Taught by Grace

If I asked you to give me a list of Biblical commands, I imagine that you could come up with a pretty long and thorough list. However, I doubt the command that we are looking at in this week’s episode would make it onto your list. Did you know that there is a specific command about how believers are to talk about other believers?

James 4:11-12 ushers this command to us. It is very clear - don't speak evil about each other. What does all of that mean? Why are we commanded to do that? What are we to do instead? Join me as we continue studying this wonderful book of James.

After a brief stop in the book of Jude last week, we return to our study through the book of James. This time, we finish up the section on spiritual adultery in James 4:1-10. James clearly showed in verses 1-6 that our sin breaks our communion with God, now, he shows us what the answer is. He shows us that path back to God from sin. It's not a path of glory, but it is necessary and in the end, God promises to lift us up!

This week, we dive into the first half of James' fierce attack on the worldliness within this congregation of believers in James 4:1-10. He is like a spiritual surgeon, directing and diagnosing the reason for the wars and fighting among these believers. That was merely the surface problem. There was something far deeper - idolatry. They had become spiritual adulterers. 

As we look at this text in this week's episode, you will see just how serious this sin is. It isn't to be explained or defended. Rather, it is to be seen and repented of. This is serious business and we must be keenly aware of it as well! 

Thomas Watson penned this most pointed quote on the necessity of guarding our speech:

“God has set a double fence before the tongue, the teeth, and the lips, to teach us to be wary that we offend not with our tongue.”

Now, why is that the case?

Why did our tongues need to be put under maximum security?

Why did our tongues get placed behind the lip and teeth gates, as Watson called it?

This week, we continue our study through the book of James and come to the second half of James’ extensive section on the tongue. We will see in today's episode that the tongue is capable of incredible danger and must be set on constant guard for God's glory. 

Our little tongue is like the bridle that controls a horse, the rudder that directs a ship, and the spark that starts a fire. It is very small, but it can do untold damage. 

A little gossip here turns into a wildfire of division and strife.

A little comment towards a person becomes a lifetime of resentment and bitterness.

A little flirtatious remark turns into a sinful relationship and a ruined marriage.

Churches are split, marriages are ruined, relationships are destroyed, and people are hurt because of this little tongue. Our little tongues make a great impact and we must be aware of it. It may be small, but it can do incredible damage.

But we don’t realize just how big our little tongue is. We think it’s just a little cursing, gossip, or slander. We think it’s just a little crude comment here or innuendo there. Our tongue may be little, but our speech's impact is not.

James 3:1-12 can be summarized in a phrase from a children’s song, “Oh, be careful little tongue what you say.” This is true of our speech in general as we’ll see in next week’s episode, but it is also especially true for those who stand and teach or preach to the people of God, which is where James begins this comprehensive section on the tongue.

This section on the tongue begins with a specific and solemn warning towards those who speak in the church. Before James addresses the nefarious nature of the tongue in general, he directs the reader's attention to the unique challenge of the tongue for those who are teachers. The Holy Spirit inspired James to begin this passage on the tongue by issuing a solemn warning to those who are known for speaking among believers.

What kind of faith do you have? James 2:14-26 teaches that true faith should move us to action. 

At the heart of James' argument is a call for believers to have faith in action. If they don't, it's as worthless as telling a starving, freezing person "God bless you!" instead of buying them a meal and a coat. He argues again and again that faith without works is dead. It belongs in the morgue rather than in the sanctuary. To combat this false ideology that it is possible to have true faith and that faith does not move you to action (2:14), James deals with this through logical conclusions and Old Testament examples. This passage doesn't teach that works save us, but that our works reveal that we believe what we say we believe - as the examples of Abraham and Rahab show.