Tongue Control

In our culture of moral relativism, lying is becoming the norm. All around us—in the media, in government, even from our own children—we hear lies. And the source of all lies is the devil. He is the father of all lies. He lied to Adam and Eve, and they and all their descendants became liars. The Bible says, “Let God be true, and every man a liar (Rom. 3:4). Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

All liars violate God’s law that says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness to your neighbor.” Only one person in the history of the world never sinned with his tongue or lied. That person is Jesus Christ. Of him it is said, “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Pet. 2:22).

A Warning

In James 3:1–2, Pastor James gives a serious warning especially to believers in Jesus: “Don’t many become teachers,” that is, rabbis. “Rabbi” means “my great one.”

In the first century, when very few people could read, rabbis received both great honor and honorariums. They enjoyed prestige and status. In fact, one’s duty to help a rabbi exceeded even one’s duty to help one’s parents and family.

These teachers exerted great influence, but they were not always using their tongues for good. Many were like the Marxist professors of today who exert great influence upon university students, turning them into atheists, hedonists, and liars. They were like the professors of modern liberal seminaries, who train students to become ministers of churches that oppose the Bible and blaspheme our Lord Jesus Christ.

But pastors who refuse to preach the gospel are the worst abusers of the tongue. In hell, they shall receive many blows. Jesus taught, “That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:47–48).

So James warns, “Don’t many become teachers.” People should not become ministers for wrong motives, such as prestige, money, or selfish ambition. Jesus condemns such false teachers, saying, “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi’” (Matt. 23:5–7). He also said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matt. 23:25). He also warned, “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely” (Luke 20:46–47).

Paul also spoke of false teachers. He wrote to the Galatians, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Gal. 1:6–9). Elsewhere he says, “If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain” (1 Tim. 6:3–5).

Let not many become pastors for wrong reasons, for they shall be judged by Christ more strictly. Teachers use their tongues all the time. So they are more liable to make many errors, especially those pastors who are not called or sent by Christ. Such people are not saved and filled with the holy word and the Holy Spirit. This includes a good number of evangelical seminary students and their professors.

We all speak carelessly. Jesus said, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:36–37). James acknowledges his own failure in speech when he says, “If anyone does not sin with the tongue, he is a perfect man” (3:2). All people, even Christians, sin with their tongues. Therefore, we must constantly repent and receive forgiveness from God. Even Moses, a great man of God, spoke rash words. The psalmist writes, “They rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses’ lips” (Ps. 106:33). Peter spoke rashly to Jesus himself: “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will” (Matt. 26:33). Yet we know that he denied our Lord Jesus Christ three times.

The Power of the Tongue

The tongue has power to bless or to destroy. In verses 3–6, James says, in essence, “We can control a horse by a bit or a large ship by a rudder. But the tongue, this small member of the body, makes great boastings of lies.” With our tongues we brag, boast, and exaggerate. James says, “The tongue is a fire, a world of evil. . . . it defiles the whole person.” Jesus said, “What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean’” (Matt. 15:11).

James says the tongue can set the whole course of our lives on fire, while it itself “is set on fire from hell.” Our tongues and speech are controlled either by the devil or the Holy Spirit.

The Bible is clear that every unbeliever is a child of the devil, who is a liar and the father of all lies. Paul writes, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4). Paul tells us, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Eph. 2:1–2). And Jesus said, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). So when we lie, the inspiration is coming from the devil himself.

But a true believer is controlled by the Holy Spirit and so is able to speak the truth of the gospel. That is why we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The Tongue Is Difficult to Control

Man was created by God to subdue the earth and rule over all creatures. By common grace, man can do many things, including going to the moon. Yet men are incapable of controlling themselves and their lusts, especially their tongues. James says no human being can control his tongue (Jas. 3:7–8). It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. Our tongues can kill.

Our Tongues Show “Doubleness”

In James 3:9–12, James says that with our tongues we praise God, and with them we curse people, who are created in God’s image. From the same mouth comes praising and cursing. But, James notes, the same spring cannot produce fresh water and salt water at the same time. A fig tree produces figs, not olives, because that is its nature. What we produce is based on our nature. Unbelievers can only sin. Only believers have the possibility and freedom to do what is right and to speak truth. Double-minded people are unstable in all their ways.

The Master Control

Who is the master of your heart? This master, whether it is the devil or the Holy Spirit, is the one who controls every part of us, including our tongues. We can never say we are autonomous. There is no autonomy in the world, according to the Bible. All people are governed either by the Holy Spirit or by the devil.

The Bible teaches that all unbelievers are sinners controlled by the devil. They are pervasively sinful. That means they can only sin (non posse non peccare). They cannot do anything to please God. Jesus said, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’” (Matt. 15:19–20a).

Those who have the nature of the devil do what the devil likes. They always do their father’s will. So the psalmist says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good” (Ps. 14:1). We see this idea in most universities today. Are there any professors who declare that there is a God who created this world, a God who controls this world, and that everything that happens in this world is controlled by this infinite, personal, almighty God?

So the fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” Paul says, “The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so” (Rom. 8:7). He also declares, “‘Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.’ ‘The poison of vipers is on their lips.’ ‘Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness’” (Rom. 3:13–14). And Jesus warned, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” (Matt. 7:15–16).

How, then, can we come under the control of the Holy Spirit? Jesus said, “You must be born again.” In other words, we must be born from above, born of the Holy Spirit. We must be given a new nature, a new disposition, a new heart. We must become new creations with new minds, wills, and affections. Then we will be able to think God’s thoughts, will God’s will, and feel the way God feels about all things. Then we will be filled with the Holy Spirit and delight in the holy Scriptures—not tolerating or enduring the Bible, but enjoying it. And when we stumble with our tongues and the Spirit of God convicts us of our sins, we will repent and receive God’s forgiveness.

Only a Christian has the freedom not to sin and the freedom to obey God. He can do so because he has been regenerated and given a new nature (Jas. 1:18). He has repented of his sins and trusted in Jesus Christ. So with James he speaks of faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ (Jas. 2:1). He has been justified and forgiven of all his sins. He has become a child of God. He is in Christ. God is for him, and he is indestructible. How can anyone destroy us when we are in God, in Christ, and in the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit controls the life and speech of those who have been born of God. So we read, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:4). Paul exhorts, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:18–20). If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will speak of God.

Jesus said, “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say” (Luke 12:11–12). (PGM) From the Scriptures, a child of God stores up good things, and out of the abundance of his heart, his mouth speaks words of life. So Jesus said, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

False prophets, false pastors, false teachers, and false seminary professors prophesy lies inspired by a spirit of lie. Remember Ahab’s four hundred false prophets? They prophesied by the inspiration of an evil spirit, as Micaiah explained to Ahab: “The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you” (1 Kings 22:23). We see this also in the New Testament, when Peter said to Ananias, “How is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?” (Acts 5:3).

Now we understand where the lie comes from when our spouse or children lies to us. The psalmist declares, “Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies” (Ps. 58:3).

Are you a liar? We must all ask ourselves that question. Being a liar means you always lie. Liars are demon-controlled. When people are demon-possessed, demons speak through their mouths.

By the Holy Spirit we are able to control our tongues and proclaim the truth of the gospel. So James says, “Be quick to hear and slow to speak” (Jas. 1:19). In other words, speak with understanding and reflection. He also says, “If anyone considers himself religious, and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless,” (Jas. 1:26). His faith is empty. He just talks.

The psalmist says, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin” (Ps. 39:1). If we are true Christians, we have the freedom to do that. In Psalm 141:3 we find the prayer of a righteous man: “Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” In other words, we must keep our tongue from speaking evil, and then we pray, “O God, you help me.” The psalmist also says, “Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies” (Ps. 34:12–13).

As believers in Jesus Christ, we must use our tongues to witness to Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the world. Jesus himself said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). That is the proper tongue use. So Paul writes, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Rom. 10:14–15). He also says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16). We must store up scriptures in our minds and hearts so that when we open our mouths, we will speak the word of God.

Paul exhorted Timothy, “Preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:2). He also stated, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Rom. 1:16). And Peter told his fellow ministers, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care” (1 Pet. 5:2). In other words, we are to preach the word, thus feeding the people with the word of God.

With our tongues we worship God—in confession, singing, praying, preaching, teaching, counseling, rebuking, correcting, and blessing. Paul writes, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9). This is proper use of the tongue.

With our tongues we pray. Paul admonishes, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18). And the Hebrew writer says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name” (Heb. 13:15).

With our tongues we can resist temptation. When tempted by the devil—and we will be tempted every day—we resist him by using the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Jesus himself did this:

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ . . . Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’. . . Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” (Matt. 4:4, 7, 10)

Those outside of Jesus Christ also use their tongues. What are they saying? “There is no God” (Ps. 14:1). But such atheistic fools are lying, because they know better. God reveals himself to them through creation, conscience, and, most clearly, the holy Scriptures. They know the truth, but they suppress it by their wickedness.

The vast majority of the billions of people of the world use their tongues to curse the true God. But one day they all shall confess, “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:11). At that time, silence will not be an option.

I counsel you to confess now with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and serve him all your life. And as believers, let us bear witness to Christ by our good confession and conduct.

Who controls your heart? He is the one who will control your speech, for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. If the devil controls your heart, you are in the majority of people—those who lie with their mouths, saying there is no God, no hell, no meaning or purpose, and no absolutes. Such people say, “Let us eat and drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” They are without hope and without God in the world. But true believers will be controlled by the Holy Spirit. They will glorify God and enjoy him forever.

Let us pay heed to the warning of Pastor James. Don’t enter into ministry for the wrong reasons of prestige or money. But if you are called, gifted, and sent by Christ, you must preach the gospel. According to Ephesians 4:11 and Acts 20:28, a true pastor/teacher is a gift to the church sent by the ascended Christ and appointed by the Holy Spirit to preach the word. Such a man has no choice but to preach the gospel. Study the callings of Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel to the ministry.

In ourselves, we are unclean and unworthy. But don’t worry: God can cleanse our hearts and mouths and qualify us to preach the gospel boldly. Isaiah cries out: “‘Woe to me! . . . I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for’” (Isa. 6:5–7).

May God send us out to preach the gospel boldly! May we be controlled by the Spirit and the word. And may we be encouraged by remembering the words of Jesus: “Surely I will be with you always, even to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).