deep theological jargon, the calm and prudent tone are marks of wisdom for some. The boldness, the clarity, the theological no-nonsense, memorable quotes, the wit of responding to folly, are also marks of wisdom for others. Yet, James ends chapter three by giving an antithesis (absolute contrasting idea, just trying a jargon to impress some of you) of a person who has godly wisdom, and a person who has none.
James asks the pertinent question, “who is wise and understanding among you?” And before the podcasters with their PHP 1,000 peso mics were able to shout, “me doth wise,” he gives the answer: show it by your conduct, your good conduct (James 3:13). James understands the temptation of selfish ambition and vain conceit (James 3:14). He knows that many of us have a problem of being wise in our own eyes. He understands what we, who are seemingly-wise-in-our-own-eyes folks, feel when we have a mic before us or our keyboards on our fingertips – we want to boast with our learnings, achievements, and knowledge, and we can’t stand the thought of not posting this for the world to see (and like and subscribe). We want to speak more rather than obey more.
Now, don’t hear what I’m not saying. I’m not saying that speaking does not matter, only obedience does. I’m not saying that obedience means just being silent and going about doing your own thing. This does not mean when there is evil being done, we stay mute as a goat (if a goat is mute at all). Yet, the wise person’s speaking is framed by his actions. He does not merely say to the hungry brother or sister, keep warm, and be well fed, he actually gives them something to wear to be warm and something to eat that they may be fed (James 2:15-16). In other words, when the wise speaks, he does so because his action is already speaking. Thus even his speaking is obedience.
The truth is – and you know it – it’s easy to speak godly words with an uncontrollable tongue. All you have to do is praise the Lord with your tongue in some occasions, and speak devilishly in other occasions. This means that a person can sound wise before his intended audiences as long as he hides meticulously his deficiencies in his actions, attitudes, and behavior. For some of us podcasting, blogging, and commenting – you and I know that’s our problem. You know that if people will see us 24/7 with a camera recording our every thought and action (without us knowing it of course), then they will see how foolish and ignorant we are.
I feel that fear, believe me, I do. I don’t want to be seen as a pastor who knows nothing. I don’t want to be seen as a minister who is ineffective. So what do I do? I parade all these words, blogs, and podcasts, with the temptation of hoping that it will make me seem wise. Yet I am not. Because I know I lack in obedience, in my conduct. And God knows, I need to speak less and obey more.
In other words…
The tongue is a God-given gift. Let’s not forget that. It’s God’s gift to us to be able to communicate ideas, thoughts, words of blessings, etc. It’s also God’s gift for us to shun evil, to ward of sinful behaviour in the lives of the people we have authority over (children, employees, etc). Yet, the tongue, like the rest of God’s gifts to us, can be misused or reused to shame God rather than glorify Him. It can be used prematurely by well-meaning Christians to try to teach others God’s will that they themselves fail to do. It can be used hypocritically by Christians to mask their own spiritual failings by highlighting the wrongs of others in a crusader-like passionate mood. It can be used to make a person look wise, when they are actually fools. These all can happen, when we fail to get our tongue under control.
Today you may have a problem with controlling your tongue. You may also realized that it is a deep problem, as deep as your feelings for your crush, or as deep as the Mariana Trench.
So Christian, here’s the good news. You are not meant to control it alone. Go to your Savior. Find that He is more than willing and able to have your tongue under His control, so that in every blessing you will praise Him, in every sin you will confess to Him, in every trial you will cry out to Him, and in every victory, you will rejoice in Him – all through your tongue.