Taming the Tongue: Part 4 - James 3:5b-6Written by LaRosa JohnsonIn the previous passage (
James 3:3-5a), we were given two vivid illustrations of what it looks like to have something so small leading the way. We saw how a bit is able to tame and control a horse and how a rudder is able to steer a massive ship in whichever direction the captain so chooses. The latter half of verse five and following in verse six, we find probably our greatest illustration for just how powerful the tongue can be, especially when taking into consideration its destructive powers when used for evil. The first two examples were merely illustrations that showed the tongue's powerful control, while this illustration depicts its negative impact on our entire lives, including the lives of others. Let us begin our study by first reading the passage so that we can then break it down and see what James was saying.
James 3:5b-6 (NASB) - 5 See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! 6 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.How strong is the tongue? Metaphorically, it can set an entire forest ablaze with just the smallest spark! Just think for a minute about all of the wildfires that occur in the United States almost on an annual basis, most recently in the San Diego area of California. These fires do not start off big; no, instead, they start off with a small flame or a spark (such as a match that was not completely put out or a lightning strike) and from there it ignites into a huge fire. It starts off little and before you know it, you have a destructive force that is consuming everything in its path, using it as fuel to keep the flame burning & spreading. This is exactly what James is depicting when he speaks of when he says that the tongue is a fire. A small misuse of the tongue leads down a path of irreversible destruction. R. Kent Hughes says in his Preaching the Word Commentary: James, "James is saying that those who misuse the tongue are guilty of spiritual arson. A mere spark of an ill-spoken word can produce a firestorm that annihilates everything it touches (pg. 139)." Spiritual arson indeed, as a whole course of destruction lies ahead when the tongue is used inappropriately. Just imagine for a moment the barren wastelands left as a result of the fires of gossip, rumors, and other slanderous remarks; you end up with things such as: divorce, broken homes, ruined friendships, fights, and wars, just to name a few.
The next thing we see in this verse the tongue is "the very world of iniquity." This is an interesting phrase because generally kosmos refers to the world, earth, or universe, but none of those are particularly applicable in this instance; instead, kosmos refers to a system, scheme, or arrangement. Therefore, the tongue is the very system of iniquity. In other words, every sin has its root with the tongue, whether it be by thoughts or spoken words. If we remember back in
James 1:14-15, we found that sin is first conceived in our mind (or by speaking it) and then is eventually carried out by the rest of the body. At its smallest level, the tongue can serve as a microcosm of the sin nature in our entire body; but, standing alone, the tongue serves as a perfect illustration of how sin overtakes all.
Matthew 15:18 corroborates this for us when Jesus states, "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man."
This is exactly what we see when James says "the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body." Like a virus, sin spreads throughout the whole body because of the deeds of the tongue. Thomas Manton states in An Exposition of the Epistle of James, "When someone speaks evil, he will commit it. When the tongue has the boldness to talk of sin, the rest of the body has the boldness to act it." Again, go back to
James 1:14-15 and you can see exactly how this happens. But let us return to James' use of the tongue being a fire. Fire is not the only thing that destroys things in its path, but it also produces a thick dark cloud of smoke that also causes just as much damage as a fire. I remember when my grandparents' house caught fire and a lot of their possessions were lost; the things that remained were all covered in soot and left with the smell of smoke that couldn't be removed. This is exactly what happens with sin; whatever the tongue doesn't directly destroy, other things will be affected residually from the smoke of sin. Think again for a moment, words lead to all kinds of sin, including: immorality, wickedness, murder, etc. All of these happen, first, as a result of an out of control tongue that gave birth to such thoughts.
Moving right along, the tongue also "sets on fire the course of our life." This is another interesting phrase in the Greek because it is one that loosely refers to the circle of life, from birth to death. With that being stated, what is being stated here is that there is no part of our life that is able to escape the effects of the fire of the tongue and the sin that is produced as a result. From the day we are born and until the day we die, we, even as believers, are forced to deal with the effects of the sin that happens as a result of the tongue, both from the fires we set ourselves and the fires set by others. Our words have a lasting effect, and that is also in view here. For example, when we speak lies, we either have to continually tell lies to cover up previous lies, and eventually get labeled as a liar, forced to live with the consequences of that label. A single set of words set the wheel in motion, and it keeps moving for the remainder of our lives destroying our lives, families, and the lives of others.
The last thing that we see in this passage is that the tongue is "set on fire by hell." The word used here for hell is the Greek word Gehenna (literally the valley of Hinnom). Outside of this one instance in James' epistle, this term is exclusive to the gospels, and more specifically Jesus' use of the word when referring to a visual image of hell. As a quick description of Gehenna, it was a location southwest of Jerusalem that was constantly on fire and full of maggots where they burned their trash, dead animals, and criminals. This was a description of what hell would be like, and James is stating that this is what sets the tongue on fire. To describe this better, it refers to satan and when we allow our tongues to be tools for his mischief and evil ways. Also, the verb tense of "set on fire" indicates that this is a present continuous action, or that it is one that is continually going on in the present time. That is to say that when we allow it, satan and his demons use our tongue as a device for evil, and that evil is continually perpetuated as a result of that initial word spoken.
There is a lot of meat in this passage, and it is was worth taking the time to clearly understand what was being said. The tongue has a lot of firepower and when left uncontrolled it can cause a lot of damage. This serves as a word of caution for us to watch our tongues and what words and thoughts we allow to come forth. When we are able to do so, we grow in spiritual maturity. Next time, we will continue looking at the perils of the tongue and just how evil it is.
Until then, continue to keep your armor on and tongue guarded against the enemy.
Christopher Lewis
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