Hello Friends!
Welcome back to our Monday morning Daily Devotions
summer series titled
“The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work!”
The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work!
This
week we will continue our reading of verses 6-12
in chapter 3
as we consider The Torching Tongue…
One
of the “works” that a true test of “faith”
produces is “speech” that
honors of God. If James were alive today, perhaps he would emphasize as much as
ever in the history of the world, the necessity for the “believers” of God to wash out their mouths
“spiritually” – And literally!
In
fact, James was greatly exercised about this matter of “pure” words originating from the “heart” because he understood that his Lord
Jesus Christ too was greatly exercised by the power of the “tongue” for “evil” purposes:
You brood of vipers, how can
you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which
fills the heart – Matthew 12:34
Therefore,
just as Jesus Himself taught that our “speaking”
was to be “pure,” His little
brother James taught as well that the “mouth”
was to be “pure” – To the glory of God!
The Torching Tongue!
When
James speaks of the “tongue” he
says that it will reveal our “heart” condition. Therefore, he commands
us to do everything we can to “speak”
in a “righteous” way through
our Holy Spirit-energized commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ. Why?
– Because the tongue can be very dangerous!
As
an exclamation to the danger of the “tongue”
and its potential to wreak havoc in our lives and those around us, James
continues his analogy of a “fire”
as he proclaims that it actually has a fearful potency for a “world of iniquity” and devastating
destruction:
And 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 – James
3:6
Fire
is fascinating. One tiny little flame can “set
on fire” an entire city
burning to the ground… Think: Rome and Chicago! Fire has an
amazing capacity and the imagery associated with the “tongue” here is very vivid indeed.
Therefore, James says everything the fiery “mouth”
touches throughout the “course
of nature” is utterly destroyed by “hell” itself. The “tongue” is a “fire” in our lives – It must be kept under Holy Spirit control!
THEOLOGICAL THOUGHTS: The word “hell” here is Gehenna and is
only used in the New Testament Gospels, with this one exception. The Lord Jesus
Christ used the word Gehenna at least ten times and
He always used it to refer to the literal and eternal
place of “burning” for the
damned souls. What is Gehenna? It is the Greek word for the Hebrew “Valley
of Hinnom” which was a place of burning in which caused a stench from the
flesh of little children sacrificed by the worshipers of the false deity known
as Moloch. This demonic entity was cast in the form of a bull
which had outstretched arms containing a “fire”
of which little children were laid upon and burned as a human worshipful
sacrifice. In the Old Testament book of 2
Kings we learn that the “righteous”
King Josiah stopped these sacrifices. Hence, the Jews came to regard this
wicked place in Jerusalem with deep hatred. In the New Testament era, Gehenna
became the city dump for all garbage along with the dead bodies of animals
& criminals of which were thrown into this place. It became known as the “Gehenna
of Fire” – Behind Gehenna is Satan
himself!
What
James is saying in these passages is that the “tongue”
is an iniquitous system. It is a hostile and rebellious “iniquity” within our desperately
depraved “sinful” humanness!
It is a potential “evil” that
falls foolishly short of God’s perfect standard and is the focal point of
behavioral “unrighteousness”
within man. The “tongue”
inflames all of our capacities of the “flesh”
in its effort to bring “our
members” into its wicked system. Therefore, the “whole body”
is defiled. The point? A filthy “tongue”
results in a filthy “follower”
– It defiles the whole body!
Notice
what James says next concerning the untamable “tongue”:
For
every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and
has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly
evil, full of deadly poison – James
3:7-8
Similar
to the earlier verses of this chapter, James describes the “tongue” as a wild, untamed, savage,
uncivilized, undisciplined and irresponsible “unruly evil” of which will combat
every effort to control its “wicked”
ways. Have you noticed that too? The “tongue”
wants to control us and does NOT want
to be controlled by us! Today, man is able to “tame” all types of “beast and bird” as well as every “reptile and creature of the sea”
but on one can “tame the tongue” of which is filled
with “deadly poison”
and filth – A very serious problem!
REAL REFLECTIONS: Notice that James
does NOT say the “tongue”
cannot be “tamed”
at all… He says that wicked “man”
himself can’t “tame”
it… There’s the difference! So, Who can “tame” it? Only Jesus Christ through the “saving” and “sanctifying” power of the Holy Spirit is able in the life of
the true “believer” – Only God can do it!
Next,
notice that the “mouth”
can also be used for noble purposes in that it may “bless our God and Father”
– But not for long…
With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men,
who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed
blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so – James 3:9-10
Our
“tongue” can be used to bless
“God” and even the “Father.” This fact is very relevant
to the Jews to whom James writes because whenever they mention the name of “God,” they always
followed it with the words – “Blessed be He!”
HOWEVER... With the “same mouth” we also “curse men” who have been created
in the “similitude of God”
producing “blessing and
cursing” and here James tells his “brethren” to stop it!
The same “tongue” that “blesses” God also “curses” those “made” in His “image” – Religious
hypocrites!
Beloved,
God has “saved” us, “transformed” us and “gave” us a capacity
for new “speech” and He expects
us to “speak” in this “new” manner! This is an impossible
compromise to tolerate! Therefore, James illustrates the
obvious with two more
analogies for us to consider:
Does a
spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree,
my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both
salt water and fresh – James
3:11-12
The
answer to these questions is an unequivocal NO! In other
words, let nature teach you what is quite obvious! James says a true “believer” can’t have “fresh” water and “bitter” water coming out of the same “opening” nor
are there “olives” on a “fig tree” or “figs” on a “vine”
plant. In other words, the taste of the product reveals
the nature of its source! So James is right back to where
he started in this train of thought – True
believers will be revealed in their speech!
In
the Gospel of Luke James’ big brother
Jesus Christ also made this poignant point very clear:
A good tree brings not forth
corrupt fruit; neither does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For
every tree is known by its fruit. For from thorns men do not gather figs, nor
from a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good
treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; an evil man out of the evil
treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaks – Luke 6:43-45
James
was simply referring to what our Lord had originally said in His Sermon on the Mount! The true “believer” is known by his godly “speech” and he will “speak” with a “tongue” that is under “control” of which is the evidence
that he is “walking” in
willful “obedience” to God’s
Word. As we look at our lives and we see those things coming out of our “mouth” that ought not, we must
“confess” it as “sin” and turn from it
in “repentance” to the
Lord! And how we react to those times when “bitter water” comes out of the “sweet fountain” is the key to our
spiritual growth, strength, effectiveness and power
– Praise the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ!
In closing:
The
Old and New Testament Scriptures repeatedly directly or
indirectly refer to the disaster found in the “mouth” of man in relation to his wicked “tongue” – Here
are a just few…
Deceitful, lying, perverse, filthy, corrupt,
bitter, angry, crafty, flattering, slanderous, gossiping, back-biting, blaspheming,
foolish, boastful, murmuring, complaining, cursing, contentious, sensual, vile,
tale-bearing, whispering, exaggerating and sinful – WOW!
QUIZZING QUESTION: Did you find your
taunting “tongue” anywhere in
this lengthy “licentious”
list? It’s no wonder that God put our wild and wicked “tongue” in a cage behind our teeth – Walled in by our mouth!
My dearly “beloved”
followers in Jesus Christ… May we use our “tongue” for God’s
glory and to the benefit of the “brethren” – In
Jesus’ Mighty Name!
Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued study of The
Book of James: Putting Faith to Work!…
May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect
love, mercy and grace!
Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah
and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!
Blessings!
Shane <><
