The Tongue: The Quest: Day 5.0

Only one post yesterday? Getting lazy already? Well, yesterday was busy. I still stuck to the parameters for the quest. We did a core workout and stretching. I read Joshua 9 and chapter 12 of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with my boy. We attended Wednesday night Bible study. My wife and I learned a lot about the timeline of Paul’s missionary journeys. One of the elders did a great job tying Paul’s journeys to the time frame in which each of Paul’s epistles were written. Good stuff. But, that’s not what today’s study is about! It’s about the tongue. Words matter. How do we speak to each other? What are the consequences of our speech? What happens when we boast, grumble or gossip?

James and the tongue

Here are the verses, and I may have missed a few, where James addresses the tongue and our words.

Slow to speak

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

James 1:19

Bridle the tongue

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

James 1:26

Speak, but remember

¹¹ For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.

James 2:11-12

A perfect man

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. ² For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

James 3:1-2

The tongue is a fire

⁴ Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵ So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

James 3:4-6

The tongue is a restless evil

⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰ From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

James 3:8-10

The cause of quarrels

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions^[a] are at war within you?

a. James 4:1 Greek “pleasures”

James 4:1

A warning about wagging tongues

¹¹ Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

James 4:11

Denying God’s Sovereignty

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— ¹⁴ yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

James 4:13-15

Grumbling

⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

James 5:9

Oaths

¹² But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

James 5:12

Wow! James was serious about what we say. I tried being exhaustive here, but no doubt I overlooked some verses. James recognized the seriousness of our words. I will break these into a few hopefully helpful categories.

Admonition: How to Speak

1. Be slow to speak. James 1:19
2. Do not speak in anger. James 1:20
3. When you speak, remember you also will be judged. James 2:12
4. Teach sound doctrine. James 3:1
5. Do not bless the Lord and curse your brothers or sisters. James 3:10
6. Do not gossip. James 4:11
7. Boast in the Lord, not in your plans. James 4:15
8. Do not grumble against each other. James 5:9
9. Do not swear, but honor your word. James 5:12

Consequences of our Speech

1. Our words will be judged. James 2:12
2. Teaching false doctrine will be judged with greater severity. James 3:1
3. Boasting can wreck your life. James 4:13-15
4. Grumbling about others will bring about judgment. James 5:9
5. We condemn ourselves when we do not honor our word. James 5:12

Why we say what we say: The tongue is a fire

1. We speak quickly because our religion is worthless. James 1:19
2. We argue with others because we don’t get what we want. James 4:1
3. We speak rashly because our tongue is set on fire from hell. James 4:15
4. We boast in ourselves and our plans because we want to be our own Sovereign. James 4:13-15

Evidence: The Tongue Reveals Who we Are

1. The unrighteous speak in anger. James 1:20
2. Our religion is worthless if we cannot control our speech. James 1:26
3. A perfect man teaches perfectly. James 3:2
4. We declare ourselves sovereign, and deny God’s sovereignty, when we boast in ourselves. James 4:13-15
5. We complain about each other because we forget the Lord is at hand. James 5:9

Sundries

Well that took longer than expected! Time to get out there and run. It’s 26 degrees here, so I am feeling a bit under motivated. Still, “Better to do a thing than live with the fear of it,” as Logen Ninefingers always said. (Abercrombie, The Blade Itself)

More soon!