The Evil Tongue
THE EVIL TONGUE
JAMES 3:6-12
Who can tame our tongues? No one—only God can give us grace to control our tongues.
Having shown that the tongue is able to accomplish great results and should not be underestimated because of its small size, James goes on to the further point that it is fraught with great possibilities for evil as well as for good. Rightly used, our words accomplish much in the service of God. Wrongly used, they bring about incalculable damage. In a vigorous verse (3:6), James speaks of the tongue as “an unrighteous world” (which indicates the extent of its influence as well as its bias toward evil), as “staining the whole body” (I am wholly defiled when I misuse my tongue; it is not only a part of me that is affected), and as setting on fire the whole course of one’s life. This last expression is an unusual one: James is carrying on the metaphor of the forest fire and indicating that the tongue can start an evil which will spread throughout the world. And its origin? It is “set on fire by hell.” There is something satanic about the wrong use of the tongue.
James further notes that humans have shown great skill at taming wild animals, and he uses this as yet another way of bringing out the evil caused by wrong speech. In strong contrast with our ability to handle the wildest animal is our inability to control our tongue. James speaks of it as “a restless evil, full of deadly poison,” the last expression being probably suggested by his reference to reptiles (3:7). The poisonous tongues of snakes are often referred to in former times.
James’ final point is that this is all unnatural. It is inconsistent to use the same mouth for blessing as cursing. This is quite contrary to what we see in nature, for example in springs where the water is either fresh or brackish but not both, or in trees where the fruit is consistent. The moral is obvious. It is clear to all God’s servants that they should bless and praise him. All their other speech should be consistent with this. This sets the tone for their words to others.