The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work! (Chapter 3:6-12)

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back! Let’s continue our journey through “The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work!”

The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work! (Chapter 3:6-12)

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!

QUIZING 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!

With this information as a foundation for your personal studies, please read through verses 6-12 of the third chapter of James.

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

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Blessings!
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