Is Poison in Your Mouth?

James 3: 1-12 comes right after speaking about genuine faith- “faith without works is dead." The use of our tongue is another evidence of whether we have that genuine faith or not. James doesn’t mince words, especially when writing about the tongue. He says, “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” He also says, “it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” This gets our attention!

Speaking ungodly comes out of what’s inside us-"...each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires...when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin..." (James 1:14-15) James gives us a picture of a ship being controlled by its rudder or a horse being led by the bit. The tongue, in the same way, will move the rest of a person. Our words effect our emotions, thoughts, and actions. You’ve probably seen the person who, after speaking harshly, has that hardened look on his face. It can’t be avoided.

Hypocritical words or tone of voice also come from our lips; such as-- one minute we can be yelling at the kids, and the next we can answer the phone so sweetly. Or we go to worship on Sundays, and the next day belittle others. James says a spring cannot produce bitter and fresh water. In the same way, the mature Christian cannot have both cursing and blessing come out of his mouth. "...no man can tame the tongue."

To be continued...