Taming The Tongue

  • Ken Ramey
  • Feb 7, 2010
  • Series: James

James 3:1-12

We can never undo the damage that our words do to others and we often take for granted the power of influence that our words have on the lives of others - for bad or for good. In fact, the instrument of our words, our tongue, is so powerful that Solomon concluded that "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." - Proverbs 18:21

Just as Proverbs 18 summarizes everything that the Bible says about the tongue, there can also be found no better description of  the power of the tongue than is given in James Chapter 3. In these twelve verses, James sought to impress on his readers the importance of taming their tongues by exposing SIX POWERFUL INFLUENCES OF THE TONGUE. In other words, the tongue has the power to do six things:

1. TEST OUR TEACHERS (v. 1)
2. MEASURE OUR SPIRITUAL MATURITY (v. 2)
3. DETERMINE OUR DIRECTION (vv. 3-5a)
4. IGNITE OUR INIQUITY (vv. 5b-6)
5. DEFY OUR DOMINATION (vv. 7-8)
6. HIGHLIGHT OUR HYPOCRISY (vv. 9-12)

There is nothing that shows our depravity more than what comes out of our mouths. Although no mortal can tame the tongue, rest assured that there is One Who can. That One is God. We should plead daily with God that He would give us the grace to tame our tongues and to purify our hearts so that we may glorify Him more with our lives. If Jesus is the Lord of our lives, then He should also be the Lord of our tongues!