An Exposition on James 3:1-12

The opening session of the DG conference was skillfully conducted by Sinclair Ferguson titled, "The Tongue, the Bridle, and the Blessing." (Listen, read or watch here) Ferguson's central text was James 3:1-12, which we all know to be the most convicting passage of Scripture on our tongues. He viewed this passage in three lenses of context: 1) the verses as a whole, 2) the verses in context of the book of James, and 3) in context of the gospel.

As we looked at the verses in James, four points were derived from the text which I want to look at in this post:

1) The Difficulty of Taming the Tongue

The first warning in this passage is, "not many of you should become teachers..." which opens the door for the rest of the message. Teachers talk when they teach; they use many words to explain, convict, and encourage. But "we all stumble in many ways," and if we use our tongues we will stumble in what we say. In fact, James is so bold as to declare, "he who does not stumble in what he says is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body." In a sense, James is saying it is impossible to tame the tongue. But is this the purpose of James' instruction, to discourage us with the inevitable defeat?

No, all Scripture is "given to us for teaching doctrine, reproving us, correcting us, and training us in righteousness..." (2 Timothy 3:16) Ferguson beautifully explains, "The practical purpose of Scripture is to make us spiritually mature. It unfolds truth for our darkened minds, it touches our consciences in the power of the Holy Spirit and convicts us of our sin till the end of our lives. It’s one of the burdens of James that these Christians to whom he is speaking should be brought to a great spiritual maturity."

While taming the tongue is the most difficult grace to master, the mature man can make strides in this area. But is a moment by moment battle of the heart.

2) The Disproportionate Power of the Tongue:

James describes controlling the tongue as "putting bits in the mouths of horses" and "a small rudder that guides the entire ship". Our boneless tongues clutch the wondrous power of controlling our entire bodies. Why? Because it carries the breath of our souls.

Ferguson used the perfect illustration of getting in an elevator with a smoker. Immediately everyone in the elevator recognizes who the smoker is, because their breath transfers what is on the inside, most of the time unconsciously. The same principle applies to our tongues. Our speech will betray the aroma of our hearts. Our words permeate everything we do and everyone around us.

3) The Destruction Caused by the Tongue:

James tells us where our "tongue issues" derive from: hell. Like a small match can produce a fierce wildfire, so our tongues are a fire that set our lives ablaze with evil. Our tongues are a "world of iniquity", staining every part of our lives, filled with a deadly poison, a restless evil.

Satan produces this "restlessness". Ferguson explains, "The tongue is a tiny instrument that ruins everything, like a stain on a dress. The misuse of the tongue can apparently render every other grace in my life impotent. We know that it takes one single wrong word for everything we have ever done to crumble into hypocrisy. I think, at least in those last three pictures he’s using, James has Genesis 3 in the back of his mind: the poison under the tongue of the serpent, restless in his disobedience to God. Satan goes about like a restless, roaring lion, and he produces restlessness in the heart. He is a beast, and one of his chief instruments is this tiny instrument God has given us to praise his name."

I am sure none of us has to think back very far to recount an instance in which the tongue was used for our destruction. The words were seared upon our memory inflicting a pain greater than any physical wound could create. Our words are easily and quickly used to set people on fire. And we are so careless with this fire.

4) The Deadly Inconsistency of the Tongue:

We bless and we curse, sometimes in the same breath. This word choice "bless" and "curse" holds weightier meaning than we realize. "We should never minimize these words," Ferguson warns, "We should understand that the words “bless” and “curse” have great significance. These are words that describe the serious, covenantal purposes of God to bring judgment that will lead to hell or grace that will lead to heaven. Here we are, blessing God and then cursing those made in his image."

This can be described as being "a double minded man", something I thought I would never be. But I am. My tongue has produced salty water and bad fruit from what should be a redeemed spring and tree. After this session was completed, I had the urge to never speak again. But as I mentioned in the beginning, the Word is meant to expose our sin and train us in righteousness.

The gospel has become increasingly precious in my eyes, seeing the true wretch that I am and the amazing Savior that Jesus is. Only by His grace can I press on to maturity. This restless tongue is receiving it's bridle with joy, knowing and wanting the truth and grace my Lord faithfully spoke through His entire life. Oh to be more like Him...