2 For we all make many (Z) 18Peacemakers(AA) who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.(AB). James says control your tongue because of its power to control you its power to control you. Men like Nicodemus, who was recognized as a teacher in Israel. No man ever spoke like this man. He was perfect in His speech, absolutely without error. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. James would vigorously disagree with the familiar childrens taunt, Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me. James is steeped in the Old Testament, and it (especially the Book of Proverbs) has much to say about the power of the tongue, either for good or for evil. Since the UK is now no longer a member of the EU, you may be charged an import tax on this item by the customs authorities in your country of residence, which is beyond our control. James 3 My only concern is that God be pleased, and His name be honored, and His Word be treated fairly and honestly. And if I feel that I have done less than my best in that way, life becomes miserable at the deepest level for me. gain access to 50+ premium resources to enhance your study of Scripture. After clicking 'Register', you will receive an email with a link to verify your account and to complete your registration. V 3-5. (Js. 3:9) A rudder is small but controls the ships directions. The mouth only responds to the heart. But in Hebrew thought, the distinction between the man and the guilty member is not so clearly distinguished. I read some years ago about a man who turned on his television in London, England, and saw a half-hour program that came out of Texas. The faint etchings read: Beneath this stone, a lump of clay, lies Arabella Young, James includes himself when he says, For we all stumble in many ways. Were all prone to sin! To work properly and accomplish good things, both bit and rudder must be under the control of a strong hand that knows how to use them properly. James means that an evil tongue is set on fire by Satan himself. Work daily at taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. (I) Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. So James says, Control your tongue, because it has such potential to condemn. Secondly, it has such power to control. Another illustration he gives in verse 4. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say(E) is perfect,(F) able to keep their whole body in check. Verse 2 further explains verse 1 (For). You cant do any evil deed you might want to do, because maybe the circumstances arent there for you to do it. I live by my tongue. And Ive thought about that many times since. Back in Numbers, chapter 11, verse 26 through 29, we have an account, Moses talking. 141:3), all true believers will pray, Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. While the monster may never be totally tamed, if you know Christ as Savior, you are engaged in the ongoing battle to tame the terrible tongue. Carl Kasperson Jun 24, 2023 | Lets focus on James 3, and discuss why taming the tongue is necessary and how to do it. Moses said to Aaron, This is what the Lord spoke, Leviticus10:3, and Ill tell you, that sticks in my mind, and has for a while; this is what the Lord spoke. WebTaming the Tongue 1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. (D)If anyone does not stumble in word, (E)he is a [a]perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. WebTaming the Tongue. Do not swell the ranks of preachers, says one translator. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God., So we all sin, and we all sin in many ways. Thats the point hes making. 3My brethren, (A)let not many of you become teachers, (B)knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. But Im also quite comfortable with being called Steve! 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition(R) in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Our words either validate that we are true believers or reveal that we do not know God. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition The Lockman Foundation, Related Topics: Spiritual Life, Basics for Christians, Discipleship, Temptation, Steve served as the pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship from May, 1992 through his retirement in December, 2018. And as I devote myself to a Spirit-controlled tongue, everything else will come into line. Its interesting to me, also, that in Genesis, chapter 3, verse 12, we find that the first actual sin after the fall was a sin of the tongue. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! James 3 3 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. The idea is this listen to it: power applied at the right point is sufficient to control the whole vessel. Somebody has asked the question, Why doesnt James use the heart? Lets go back to the verse and see what he says. And thats not so foreign to us; we have that even now in our church, for example. James 3:1-12 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. Its a frightening truth. 6The tongue also is a fire,(J) a world of evil among the parts of the body. The tongue really is you, it really is. I dont know that we can be dogmatic as to exactly which one James means, but lets just take them both. 14But if you have (O)bitter envy and [h]self-seeking in your hearts, (P)do not boast and lie against the truth. First Corinthians 4 says at that time the Lord will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, make manifest the counsels of the heart: and then shall every man have praise of God.. James is stating that just a small word can sometimes control the destiny of a person. All it takes is one tossed cigarette or one campfire that is not totally extinguished and thousands of acres of beautiful forest can be destroyed. Your words. But James says that there is one beast that cannot be tamed: the human tongue! Do you know that even science has some interesting things to say? If we sin with our speech, we need to ask Gods forgiveness and also the forgiveness of the one we sinned against. Everything else comes into line. For less than $5/mo. I dont think I ever really grasped this before. Please be aware that these items are sent out from our office in the UK. Speak only gracious words. The high winds quickly fanned the flames up the mountain toward the town of Crestline, where we then lived. And what he is saying, then, in a general sense, is if a man does not continue to stumble with his mouth or words, the same is a mature man. Thats why it says, in 2 Timothy2, Be diligent to be approved of God, a workman that needs not to be what ashamed, because he is rightly dividing the word of truth. There is shame connected with teaching error, and there is also judgment connected with teaching error. Paul says in 1 Corinthians9, Woe is unto me if I preach not. And in 1 Timothy3, If a man desires the office of an overseer which involves primarily teaching he desires a good thing. This is not to set that aside, or contradict that. Only God can tame it. And its moved through the sea by this little rudder. All rights reserved. Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. 5:17), we also carry around with us the old nature or the flesh, which wars against the Spirit (Gal. If Im a new creature in Christ, theres no place for that. He uses a horse. Stay away from profane and old womens fables. And further down in the same text, Give yourself to reading and exhortation and teaching. And further down, Meditate on these things. And again, Take heed to yourself and unto your teaching. Very, very, very important matter. WebTaming the Tongue. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. Or have you have been on the receiving end of a biting or thoughtless comment, and My brothers and sisters, this should not be. By controlling the tongue, the whole life is directed to a useful purpose. We all do it commonly, and we all do it in many ways. From 1977-1992 he was the pastor of Lake Gregory Community Church in Crestline, California. Ask God often to tame your terrible tongue! It will show up by their obedience to the Scripture, which we also saw in chapter 1; by their loving concern for the needy without partiality, which we saw in chapter 2. James is saying only spiritual mature people are able to control their tongue. Here at Grace to You Europe we take our data protection responsibilities very seriously and, as you would expect, have undertaken a significant programme of work to ensure that we are ready for this important legislative change. That great ship driven across the Mediterranean, of course, was out of control in Acts27, but under control, it was guided totally by the rudder. I allow God to control my tongue, or it controls me. And having control over something as potent as our tongue allows us to be highly effective Disciples of Christ. To look at this from the vantage point of our Lord, turn to Matthew, chapter 12. Everyone sins with the tongue. The tongue is a tattletale, and it tells on the heart. WebJames 3 Taming the Tongue 1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. If anyone does 2 We all stumble in many ways. 16For (R)where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. And how can I harness all of the potential areas in my life? The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. It would be a miracle if we got through the morning without anyone getting cut! (G), 3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. In November of 1980, after a very dry autumn, on an extremely windy day an arsonist lit a fire in the tinder-dry brush just above San Bernardino, California. It can lead to murder. 32:17; Hos. James does not state that because he wants us to get a clear view of the horrible monster that we must do battle with. You want to know something? And you break them with a bit in the mouth, and you control the whole body by controlling the tongue. On a windswept hill in an English country churchyard stands a drab, gray slate tombstone. Now, lets go back and look more closely at verse 1. It was desperately easy, then, for a rabbi to become a kind of person whom Jesus depicted as a spiritual tyrant, an ostentatious ornament of piety, a lover of the highest place at any function, a person who gloried in the almost subservient respect which others allowed him in public. The tongue is not easily controlled. Taming the Tongue The rabbis you can see this in Psalm64, and verse 3 used to say that the tongue was an arrow. It can do great things. 2. Because we dont want you to incur expenditure for which you are not prepared, could you please confirm whether you are willing to pay this charge, if necessary? So I dont think we want to limit James. Christ is the Leader! And he sums it up in verse 5. James 3 Like a spark that lights a bigger fire, it not only defiles us, but also it sets on fire the course of our life. If you have a careless tongue it damages your entire life! And it was that kind of attitude which Jesus so vociferously and pointedly condemned in Matthew23, verses 4 through 7. Adam said, The woman You gave me, and slandered God by blaming God for the sin. A classic illustration of that would be our Lord Jesus Christ, who rose in the synagogue of Nazareth, stood to read the Scriptures, and then sat down to speak. James describes the tongue as a world of evil. WebThe tongue can be tamed. He encourages his audiences to monitor their conversations for two days. And the reason they said the tongue was an arrow rather than the tongue was a knife was because an arrow kills at a distance, and the deadliness of the tongue was that it could kill without even being anywhere near the victim. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And this one way, the mouth, underlies the warning regarding hurrying into the position of teaching. (H) 4Or take ships as an example. If we do not use our tongues with great caution, we are like spiritual arsonists, lighting careless fires that cause widespread destruction. For example, we read about feet swift to shed blood, as if the feet were the culprits in a murder. That is James final point: James points out a gross inconsistency that he no doubt had observed. Did you ever know a horse to volunteer to plow a field? I shared with some of our staff this week a quote from a preacher by the name of Bruce Thielemann. BibleGateway+ less than $5/mo. The Tongue, the Bridle, and the Blessing: An Exposition of Somebody calculated that we probably put together a 54-page book every day. He is not restraining the sincere and knowledgeable. 1:11], NKJV Study Bible, Full-Color, Comfort Print: The Complete Resource for Studying Gods Word, NKJV, Abide Bible, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New King James Version, NKJV, Spirit-Filled Life Bible, Third Edition, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Kingdom Equipping Through the Power of the Word, NKJV, The American Patriot's Bible: The Word of God and the Shaping of America, NKJV, Deluxe Gift Bible, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New King James Version, NKJV, The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People. (N) 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. It is proud of its power to control, and it can really do it. And like the sea, it batters and bruises and does not rest. You say, Well, maybe some of us can avoid it. Look at verse 2. Any time that we teach, we should keep in mind the serious fact that we will stand before the Lord to give an account! James 3 NIV;NKJV - Taming the Tongue - Not many of you Jesus said: For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks What he is saying is, Dont hurry to be spending your life using your mouth if you realize how potentially disastrous that is. Paul in instructing Timothy refers to such, in chapter 1 of 1 Timothy. Taming the Tongue James 3 And they were the officially recognized teachers in the church. James does not say that the tongue is untamable. So you had, then, as in the synagogue, officials and unofficial teachers in the church, official and again unofficial teachers. 17But the wisdom that comes from heaven(W) is first of all pure; then peace-loving,(X) considerate, submissive, full of mercy(Y) and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 3:2) As Christians our tongue can only bless God now. This may shock you. Paul, almost with a sigh of relief, in Acts20 says, I am clear from the blood of any man. Who, on the twenty-fourth of May, began to hold her tongue. We have a tremendous accountability to God when we teach at any level. James does not spend much time in teaching doctrine but rather in how our Christian Faith should be lived out. What should you say when someone shares a juicy bit of gossip with you so that you can pray about it? And in a year, we would probably produce about 66 800-page books. WebSermon # 6 Taming the Tongue. James 3:1-12 When was the last time your mouth got you in trouble? Well, he could mean that. Verse 1: Knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment, and the we is the we of identification. The Lord wants us to articulate His truth. He mentions it in chapter 2, verse 12. Be very cautious when you embark upon the role of teacher at any level, whether its official or unofficial, because of the tremendous potential to condemnation your tongue will bring about. The tongue is a deadly arrow. It is indeed a serious issue. James point of comparison is not so much the matter of control (the tongue does not really control the body), but of the inordinate influence of such a small part (3:5a): So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. James is saying, Dont underestimate the power of the tongue, because if you do, you wont be able to tame it. There may be a comparison in the sense of influencing direction. James 3:8 - Taming the Tongue - Bible Hub As you may be aware, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into full effect on 25th May 2018. Boy, does that simplify things conceptually. 7For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. When and how may it be proper. Father, we do ask You that You would give us the grace by Your Spirit to control our tongue. In other words, there is a sense in which there is great responsibility. What does he mean? 2 We all stumble in many ways. Hes saying. And just before we pray, theres so much more to be said. But in spite of this, there were and there are many who want to grab the prominence, who are impressed with the authority and the honor, and who have absolutely little or no thought about the responsibility and the accountability of such action. At the circus, youve seen trained elephants, lions, and tigers. There were men who in that position loved their title, they loved their honor, they loved their recognition, they loved their power, they loved their prestige. In comparison with how they talk, Im doing okay. Still notes that James regards duplicity in general (note his critique of being double-minded, or literally two-souled [dipsychos], in Right words, then, would be the manifestation of a righteous life. And so he says, My brothers, and thereby speaks of those who name the name of Christ within the church, I want to prevent you from rushing in a foolish way into the role of teaching. Why? My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. Just show up one day, Like to plow your field, sir. Did you ever know a horse to volunteer to pull a wagon? 2 We all stumble in Forgive us forgive us, Lord, for the violations of speech, so frequent. I dont know who counted that up, but the difficulty is by the time the man comes home from work, he has already spent his 25,000, and the woman hasnt started on her 30,000. We sent you an email. What a graphic illustration. He said, I dont know whether its benign or malignant, but you need to go to a surgeon and have it removed. I asked him how large it was, he said, Its larger than your thumb, and its located somewhere in the back where you cant see it.. WebThe Untamable Tongue. Taming The Tongue The sense is simply that since speech is the hardest faculty to control it is there that one first observes the world in a persons heart (Peter Davids, New International Greek Testament Commentary on James [Eerdmans], p.142). An unbroken, unbridled horse is absolutely good for nothing, just run around. And that if we had the right instruments, delicate and sophisticated enough, and the power to recapture those waves, we could recreate every word every person has ever spoken. WebTaming the Tongue. You have a fire set among your members! Many of us who lived on the mountain had only a few hours notice to evacuate our homes for several days, so that we would not be trapped if the flames came up that far. If a person can master his tongue, he can master his evil tendencies throughout his whole body, and that means his person. Forest fires are devastating! It was actually said that if a mans parents and a mans teacher were captured by an enemy, the teacher must be ransomed first. One reporter said to me, When newspapers are written for the eighth grade, for whom do you prepare your sermons? And I said, You might not understand this, but I prepare them for God. You have to break them, dont you? Now, theres an interesting sort of debate about what James means here. Let all things be done unto edifying. And then he regulates that, by saying how its to be done and how its not to be done. Warren Weirsbe tells the story about a pastor friend who came to him and said he had a member of his church who was a notorious gossip. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. Jesus was not teaching justification by works. The word here is the word stumble, which is a substitute for the word sin. It means a moral lapse, a failure to do what is right; an offense against God is the idea. And he begins with teachers, starting at the top, if speech is the mark of true faith, and if you go back to chapter 1, verse 26, he says that, If any man among you seems to be religious, but bridles not his tongue, he deceives his own heart, the mans religion is useless. A faith which does not transform the tongue is no saving faith at all. And you remember, he was converted in a marvelous conversion on the Damascus Road, but it was a long time, really, before he began to articulate the things of God. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. That says if I want to focus my Christian life on one thing, if I want to get my act together, if I want to bring my whole spiritual life into control, I ought to work on my what? For we all stumble in many things. 119:11). What I say is a reflection of who I am. The fact is, we all have a razor-sharp, two-edged swordin our mouths! 50+ premium resources ($2,400+ value!). Under control, fire is useful; out of control, it is frightening and devastating! And if you get control of your tongue, youre demonstrating spiritual maturity. Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2005, All Rights Reserved. But even one who endeavors to teach the truth must understand something of the tremendous responsibility that he undertakes in doing that. Proverbs has many other references to the tongue. The tonguethat is the match that sets the world on fire. And thats the second point. We can never achieve sinless perfection in this life, but we can grow to spiritual maturity. It is so deadly God caged it behind your teeth. He has asked audiences if they can go for twenty-four hours without saying any unkind words about, or to, anybody. And power applied at the right point, being the mouth, is sufficient to control the whole person. 15(Q)This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. (Js 3:2, 8) We stumble in many ways with what we say. Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource. Start your free trial today! 3 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness. The psalmist put it this way in Psalm39, verse 1: I said, I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue. He is not restraining the genuinely qualified. Thats essentially what this writer is saying. Both the bit and the rudder must overcome contrary forces to direct the horse and the ship. What a thought. Register. Do you try to silence the speaker, or do you ask for more details? He adds, To ensure the tests accuracy, make no effort to change the content of your conversations throughout the two-day period, and do not try to be kinder than usual in assessing anothers character and actions. He states, Most of us who take this test are unpleasantly surprised (p. 2). You know what that says to me? Several homes in San Bernardino were destroyed, killing at least four people. 11:18; Is. And so James is demanding here that we recognize that living faith shows itself in the control of the tongue. So James wants us to recognize that we will be held accountable for how we use our tongues, especially those of us who teach Gods Word. There were official rabbis. But lets covenant together, and this has been on my heart all week, its just been unspoken. Genuine faith yields to Christs lordship over your tongue. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! A good man, out of the good treasure of the heart, brings forth good things: an evil man, out of the evil treasure, brings forth evil things. And thats why even the apostle Paul was reluctant; he was reluctant until he was pressed to do that. And then you put a harness around that, pull it up over his head, take some reins, and when you pull that, you pull that metal bit against the horses tongue. While Ive grown accustomed enough to the title now that I dont ask everyone to call me by my name, I hope that if they call me Pastor, they are respecting the office.