Lesson 46  October 13 2004

3:7-8 The untameableness of the Tongue

For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea is tamed,

 

 

and has been tamed by the human race 

 

- Its rather ironic that man can subdue the animal kingdom but is not able to subdue that small part of his body - the tongue.

 

3:8 Continues

But no one can tame the tongue;

 

- that is no one has inherently within them self, from their own resources the ability to subdue the tongue.

 

*** What is hopeless for anyone when the sin nature rules can become a reality when God's grace provisions and power are utilized in life.

 

James paints two very vivid pictures of this untamed, uncontrolled tongue when he says  it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.

 

The adjective restless (avkata,statoj)  implies a caged animal,  one who is not subdued and ever pacing uneasily back and forth.

 

and full of deadly poison  - adj  qanathfo,roj = death bearing

- poison = ivo,j  great term for the destructive force of the tongue which is seen very clearly in a gossip and maligning others

 

Summary  3:7-8

1. Man displays an amazing and often ingenious ability to dominate and subdue the animal world and yet under his own power is unable to tame his own tongue.

 

2. It is also a part of the POG for man to be subdued - domesticated - that is, to live under His authority.

 

3. Man has no inherent ability to control his tongue which as James notes is a major source of evil.

 

4. The only sure control of the tongue comes from the exercise of wisdom one acquires from BD - from above.  [see this coming up in vs:13ff]

 

5. Just as animals are trained by a higher being, so man must also be aided by a higher being, God,  if he is to rise above the natural  trends & influences of the sin nature.

 

6. We must recognize that there are many situations - conditions of life that that we'll never control without God's assistance.

 

7. God has the inherent power and resources to help anyone with any problem. 

 

8. James pictures here the tongue that is restless, unstable, unreliable and constantly prone to break out in vicious speech.

 

9. Its impact on those around you is like a deadly poison. (destructive to others)

Ps 140:3; Rom 3:13

 

10. By itself the tongue is only able to produce dead works.

 

11. The cure for S/O/T is:

a. to have God's viewpoint - His wisdom and to use it; God's way of aiding us.

b. If one sin's against you - object of S/O/T - what to do?

    Mt 18:15-17 gives some guidelines

 

12. There is great blessing for the one who utilizes the grace resources and controls the tongue.   Ps 34:12-13 

 

3:9-10  Here we see the fickleness and instability of the tongue

With it  (the tongue as the instrument of speech) we bless our Lord and Father 

 

Now the Contrast

and with it we curse men 

 

- even as bel's we can still be guilty of this inconsistency  giving praise one minute and cursing someone the next.

 

who have been made in the likeness of God.

 

3:10    from the same mouth  come both blessing and cursing  my brethren 

 

these things ought not to be. 

 

Summary  3:9-10

1. James again includes himself in the misuse of the tongue in view here referred to as cursing.

 

2. Therefore even believers are guilty of duplicity and the verbal sin of cursing others.

 

3. To both bless and curse indicates the inconsistency of the tongue and shows its Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde nature.

 

4. To bless God means to give praise to Him for who His is and what He has done for us.

 

5. Cursing an individual means to articulate a MAS of hate.

 

6. This sin nature's activity is seen by James to be all the more repugnant since man is created in the image of God.  Gen 1:26-27

 

7. Sin has marred the likeness but it is still present.

 

8. The likeness of God refers to the soul and its essence not the body.

 

9.  Man like God possesses invisible, immaterial but very real attributes.

 

10. Man possesses the ability for thinking/reason, the capacity to appreciate things (emotion) and volition (self-determination) all of which is patterned after God's essence.

 

11. Therefore to curse a man is in effect an attack on God whose likeness man still bears.

 

12. Instead we should express respect and goodwill towards those who irate and may even harm us.  - overcome evil with good DGP Rom 12:21

 

13. This type of verbal sinning detracts from our praise of God.

 

14. It is obviously okay to deplore and reject  the evil of men but to curse them is  a sin.    Jude 22-23

3:11-12  The consistency of nature speaks against the inconsistency of man under the sin nature's rulership.

 

James goes once again to nature to illustrate the points he wants to make.

3:11  Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?

 

3:12  Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Neither can salt water produce fresh.

 

 

1. Nature is a reflection of the Creator. Totally faithful - consistent with the characteristics each were given. He designed the laws under which they all function.

 

2. Each will produce in harmony with it's own nature (phusis). 

 

3. Royal law demands consistency - that's God's desire for the Believer.

 

4.  Just as the fig tree cannot genetically produce olives it is impossible for the believer under the rulership of his sin nature to produce anything but -R, human r, human good.