James 3:7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
In verse 7 God tells us that man has been very successful in harnessing the power of every kind of beast. Not every person is good at training beasts, etc. but there are people who do know how to train them and use them for their benefit.
In verse 8 God pointed to the tongue of man. Even though the tongue is a little member of the human body, yet man cannot tame it. Man can tame an elephant, a horse, an ox, etc. but man cannot tame the tongue. The tongue of man is attached to the heart of man. God stated that the tongue is full of deadly poison. The tongue of man is not an independent organ of man. It is controlled by the heart of man. A person must be saved, but also yielded to God on a moment by moment basis after being saved. The “old man” is still ready to cause interference if a true Christian is in the flesh.
God does not make it difficult to live the Christian life. He reminds us of the importance of growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we spend time in God’s Word and in prayer and in faithful attendance in a true local church, we will grow and we will have the opportunity to become more Christlike. The freewill of man is always there. The saved person has the power to yield his will to God.
In verse 9 we see that we can bless God with our tongue, even the Father. God is the Father of all those who are saved. That same tongue is also used to curse men, which are made after the similitude of God. God tells us there must be a consistency in our use of our tongue. How can we sing good, godly hymns and then curse men, who were made by God after the image of God.
In verse 10 we see that the same mouth blesses and curses. I know people who claim to be saved, but they sure know how to curse. They do not like to be confronted regarding their actions, but they cannot take the Bible and support what they do. God says the saved person cannot curse and bless.
Notice that James is addressing “brethren”. God is showing us that brethren can be guilty of this sin. God does not say it is acceptable. He says these things ought not so to be. I grew up in a house where I never heard my parents swear. I never swore either as a young child. However, there were times I would say something my parents said I should not say and sometimes they would make me wash my mouth out with soap. Sometimes they would spank me. In today’s world, neither of those would be acceptable responses. As a child I learned that there were certain things that should never come out of a human being’s mouth. As a young adult, I defied my parents and I learned to have a foul mouth. I am thankful that God did not take my life during those years of wicked rebellion. When I turned to Him for salvation, I understood that my language would need to change drastically. God took that foul mouth away from me. When I was saved, I was saved by the precious, sinless blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have been guilty of saying things I should not have said. I am ashamed of that. I cannot justify that. I often think of Psalm 19:14:
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
God is the Christian’s standard. We do not judge ourselves according to the culture of our time. We turn to the holy God and He tells us what is blessed language and what is cursing.
In verse 11 we have an important question we need to answer. It is hard to find a water fountain these days. There is so much concern over contamination. But a fountain cannot give out both sweet water and bitter water. It will be one or the other. God told Moses to strike the rock and He would give them water to drink. Moses struck that rock and the water was good tasting water that was a blessing to man and animals. Later God told Moses to speak to the rock and He would give them water. Moses was angry with the people and he expressed that anger toward them. Then he struck that rock and the water came out. The water was still a blessing for man and animal, but Moses could not enter the promised land because he defied the living God. The rock was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the living water. Those who receive Him will be blessed. He is a blessing.
We can learn something from God’s illustration here. We can learn that sending a child to his room when he is angry will not fix the problem. That child may go to his room and curse and scream. The parent may think he needs to get it out of his system and then he will be fine. Moses spoke angrily to the people and he still struck the rock in defiance of God’s clear command. Sin must be addressed. Moses needed to humble himself and confess his anger, but he did not. Later he pleaded with God to let him enter the promised land. God said no and God told him not to mention it again. God forgave him, but there were still consequences for the sin.
In verse 12 God spoke about the trees. A fig tree does not bear berries. Again, God is addressing brethren. Saved people need to stop and think. A vine will not give figs. God designed plants to produce certain fruit. God gave James these words. He knows what He is talking about.
No fountain can give salt water and fresh water. It cannot happen. God said that. He knows. By the same token, a saved person cannot spew out vile language and godly language. God is not saying this does not happen. He is saying this should not happen and when it does it must be dealt with.
When that happens it must be acknowledged as sin and it must be confessed as sin and forsaken. If you are saved it must be so. If you insist on your foul mouth, you are proving who you truly are. You are not God’s child.
Today is the Lord’s day. It is another day to go to a good, Bible-believing church and be blessed by hearing the preaching of God’s Word. Be sure to be a part of a good church. Don’t accept the devil’s attacks against the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is still building His church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. That is the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who are you going to believe, your finite mind or God’s sure Word? God is not telling us to compromise His truth in order to be in church. He expects us to ask Him to guide us into a good church that will be ordained of Him. In that place God’s children will be blessed. Lost people will hear the truth and be convicted of their sin. Some of them will get saved at some point. The pastor will be a true, humble servant of God who desires to glorify God with his preaching and also when he is not preaching.
Pastor Bartel
