A Very Big Deal

“And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

James 3:5-8 ESV

In the church, we often speak up concerning numerous sins. We address the common sins of the day. We address those that are contentious and divisive.

We address homosexuality, abortion, and injustice, all of which are abhorrent in the eyes of God. And we are right as we proclaim to the church and the world what Scripture teaches about these subjects. However, our tendency is to avoid some of the most common and destructive sins of the day.

We rarely, if ever, discuss the sins of the tongue, which are numerous. And we find ourselves participating in them on a regular basis. In fact, we find ourselves doing so while lacking an attitude of repentance.

We gossip. We slander. We lie. We bear false witness against our neighbor. And although we may, at times, experience a sense of guilt as we do so, it doesn’t bring an end to our behavior. We dismiss these sins, considering them minor.

Even if we understand that these things are wrong, we don’t consider them to be a big deal. We count them as insignificant. In fact, we almost consider them to be irrelevant.

But as we look at the words of James, above, we find that they’re a very big deal. He says that the tongue is a fire. He says that it’s a world of unrighteousness. He says that it stains the whole body. He says that it sets on fire the entire course of our life.

It’s a constant problem. It’s a restless evil, James says. And it does great damage. As we read, it’s full of deadly poison.

And this isn’t a problem had only by a few. Although man has tamed almost every creature on earth, no one has tamed the tongue. In other words, in something with which we all struggle.

We, then, must take the sins of the tongue very seriously. We must recognize how great our sin truly is when it comes to these various forms of wrongdoing. We must confess our sin, we must repent, and look to Jesus in faith for the forgiveness he offers. And we must ask God to work in our heart and to take control of our tongue that it might be used for his glory.