Taming the Tongue, Part 1

James 3:3-6

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.
So also 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.

I've heard this portion of scripture misrepresented more than any other. People use it to proof text what the want to say about what you and I would call "cussing"...This is NOT what James is talking about!!!

Context is KING when understanding scripture and actually READING the words is just as important.

James starts out with putting bits in the mouths of horses to steer the whole BODY. Why did he use this analogy? Was he a jockey or have a horse fetish? NO, and NO!!! He uses it because of the fact that the analogy is PERFECT for what he is trying to get across to THE BODY.

Gossip, slander, grumbling, complaining, and all other types of speech that tear apart at the unity of the BODY of Christ is a fire straight from the pit of hell. Satan wants nothing more than people IN the body to tear itself apart from the inside out because when we do it for him it makes his job MUCH easier.

Such use of the tongue (the smallest part of THE BODY) can set the WHOLE CHURCH on fire. How many churches have split because UNITY could not be reached? I'll tell you that any time a church splits, Satan wins a battle.

Now I know that what he intended for evil God can in turn use for good, but God doesn't intentionally set the church of Jesus Christ on fire so that He can make more denominations!!! As a matter of fact it is completely contradictory to what Jesus prayed for in what is known as the High Priestly Prayer that Jesus prayed right before He went to the cross. He prayed for UNITY in HIS body.

We'll finish up this "tongue thang" tomorrow but for now here's a question....

Are you and your tongue building UP the body or tearing it apart???