Disciplining the Tongue

Disciplining the Tongue
Jam 3:2-10 ESV
"2] For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. [3] If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. [4] Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. [5] So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! [6] And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. [7] For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, [8] but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. [9] With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. [10] From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

Proverbs 12.18 ESV
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Ephesians 4.29 ESV
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Why is it God tells us to avoid gossip, backbiting, and ill words? The Biblical defintiion is that words can be used as weapons. All throughout Scripture the tongue is referenced as a weapon or means of violence. James says it is "a fire, a world of unrighteousness." Proverbs says "rash words are like sword thrusts." Psalm 52.2 says Man's tongue "plots destruction, like a sharp razor." Why such violent imagery for the tongue? The Bible has so much to say on the tongue because it is such an effective means of violence. The tongue has turned nation against nation, brother against brother, even torn churches apart. It sows distrust among us, so that we are uncertain what other's true motivations are. The tongue is often an instrument of directed hostility. As James says, "[m]y brothers, these things ought not to be so."

Christians must devote their lives to disciplining the tongue. Just as a bodybuilder must sculpt every part of his body to perfection with no points weaker or less defined than any other, so the Christian must tame the tongue. We must start by recognizing the Biblical basis for the tongue's use. Ephesians 4.29 sums it up nicely: "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." The crucial aspect of this verse is that it outlines the major purpose of the tongue: to uplift, build others, and heal. It also outlines the sinful use of the tongue: to corrupt, destroy, and murder. We as Christians must undergo a transformation from the later to the former. We must, as builders of a spiritual body, work on what is likely a weak point for all of us: the tongue.

We must, then, focus on how to make the tongue an instrument of healing. This is actually a rather simple effective, and someone simple exercise. The most crucial point, however, is that the mindset must be changed. The secret to taming the tongue is shifting our mindset to be like Christ's: to heal through love, compassion, discipline, and correction. The tongue must lose its sharpened edge and grow hands to outreach to the hurting. It must learn to seek the best in others, not pick out their weaknesses. We must learn that we are not at war with one another. We must take moments of frustration and reroute them to opportunities of healing. Therefore, every thought must change. When we do this, our tongues will change with it. The tongue is merely a muscle controlled by the heart and mind. Whatever these two think, the tongue does. Matthew 5.21-26 explains to us that murder begins in the heart. There is an old saying in computer science: garbage in/garbage out. The quality of the data you type into a terminal will likely effect the quality of the response you get out. At a company I used to work for, I often managed database records keyed by customers. The records with poor data entry often had incorrect calculations. The same is true with the tongue. The quality of your heart will affect the quality of your speech. The heart must be filled with love before the tongue speaks words of healing.

When you go through your day tomorrow, remember the holy purpose our Father has given us for the tongue. Perhaps you need a fundamental mindshift in your tongue. If so, the only place you can turn to is the Lord. Allow Him to adjust your attitude. Think of how much the world would see Jesus, how many could be saved, if only the world would see Christian tongues healing instead of hurting. Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich