Our ‘little pink mouth blob’!

Winston Churchill once said: ‘We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out.’

In this column, as we’ve looked at Respectable Sins in the Letter of James, he has challenged how we use our mouths too much and our ears and hands too little. He then goes in for the kill in Chapter 3 – that whopping respectable sin – how we misuse our tongues.

James begins by warning us that we should not rush into being teachers of God’s truth. We will think about that next time. For now, let’s look at what he says about all our tongues: ‘We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.’

James seems to say that it’s impossible for anyone to control their tongues [except, of course, that one perfect person –the Word].

It’s the tiny bit, he says, that controls a half-ton horse. It’s the tiny rudder, he says, that controls a 1,000-ton ship.

And it’s the tongue that controls us and gets us into heap loads of trouble. It makes grand speeches, for a tiny bit of muscle. It’s like a tiny spark that sets off a forest fire.

Look at 3: 6 & 8:

‘The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.’

‘... no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.’

A bit extreme, James? Not at all! I bet if we spent less than a minute thinking over the last week, we could each come up with at least one incident where our little pink mouth blob has caused trouble!

Our words are excessively powerful. It is often said that the childhood rhyme ‘sticks and stones may break my bones…’ is nonsense. We know it too well – words don’t just hurt, they can destroy individuals, families, and churches.

If we need proof that we are proud, adulterous Christians – just look at what trips off our tongues.

Take an average Sunday in an average church – one minute we’re singing hymns of praise to our God – next minute we’re scrapping and bitchin’ about each other over a cup of tea.

Now, we are past masters at wrapping it up in phrases we think stop us looking like complete gossips and slanderers We say:

• ‘She’s sweet, but…’
• ‘I was so hurt/sad when he did that…’
• ‘I’m sure she’s got her good points.’
• ‘I’m not being funny, but he…’
• ‘Do you think I should say something to so and so? It’s just that he…’
• ‘I really think we need to pray for…

Then off we go, slagging people off in the name of constructive criticism, taking the moral high ground as we point out others’ faults. But, of course, it’s evil – it reveals something very sinister…

Because a test of our loyalty to God is seen in our loyalty to people made in the image of God. How we speak about each other is where our disloyalty comes out in the open. Listen again to 3:9: ‘With the tongue, we praise our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.’

The very people God has put us on the planet to serve – we slander. The very people God commands us to love – we libel. James says it’s just wrong!

Look at verses 11 & 12: ‘Can both fresh water and saltwater flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.’

Have you ever had that experience of putting salt in your tea instead of sugar? Have you ever eaten an olive expecting it to be a grape? It’s just WRONG in your mouth. Well, James is saying blessings and curses in the same mouth are just wrong! They cannot belong together in the servant of Christ.

So, here’s another diagnostic test from James. Be honest and ask yourself: What comes out of my mouth, especially when I’m angry? How often do I: put people down; criticise; gossip; complain; judge; exaggerate; mock; patronise; shift the blame; lie; whilst furtively hoping to make myself look better in the process?

We tend to be underhand; we think we disguise our malice and anger well, don’t we? My daughter tells me I’m rather passive aggressive. Whatever! Yet it all comes from an adulterous pride – a divided heart, one that claims to love Christ, but loves self a lot more.

Let’s pray that the Spirit of Truth would make us more conscious of our words and more careful with our words; that we might better reflect the beautiful character of the Word. Psalm 141: 3 ‘Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!’ Amen.