The Fiery Destruction of the Tongue
James 3:5-6
James 3:5-6
“Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”
James continues with his comparison as he describes the power of the tongue. He reminds us the tongue is small in comparison to the rest of the body but it has the ability to “make great boasts.” The word “boast” here comes from a Greek word meaning to be arrogant and pompous in a way that is intended to impress people. It reminds me of the interviews on television with some of the big name athletes in professional sports. They love to brag about their abilities and convince us they are the better than everyone else.. How is your tongue? I challenge you to ask a close friend about what is coming out of your mouth? Ask them if you are a positive and encouraging person or a negative person who complains too much. How do you measure up? This is the test James is telling us about.
I grew up in southern California in the times of severe drought. It was so bad we were only allowed to water our grass at night in order to conserve as much as possible. Because of these conditions we had many wildfires where thousands of acres burn for weeks at a time before being extinguished. Everything was so dry the smallest spark could set off one of these fires. This is the next example James brings in explaining the power of the tongue.
The tongue can spark a raging forest fire. What you say can cause terrible damage to yourself and to others. You can ruin a person’s character and reputation by planting seeds of gossip and lies. You can tear down another person to the point they don’t believe in themselves and their abilities anymore. You can rob the joy from someone with a single word. Once a fire takes its course what is left behind is utter destruction. Statistics show it can take as long as 200 years for a forest to return to its previous state after a fire. Some people never recover from harmful words.
The problem with the tongue is not only can it spark a fire, but it sets itself on fire at the same time. James says, “the tongue is also a fire” and goes on to describe three character traits of the tongue:
1. First he says the tongue is a “world of evil” among the parts of the body. In his notes on the New Testament Albert Barnes says, “when the tongue is spoken of as being "a world of iniquity," it is meant that all kinds of evil that are in the world are exhibited there in miniature; it seems to concentrate all sorts of iniquity that exist on the earth” (Barnes, A. 1962; Albert Barnes Notes on the New Testament;; Grand Rapids, MI; Kregel Publications). 2. Second he says the tongue “corrupts the whole person” meaning this small part of the body has the ability to poison or infect all the other parts. The word corrupt here means to soil or stain like you would see in a set of filthy clothes, but what does it mean to have your body stained or infected? What is it it infected with? Look at the end of the verse (James 3:6) and you will find the source of the infection. James says, “and is itself (describing the tongue) set on fire by hell.” The source of infection is Satan himself. He is the father of lies (John 8:44) and his most powerful ability is to deceive, to lead people away from the truth (Revelation 12:9), through the use of his tongue. When we use our tongue in a sinful manner… in a manner other than for goodness, for God’s glory, we are taking on the very character of Satan. We are infecting our whole body with sin.
3. This leads us to the third characteristic of the tongue. James tells us the tongue “sets the whole course of his life on fire.” Because the entire body is infected by the tongue the goals and desires of the person become infected also. The mind begins to have improper thoughts, the eyes begin looking at improper things, the hands begin to get involved in things they should not touch, and the feet of the person go places they should never should go. Every aspect of the person’s life becomes inflamed with sin.
Look at the progression James has given us: 1) The tongue is boastful and arrogant; 2) The tongue is a spark setting fires meaning it can hurt other people; 3) The tongue is so dangerous it even sets itself on fire; 4) The tongue infects the rest of the person with this fire; 4) The tongue sets the very direction of the person’s life on fire; and 5) The source of the tongue’s power is from hell and Satan himself.
I ask again...what is coming out of your mouth? Do you understand when you use your tongue to hurt and tear down others you are allowing Satan’s plan to infect you. You are imitating Satan’s methods of destruction. The Lord wants you to speak the truth, to speak words of encouragement, healing, mercy, compassion, and kindness. Consider what others would think of you if only good flowed from your lips.
