Wisdom and the Tongue

It takes one spark to light a fire, one match, one candle. It doesn't take much and paramount destruction is the result. At the end of James 2, James concludes that "faith . . . if it hath not works, is dead." The statement here refers to the fact that good works should be a natural reaction to a growing faith in the Lord, and does NOT recommend works-based salvation. You were saved by faith, and good works is a natural outpouring of that. Just like an apple tree produces apples-it can't produce anything else. On the heels of this statement, James turns to a more practical subject in chapter 3. That of the tongue- more specifically our mind that controls the actions of our tongue.

James 3:2 " . . . If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect [holy] man, and able also to bridle the whole body."

James 3: 6 " And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."

James compares the strength of our words to a ship's rudder or a bit in a horse's mouth (v.3-4). They are both such small objects that bring a huge object under submission in an instant!  (see picture below)

Wow! That's some strong language! We all know it's true. Think about a gossip-how many times does a gossip cause someone to judge others based on lies all by using his/her mouth? Think about a complainer- how many times do we find ourselves in a foul mood complaining after listening to this person do it with their mouth for an hour. Think about a heated argument- How many times have you said something that you instantly regretted and ruined a relationship that had taken years to grow?

If we are to be like Christ, how can we spew blessing and cursing out of our mouths at the same time (v. 10)?. According to the Expositor's Bible Commentary, "We use the same instrument to 'praise our Lord and Father' and to 'curse men.' " But praising God and cursing men is tantamount [virtually the same as]  . . . praising and cursing the same person for in v.9 James describes man as 'made in God's
likeness' ['made after the similitude of God' in KJV]. "


Let's face it-our mouth can do a world of hurt in an instant. But what controls our mouth? It's a choice to speak made by our mind. We dwell and think on these things and then our hateful statement comes out. That's why James says our mind defiles our whole body and like that old saying goes, "What's down in the well will come up in the bucket!" So we need to ask God to clean our water so that when our buckets come up its' clean! While the next section, which touches on genuine wisdom, is separated by paragraph, we find the answer we're seeking for.

James 3: 13-18
¹³ Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
¹⁴ But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
¹⁵ This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
¹⁶ For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
¹⁸ And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

It states here that the genuinely spiritually wise man will live a godly lifestyle (conversation in KJV) with gentleness or "an active attitude of deliberate acceptance" (Expositor's Bible Commentary). It is an active attitude of submission to and acceptance of the Father's will and his presence and power to be preeminent in my life.

 The opposite is selfish zeal ("bitter envy" according to Expositor's Bible Commentary) and selfish strife (quarreling, antagonism, vigorous or bitter conflict). A Christian should not be so zealous for their cause that they destroy other people, whether Christians or not, with their words. Being hateful is not going to change anyone's heart. Also, we should not quarrel with others out of envy or just to be destructive because we're prideful, insecure, or just plain bitter because of past experiences. Sometimes the words we use when we say things can be demeaning or just stir up trouble that isn't necessary. Please don't misunderstand- Biblical truth and standing publicly for that is important- but what is your motivation for bringing up controversial topics? What words do you use when you don't agree with others- is it demeaning or judgmental in tone?  Point is, don't bring up things for the sake of a need to show superiority or to just be quarrelsome. Even if you're Biblically correct, use gentle, peaceable words to make your point. Also, realize that someone may have more wisdom than you in this area and you may be wrong or they may just have another valid viewpoint that is equally correct. (" . . . let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:" James 1:19). Why? James says the end result of these attitudes is confusion and every evil (or meaningless) work. And satan loves that- confusion in the church coupled with every one tearing down one another makes the joint work of Christ non-existent.

Now the question is "How do I know if I am a truly wise person?" James challenges us to ask, " Do I mirror these characteristics?"

1. Pure- this is the root of true Godly wisdom. Pure actions motivated by a pure heart made that way by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Never forget the basics! Total commitment and obedience to the Lord is always the most important! And that applies to every day life- what you watch on tv, what you put in your body, sexual purity, etc.

2. Peaceable- He/she is not unkind and does not stir up strife intentionally. It is an active approach to being a peacemaker with all. 

3. Gentle- He/She speaks the truth in a gentle way with the motivation of glorifying God.

4. Easy to be intreated- It is not a struggle for this person to submit totally to it. He/She does not continue in stubborn disobedience once wisdom is given.

5. Full of mercy and good fruits- He/She is compassionate toward the other person, Christian or not, and their situation, and it is effective!

6. Without partiality- He/She is no respecter of persons regardless of appearance, race, or status.

7. Without hypocrisy- A person with wisdom does not say one thing and do the other! 

In conclusion, it is stated that the fruits of righteousness are sown in peace. Be an active pursuer of letting the Lord control your mind and take away that selfishness, misplaced zeal, envy, or personal insecurity. People will not always be peaceable with you because if you are living righteously, that exposes their sin and makes them want to avoid you. This doesn't give you any reason to not be peaceable with them, and that starts with your mind because if your mind is at peace, your words and actions will naturally reflect that. Remember, faith without works is dead.