Sunday, in our study on Proverbs we learned that the wise know how to tame the tongue. But why is taming the tongue so difficult?
The book of James has much to say about the tongue. In chapter 3 we learn: that there is greater judgment for those who use the tongue to teach (v. 1); the tongue is a small member that boasts great things (v. 5); the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness (v. 6); the tongue blesses God and curses people (v.10). It is no wonder then that James says in verse 8 that no man can tame the tongue. Furthermore, our speech is a reflection of our heart.
Jesus said “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matt. 15:17-19). The tongue acts as a mirror that reflects what is in the heart. When a man has a bad heart, one that has been polluted by sin, this will be reflected by his speech.
When Adam sinned in the garden, God imputed that sin to all of mankind. Man is born into this sin. Not only do we bear the guilt of Adam’s sin, but all of our faculties are corrupt. We have a bad heart. We have bad thoughts, bad emotions, and bad intentions. Bad trees bear bad fruit. Each of us enter this world in this condition. That is why James said that the tongue is “set on fire by hell” (James 3:6). Our speech reflects the conditions of our heart. If this is true, then what can be done to tame the tongue?
The truth is, neither the heart nor the tongue can be tamed by any human will power. The tongue can only be tamed by the power of a resurrected Christ within us. In the words of Jesus “with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). But Christ has not left us alone to try to tame the tongue. He has given us His Spirit who will enable us to control our tongues as we submit to Him. He will convict us of our sins of speech and give us the power to overcome them.
It has always been interesting to me that we are more apt to sin with our speech than almost any other way. We slander, gossip, curse, take the Lord’s name in vain, lie, bicker, nag, boast, flatter, etc. We must ask the Spirit to tame our tongues and make them serve the purposes of God rather than the Devil.
If you took stock of the things that you said over the course of a week, what would you learn about the health of your inner being? What does your speech reveal about your heart?
Let me close by giving you a few things to think about with regards to overcoming sins with the tongue.
1) We need we need to think before we speak. James said that we need to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath (James 1:19). My mother used to always tell me that I had two ears and one mouth. Therefore, I needed to listen twice as much as I speak (Though not necessarily Scripture, this is the wisdom of sanctified common sense).
We would all do well to take a moment to consider the consequences and impact of our words on others before we say them. Once those words are out, they cannot be taken back.
2) We need to speak the truth in love. That is what Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:15. As Christians, we should never shy away from speaking the truth. However, the truth can be spoken in such a harsh way that it is sinful. One way to guard against this is to ask yourself what your heart’s intent is. This is the difference in a surgeon and a butcher. One cuts to heal, the other cuts to heal. Which are you?
3) We need to guard what goes into the heart. What are the things that we are pouring into our hearts? Is it the vulgar language from certain music and movies? Is it the dirty jokes from the guys at work? The apostle Paul says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” This should serve as a checklist for us regarding what we allow ourselves to be exposed to.
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