James 3:11-12—Fresh or bitter water?
Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh. James 3:11-12
James wrote in verse 10, “from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing”; he wrote in verse 9 that we use our mouths to bless God and to curse men. He was undeniably clear: these things ought not to be this way.
Much is said about the way we use our tongues against others. Even though such teaching makes many of us squirm uncomfortably, we all know it is true. However, if you turn the tables a bit and teach about the tongue’s effect on your own life, then claws and teeth are likely to come out.
“You’re one of those—a ‘name it and claim it’ person!” someone may snarl and then blacklist you for life. “You think you are God! You think you can speak whatever you want into existence! I know your type!”
After a diatribe such as this—denouncing the motives, faith, and relationship with Christ of anyone who warns against using words unwisely concerning one’s own life—such “heresy hunters” have themselves become guilty of James 3:9-10: “With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.”
Look, I understand that “positive confession” teaching drives a lot of Christians crazy. And like you, I’ve heard a bit of kookiness and excessiveness taught as sound doctrine on the subject. This, however, does not relieve you of your responsibility as a child of God to speak of others—and yourself—with a pure, guarded tongue, saturated with and trained by the Word of God.
James asked, “Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?” You know that if you bless the Lord and curse man, that’s a contaminating mixture, polluting the good with evil. However, have you also considered that no matter how thoughtfully you may speak about the lives of others, if you curse your own life with ugly, demeaning words of false humility, self-pity, or self-loathing, you have created just as toxic a concoction? Check your words. Are you sending out fresh water about others but bitter water about yourself? This is just as poisonous as speaking well of yourself and evil of others.
James asks another question: “Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs?” The answer is Of course not! You, the planting of the Lord (see Isaiah 61:3), are called to produce fruit that is consistent with the righteousness that has been granted you in Christ. This fruit certainly involves your works (see James 2), but here, more precisely, James is referring to your words.
Think about the fruit of your lips. Do you speak kindly about others on one hand, but harshly when talking about your own life? Your fruit is inconsistent. Are you guarded in speaking about yourself, but unrestrained in discussing others? Your fruit is also inconsistent and exposes some hypocrisy.
Jesus said, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33).
Jesus is funny about consistency and being all-in or all-out. Didn’t He tell a certain church, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth”? (Revelation 3:15-16.)
James concluded his thought on this topic by stating that salt water cannot produce fresh. To think that you can speak good or ill, blessing or cursing—up one day and down the next—without repercussion is either utter foolishness or willful blindness.
Jesus reminded us, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil” (Matthew 12:34b-35). If you will cast aside fear of becoming a “positive confession” proponent for a minute and just listen to your words, according to the Lord Himself you will get a ringside seat where you can view the contents of your heart. Listen carefully and look closely. Are your words consistently honoring to God and helpful to both yourself and others? Or—do you need some “mouth work” done?
Listen to Jesus further. “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37). Not a one of us will be exempt from this reckoning—each of us will be accountable before the Lord on that Day for the words of our mouths.
Understand this: it is impossible to tame the tongue. However, the Word of God grants you insight into its operation and how to maintain control over it. Listen often to your language; work on your words; exert consistency in conversing, whether about God, yourself, or others.
And as you pursue the Lord and submit yourself to His Word, you will grow in steadiness and the ability to manage your untamable tongue.
Dorothy
Read MoreJames 3:9-10—Blessing or cursing
With it [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. James 3:9-10
James described a universal tendency—if we’re honest with ourselves—which we deal with more than we care to admit. He wrote of the tongue, “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men.” Notice he used the pronoun “we” when writing about this issue; evidently, even he had to guard against this inclination.
Think about it. At church the music is swelling into worship, and you are caught up in the majesty of it all. And then, as you open your eyes for a moment, you see the woman whose issues you and your friend analyzed with disdain over coffee. Or you view the pastor and remember how you picked apart the way he preached last week. With your tongue you approach God and bless Him; with the same tongue, you dishonor your sister or your brother. Again, since James used the word “we”, it’s a safe bet to say that the temptation to speak against fellow Christians has been a common one for all believers throughout the history of the Church.
You may protest, “No—you’ve got it all wrong! This is talking about how all of us were before we were saved! We don’t have problems like that anymore!” Well, I’m pretty sure that when James describes folks who bless the Lord one minute and curse people the next, he wasn’t talking about all those hardened sinners out there who spend a huge chunk of their time praising God. Admit it. If someone is blessing the Lord out loud, it’s more than likely one of us. Unfortunately, we’re also the ones who are guilty of speaking pious words at church only to follow up later with a chaser of put-downs. In fact, the unsaved are sometimes more consistent in the way they use their words than many of us are! Ouch.
The man you may be “discussing” is made in the likeness of God. The woman about whom you are expressing a “concern” is one of God’s prized daughters. From the pastor to the children’s worker to the usher to the awkward individual always trying to get your attention—each one is precious, each one is valuable, and each one is made in the likeness of God. When you touch any of them with contempt, you touch the apple of His eye. And that’s not OK with Him.
…from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
Can you sense the exasperation in James’ tone as he writes this? He was calling it like he saw it—blessing one minute and cursing the next—flowing out of the mouths of God’s people. From what he wrote, it appears that those believers felt there was nothing wrong with what they were doing—verbally cutting their brothers and sisters to shreds and then praising the Lord without a smidgeon of conviction. Did they feel entitled to curse their fellow believers? James wrote very emphatically—and I believe with tears running down his cheeks: “My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.”
These things ought not to be this way—not in James’ time, not in ours. The thing that can solve the case of the deadly tongue is not merely being born again—although that is the very first real step. Nor is the problem of the tongue solved by either water baptism or the baptism of the Holy Spirit—although both of those experiences are important keys to victorious Christian living and fruitfulness. The solution for the poison of the tongue is not even sitting under anointed teaching in a healthy fellowship of believers—although that is a huge component of Christian growth.
No; each man and each woman must vigilantly guard and correct, watch over and instruct his or her own tongue, by both the Word of God and His Spirit.
A well-trained horse may slip up or stumble from time to time. Your well-behaved pet may disobey you every now and then. They are tamed; James wrote that the tongue is untamable (see James 3:7-8 and http://www.firstofallpray.com/?p=6090). Because of that, you must exert constant oversight to keep your mouth in line with the Word and the Spirit of God. My cats are unattended when I leave the house—they can be trusted not to wreak havoc. My tongue, on the other hand, is not as trustworthy—it will wreak havoc if I don’t maintain diligent watch over it.
Do you use your mouth to praise God and bless others, only to find yourself spouting scathing judgments the next day—or minute? Don’t wait to correct it; go now to the Source of Living Waters, where the River runs fresh and clean, and receive forgiveness, cleansing, and correction for your untamed tongue. Your dog or cat can probably handle being left at home unattended for a while, but never again leave your mouth unsupervised. No! Guard it, watch it, bridle it, and make it line up with the Word of God.
This is the only way to deal with the tongue.
Dorothy
Read MoreJames 3:7-8—Untamed
For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. James 3:7-8
I have four cats. They are docile (some would say lazy), affectionate, and generally well-behaved. They understand the word NO and usually come when called by name (and using reverse psychology, I can get one to come when I call his rival’s name). They know their rights and responsibilities as feline members of the household. They are domesticated—tamed—by me.
James said every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. Lions, tigers, bears (oh, my!), camels, elephants, whales, rats, crows, chimps, cobras, raccoons, even fleas…most animal species have experienced at least one member among them succumbing to human training and even going along with it (usually for treats—they’re not stupid). After all, in the beginning, God told the man and woman, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (see Genesis 1:28).
To illustrate this point in dramatic fashion, I took Genesis 1:28 to heart as a sleep-deprived young teacher. You see, when I lived in a top-floor apartment facing a strip of woods, every spring a woodpecker would arrive on the roof right above my head just before dawn. Every morning I would awaken with a jolt as he drilled, RAT-A-TAT-TAT, loud and relentlessly, probably in search of tasty bugs. I would hop out of bed, slam the window up and down, up and down, and whisper loudly, “Shoo! Go away!” only to be reawakened three or four minutes later, on and on, every morning, every spring.
After four years of interrupted sleep at the beak of this winged jack-hammer, that fifth spring, on the second morning of the woodpecker’s yearly ritual, I was ready. The night before, I left my Bible open on the window sill to Genesis 1:28. Sure enough, like clockwork, before dawn the drilling began. I leaped out of bed, threw the window up and whispered loudly, “You listen to me, Mr. Woodpecker! It says right here in the Word of God that I ‘have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.’ Well, that includes you, you foul fowl, so I command you in Jesus’ name, leave my roof and never come back! Find all the bugs you need in those trees; this roof is now officially off-limits to you and your descendents forever!”
I closed the window, slipped back into bed, and slept until my alarm went off. In fact, that woodpecker never returned. The rest of the spring, I slept until my alarm rang; and for the next two springs I lived there, never again did woodpeckers rat-a-tat-tat above my head.
Before you get excited and think, “What a woman of faith and power!” I must admit one thing. I have failed woefully when it comes to taming my tongue. James was right. “Every species of beasts… has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue…” It’s not that I don’t care what I say—I do. It’s not that I cuss like a sailor—I don’t. It’s just that all too often I find myself diving into conversations that I need to backpedal out of. Or repent concerning. Or apologize for. If you don’t think that’s true for you, as well, just listen to yourself over the span of a week or so and you may change your mind.
When James said that the tongue is a restless evil and full of deadly poison, he wasn’t referring to the words of the wicked or the unsaved. He was writing to believers. He was talking about their tongues—and ours.
Whether it’s the urge to share a juicy tidbit about someone that would undermine their reputation or an impulsive need to talk on and on about how awful (or amazingly super-wonderful) your life is—it’s downright exasperating to control that slippery muscle!
David Guzik, in his commentary on this verse, related a story about a lady who told John Wesley that her talent was to speak her mind. He said that Wesley replied to her, “I don’t think God would mind if you buried that talent.” Summing up his thought, Guzik wrote, “Speaking forth everything that comes to mind is unwise, poisonous speech.” [David Guzik’s commentary can be accessed via the Blue Letter Bible website.]
The human tongue has remained untamed throughout history—in James’ time, in Wesley’s time, and now in our time. A Christian who desires to live holy can receive divine help to keep his tongue under control as he walks humbly before the Lord. But it’s not like mastering the times table or riding a bike—things which once learned stick with you forever. No, the tongue requires constant, vigilant oversight.
Remember when James said that all species of animals have been tamed by men? One of my cats—Ember—knows not to jump on the kitchen table. More than once, though, I’ve walked into the house and there she is, all googly-eyed, staring at me. Once we lock eyes, she’s off in a flash, her training suddenly returning to her.
So it is with your tongue, times a trillion. My cat is not on that table every time I come into the house; just once in a blue moon. Truly, my little black cat is better behaved than anyone’s tongue—James said so. Every hour of every day, your tongue must be forced to toe the line. You and I—as believers who want to live lives of honor and holiness—must recognize this point and be prepared to stand vigilant guard over our words. For the rest of our lives.
The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Proverbs 13:3
He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles. Proverbs 21:23
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3
Gotta go—I’ve got guard duty (over my mouth).
Dorothy
Read MoreJames 3:5-6—Fire-starter
…the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. James 3:5-6
The human tongue. It’s as potentially lethal as a can of gas and a lighter in the hands of an arsonist. Let’s break these two verses down to take a closer look.
- The tongue is a small part of the body.
- Despite its tiny size, it boasts of great things.
- A huge forest can be set aflame by a tiny spark.
- The tongue is a fire.
- The tongue is a world of iniquity.
- The tongue is positioned in the body as something that can defile the whole thing.
- The tongue can set the course of your life on fire.
- That fire is set by hell.
The tongue is small, but boasts of great things. “…the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches” (NLT). If you talk big, can you follow-through big? This reminds me of what Jesus said: “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’” (Luke 14:28-30).
A huge forest fire can be started with a tiny spark. This is Smokey Bear’s mantra. A tossed cigarette butt, a smoldering campfire, an errant firecracker, a small spark created when a dangling chain on a speeding semi strikes the concrete—each event has created massive forest fires. Often innocent but neglectful actions can create disorder, destruction, and death.
The tongue is a fire. Have you ever tossed out your words like a discarded cigarette butt? Do you sometimes leave relationships smoldering like partially-doused campfires by the words you’ve said, figuring “It’s all good—I don’t have the time to hassle with it now, anyway”? Have you ever set off fireworks with snippy or snarky remarks? Do you allow the dangling, partially broken-off, metallic baggage and bondages of your life to strike the highway as you speed along your way, setting fires by the sparks created in your wake?
The tongue is a world of iniquity. “It is a whole world of wickedness…” (NLT). Yes, this is talking about your tongue. And mine. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
The tongue placed in your body can defile the whole thing. What can the tongue—or your words—defile? Your whole body; your entire life. Some synonyms from other Bible versions for the word defile are “poison”, “corrupt”, and “contaminate”.
It’s safe to say, then, that your words can defile, poison, corrupt, and contaminate your whole life.
The tongue can set the course of your life on fire. Watching news coverage of some of the huge wildfires which consumed vast regions in recent years, you know that once a fire starts, it becomes treacherously difficult to put out. Your words—whether throw-away, angry, or intentionally demeaning—also have the power to ignite the course of your life—or someone else’s—on fire.
The fire is set by hell itself. The Phillips version has a different interpretation of this thought which is worth noting. It reads, “…it can make the whole of life a blazing hell.” Think of all the young people tormented—many to the point of suicide—through the words of careless peers on social media. However, most other Bible versions simply express that the fire which is started by words is set, ignited, and master-minded by hell itself. Makes me wonder: What—or who—really directs the tongue much of the time?
Your tongue, though it is small, has incredible potential to destroy your life or someone else’s. Your words are intensely powerful whether you believe it or not; controlling horses and ships is a walk in the park compared to managing your own tongue (see http://www.firstofallpray.com/?p=6072 ).
Peter, another apostle like James, understood this as well. He quoted the Psalms when he wrote, “…the one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit” (1 Peter 3:10, emphasis added).
The Message Bible pulls no punches. It interprets James 3:5-6 this way:
A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.
May God grant us the grace, wisdom, and restraint we need to manage our words wisely!
Dorothy
Read MoreJames 3:2-4—Bits, rudders, and your tongue
For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. James 3:2-4
Horses’ bits. Ships’ rudders. Your tongue. This odd assortment has very little in common—except for one thing. Each determines direction. Which of the three is easiest to operate—a horse with a bit, a ship by its rudder, or your own life with your tongue? It seems like a no-brainer; of course it’s easier to manage your life and your own tongue than to control a massive ship or a spirited horse…or is it?
Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.
Working backwards in this section, first think about how ships are steered. The rudder, attached to the lower stern of a ship, slices through the water as the navigator directs. As the pilot guides, the rudder moves to the left or right, pushing against the force of the water as the ship forges ahead. This is what enables the vessel to be steered. Despite how massive it may be, the entire bulk of the ship is directed by that small rudder.
Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well.
Horses—fiercely independent, magnificent creatures in the wild—can be controlled by a small bit placed into their mouths. Just a gentle tug on the bridle attached to the bit will direct this strong-willed animal.
If you were to stand next to a horse or catch a boat out to a ship at sea and then were asked to take control over either one, would you feel uneasy about it? With proper instruction and training, you could take charge of either of them and be successful. What would you use to guide them? A relatively small rudder or a tiny bit.
For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.
A horse can be directed through treacherous terrain by its master with a nudge or pull on the bridle, attached to a bit. A ship can be steered through tumultuous seas with the proper turning of a rudder. According to James, your life is also directed, navigated, and steered by something.
He writes that a man bridles his body, and thus, his life, with one small thing—his tongue. If a man does not slip up—ever—in what he says, then he is perfect and is able to bridle his whole body as well.
James set the table with these verses to teach about the deadly potential of the human tongue. He established how humans have mastered both massive vessels and huge animals by comparatively small objects—a rudder and a bit. And a little object—the tongue—existing within each of our mouths, has the capacity of a rudder or a bit to enable us to direct our lives. There’s only one problem as James will reveal—it has power to destroy as well, and it seems to have a mind of its own.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21
If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. James 3:2b
Hang in there this week as we look at just how important our tongues—and the words we speak—really are!
Dorothy
Read MoreJames 3:1—Teachers: Judged by a stricter standard
Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. James 3:1
Each of us teaches others, both by our words and our lifestyle. Every one of us in the Body of Christ is called to be a minister of reconciliation (see 2 Corinthians 5:18), and all of us share in the role of making disciples (see Matthew 28:19-20). Parents are required to train their children, preparing them for life; unfortunately, the lack of value placed on this vital role is evident throughout our culture. Whoever you are—even if you never step behind a pulpit or a podium—you teach someone something by the way you speak and live your life. This is why it is essential for all of us to be doers of the Word, and not hearers—or talkers—only (see James 1:22). Others hear us, but they watch our lives as well.
True, James was referring primarily to the role of teaching the Word; yet the term “teacher” encompasses not only teaching the things of God, but also instructing concerning the duties of man (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G1320&t=KJV). This is a sober consideration for me, for I have taught most of my life.
As a young, unsaved person choosing my major in college, I knew that I could teach; I loved working as a camp counselor for most of my teens and early twenties, teaching things like fire-building, plant identification, shelter building, and how to find elves in the woods. But I had heard something about the study load for a degree in education that determined my decision. Right or wrong—I heard it was easy. And that settled it. I didn’t feel like working hard at studies—I had more important things to do: Party.
Before you choke at my honesty, a year and a half into college, I was saved. Soon thereafter, as I was walking to one of my education classes, the Spirit of the Lord spoke directly to my heart. He said, “You entered education for all the wrong reasons—but you are in the right place.”
During my career, I taught at every grade level from second through ninth grade. Some years were more successful than others; some students gained more ground under my teaching than others. But I realized my first year—in a class of 36 fifth graders—that education was not “easy”. To succeed as an educator—even when teaching the basics—you must exert focused effort, know your material, and develop keen understanding of the people you are teaching.
Teaching the Word of God is not entirely different. Paul told Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Whether you are teaching the Word, ABCs, biology, fire-building, or how to conduct yourself with dignity, you are impacting someone else’s life and future, for good or for ill. And James said that being in the role of teacher renders a stricter judgment. In other words, handle accurately those things you teach, live them yourself, and walk in respect and dignity toward those you teach—because you will be held accountable by the Highest Authority.
When I was in the classroom, I observed diligent, hard-working teachers and I also knew of others who got by with as little work as possible. I’m sure that teaching in the Body is no different. I believe that James would remind all of us that we are under close scrutiny.
Also, when in the classroom, I observed teachers who cared little for their students. I saw others who demonstrated deep concern and empathy for their young people—and those kids thrived under that kind of instructor. This observation could likely be made toward teachers of the Bible as well. James would probably ask all teachers—do you care for those who receive your instruction? Do you show it? There is a higher standard on you than on others. Do not be unaware of it.
When James issued this warning in the very middle of his letter, i.e., the role of teacher is not for everyone, he was specifically referring to the position of leadership for the purpose of teaching the Word of God. So many doctrines and bents are taught throughout the Body of Christ, from straight Bible teaching to instruction promoting man’s opinion as holy truth. James is clear—each man and woman who seeks to instruct others in the things of God will incur a stricter judgment. He stated this quite bluntly so as to steer away from teaching positions those who would twist, add to, or subtract from the Word with their erroneous teaching.
The responsibility of teaching the Word of God is huge. You are not to take it on lightly. Do you point others to the one true Master and Teacher with your instruction? He has the words of eternal life; do your words align with His? Do you study to show yourself approved? Are you a workman who will not end up being ashamed of your teaching? Do you accurately handle the Word of truth? You must ask yourself these questions if you feel called to teach—whether to one person or to a billion. Each one of us who teaches will be held to a much stricter standard.
Pursue the Word of God, let it soak into your understanding and direct and correct your life; then as God calls you to articulate it, you will speak it forth with wisdom and accuracy.
Dorothy
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