The Smallest Muscle
I don’t believe there is a person out there who hasn’t said something and immediately regretted it, and it has always struck me how one of the smallest muscles in the human body can both be a salve but also cause so much harm. In fact, I think James description of the tongue is probable the best there is.
“Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”
James 3:5-12
If you remember from last week, I had mentioned that James chapter three is a double edged blade. In review of the first four verses, we saw that James was talking directly to those who wish to become leaders. He wanted it to be clear that they would be held to a higher standard and so should not take these positions lightly. We saw clearly that those who are in leadership roles direct the path of the church body, which is why it is important that the individuals be Biblically based. Now in the passage above, James is continuing his thought to the would-be leaders. However, this is something that can and must be applied to the church body and anyone who claims to be a follower of Christ.
“Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
In the true nature of James, he certainly doesn’t leave any room for argument. The tongue is indeed a small part of the body and often seems inconsequential. However, Luke 6:45 describes our speech this way: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” How we speak reveals our nature, this also means that how we speak to others about God reveals how we see Him. For the would-be leader that James is warning against at the beginning of the chapter, the one who seeks a leadership role for their own glory, their words will lead those around them astray. For the Christian who speaks carelessly, their words reflect to nonbelievers who God is. I once had a Christian tell me a story, she was frustrated with her teenage daughter and told her to shut up. The young girl’s coach was there and asked the mother not to speak that way to her daughter even commenting that he thought she was a Christian. The mother replied that she was just being real and in telling this story to the woman’s ministry was not ashamed to be called out by a nonbeliever but instead frustrated that he didn’t understand that this was how a Christian believed. Now the ramifications of that scenario are two-fold. This woman left a nonbeliever with the impression that God is someone who is easily frustrated and will lash out in anger and she also lead a group of women who were in various ages of childrearing that this was a biblical thing to do. This is why James describes the tongue as a fire. A small comment has great consequences.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”
Our speech reveals where our walk with God is. A person who is not following God will not be able to produce the fruit of the Spirit, 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23. Someone who claims to follow God will speak in terms that is Biblical. For the individual in a leadership role, that is to teach that the Bible is the ultimate authority, they will not impose their own ideas upon the word of God. In short, they will not teach heresy and will be able to back up their words with scripture. For those who claim to follow God who are not in leadership roles, we should be able to be set apart from the nonbeliever by our words. We should keep our speech in a way that is honoring God so as to leave the individual with a clear image of who God is. If you are someone who is being asked if you are a Christian based off of your words, I would ask that you reflect on how you speak. We should not be people who during church sing songs praising God but then go out and have road rage leaving the parking lot. We should not be people who claim to love God but then rant about how much we hate our coworkers. We are all made in the image of God and as such, we need to remember that God loves all of us. Jesus died on the cross for you just as much as He did for the neighbor who keeps you up at night with loud music. I challenge you to take some time over the next couple of days and truly reflect upon your words, are they fresh water which offers healing? Or are they salt water that is undrinkable?
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex