The Awesome Power of Words
James 3:3-5a
At the beginning of James chapter 3, we were warned about the responsibilities and perils of being a teacher in the church. We considered this last Sunday. That quickly moves to a frank discussion of our words in the next ten verses. Words are a quick and clarion witness to what we really have in our heart. In Proverbs 18:21 we read:
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who live it will eat its fruit.
This counsel in Proverbs tells us that our words have the power to bring healing (or life) as well as the power to bring death to the spirit of those to whom we speak. Then he says, “And those who live it will eat its fruit”, which seems to teach that if we speak in healing ways to others that kind of healing will promote healing in our own life; but when we speak in cursing, condemning language, that kind of death will likewise be our portion in return. We will all “eat our words” in one way or another.
In his book Modern Times, Paul Johnson has demonstrated that the killing fields of Cambodia began with just words being tossed around in a Parisian coffee shop. Words are like dynamite. Combining them in careless ways can have devastating effects; but putting words together carefully and lovingly can rearrange a life. James is preaching this same message to Jewish Christians scattered abroad so they will realize the power (for good or ill) of what they say.
This morning, we’re going to consider James 3:3-5a. This is where James tells believers how their tongue has the power to turn things for better or worse, depending on how those words are used. James 3:3-5a. In honor of God and His Word, let’s stand for the reading of these verses.
“3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.” [NKJV]
[Prayer] In these three verses, we are reminded that the tongue has tremendous power even though it’s so small. The power is not physical, but influential. The good news is that the tongue with all of its speed and power, can be bridled and controlled when God masters your life. Not only are we as Christians capable of controlling their words, we must control them. Look at the first point…
I. Believers have the power to control their words and are required to do so (3-4)
In this passage, the “tongue” is apparently being used as a metonymy of speech or words. A metonymy is using a concrete word or image to represent an abstract figure of speech. When reporters talk about what the “White House says…” they mean the president’s administration says. So “White House” is a metonymy for the president’s administration. For James, the tongue is a metonymy for speech in general. James uses two illustrations to make one point about the words we say. First he refers to a horse with a bit in its mouth. The reason a bit is used, James says, is that the horse may obey us, and we turn its whole body. So James first uses the illustration of a horse to show how something big, and fast, and powerful must be controlled and turned by a very small device (a bit) to be of any use for productivity.
Obedience is the reason a bit is placed in the horse’s mouth, right over the tongue (which is a perfect analogy to make James’ point). When this bit is attached to a bridle, the rider can control the horse by turning it wherever he chooses. A farmer never asks a horse which direction the horse wants to go; the horse isn’t consulted about whether it wants to turn left or right to plow down another row; that’s in the power of the one who holds the reins. So the bit is the physical means of enforcing obedience and controlling direction.
Now what would happen if there was no way of controlling a horse or enforcing its obedience? Without obedience, a farmer wouldn’t be able to turn or subdue the horse in a purposeful direction to make it useful. So in the case of the horse, if his tongue is controlled, then the head is controlled. If the head is controlled, then the whole body of the horse can be guided and turned in any direction. So it is with us.
When it comes to your tongue, your words, James is teaching that control of your tongue is not only a barometer of spiritual maturity… it’s also the way to attain that maturity. Under the Holy Spirit’s control, you have been given the responsibility to control your tongue. We must control our words as members of the Body of Christ! You cannot be a Christian and have no control over your tongue! Since we all stumble in many things in terms of our speech, we must therefore be all the more diligent to bridle our tongue.
This is another excellent test for our faith. God has given you as a Christian the power to control the words that come out of your mouth – because those words not only reveal where you are in the sanctification process, they also have the power to turn your whole life in a new direction. So your words can point to where you’re going in the Christian life. It is the Holy Spirit who holds the reins. And when we refuse to yield to the Spirit and willingly sin in our speech, we evidence immaturity and a lack of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives… one of which is “self-control”.
Now look at verse four. He goes from horses to ships to make the same point. “Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.” Both the bit and bridle of the horse and the rudder of the ship serve the same purpose: they are both small parts that guide and control large objects. The tongue is a very small part of the body, but it exerts so much control and influence.
James tells Christians to look at ships after you’ve looked at horses. Can you see the horse in your mind? Can you also picture a big ship on the ocean? He says the ship is so large and is driven by fierce winds. In other words, the size of the ship is not a challenge to the little rudder; the rudder prevails over the large ship in determining its direction. Nor are the fierce winds that attempt to drive the ship off its course… the rudder overrules even these.
The point is that your tongue can control huge events and guide circumstances aright. Your circumstances in life do not have to overpower your tongue! For instance, when someone cuts you off in traffic, you aren’t at the mercy of other drivers to determine your speech. As Christians, you and I can’t let other people or circumstances dictate the language we use! We learn by forming habits of speech. You aren’t required to swear or curse. And even when fierce winds, like seething rage in a relationship, beat hard against your life… you can be just like that mighty ship with a steady rudder, maintaining absolute control over your speech. Not only that, but your words can actually guide those circumstances back in a favorable direction and can even calm those fierce winds back to a whisper. It takes practice to form new habits of speech, but they must be learned to grow as a Christian.
Proverbs 15:1 – “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Do you need something to turn away wrath? Try using a soft answer – soft in tone, soft in wording. You know how when a golfer gets into a tight spot, he needs to carefully select a certain club and hold it a certain way to put the ball right where he wants it to go. Choose your words the way a professional golfer chooses just the right club to make the shot. On the other hand, if you want to stir up anger (and some people actually do), then use a harsh word to make your shot. Wisdom says keep your cool in a heated conversation. Your little tongue has control like a bit and bridle: able to subdue a strong situation with just a small movement. Your tongue is like a little rudder: able to turn a huge situation away from fierce winds.
James is telling us to use our tongue, our words, to turn circumstances wherever our Pilot desires. Believers have the power to control their words and are required to do so. Second,
II. Words have great power to influence for good or for evil (5a)
Look at the first part of verse 5, which completes the thought of verses 3-4. “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.”
He tells us plainly that the illustration of the horse and the illustration of the ship are both a picture of the great power of our words. Your tongue is a relatively small muscle in your mouth. Likewise, the bit is a small device that influences a powerful horse and a rudder is a small device that influences a big and powerful boat. The tongue is like a master control for the whole body.
James doesn’t specify the “great things” boasted by the tongue. But we can easily find examples from our own personal experience of how effortless it is to sin with our speech. Within our fallen nature, we have a natural inclination to boast, we like to posture ourselves in the best possible light with our words; we tend to be somewhat self-centered, with an exalted self-image. But when we boast with our words or when we spread rumors and gossip, we leave a wake of destruction (as we’ll see even more next week when we get into the rest of verse 5: “See how great a forest a little fire kindles!”).
As was true of the words in the coffee-shop in Paris that led to the killing fields of Cambodia, so it is with strong words in the church and home. The tongue can tear others down, it can ruin marriages, it can destroy churches, it can defame a good reputation, and it can even lead to murder and war. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who live it will eat its fruit” (Prov. 18:21). I want you to think about the powerful influence of your words.
Once there was a beautiful young woman who was now grown and weeping in the office of a Christian counselor. All of her life, her mother had told her she was awkward and ugly and didn’t have what it takes to make it in the world. Even though she was now a successful writer for a major periodical and very attractive, her mother’s critical words had painted a grossly distorted picture on the canvas of her mind. That’s how she saw herself. She believed everyone saw her exactly as her mother did. Those negative words had framed her reality even though they were patently false and from the very pit of hell. Words have great power to influence for good or for evil. That’s an example of words that bring bondage and distortion into a person’s life.
Then there’s the story of Benjamin West. He was born in 1738 and died in 1820. He was known as the Father of American painting. Were it not for his influence, a young artist named Gilbert Stuart might never have painted for George and Martha Washington whose famous works now adorn the White House. But West’s paintings even rivaled the great artists of Europe where he eventually moved to advance his career as an artist. But if you were to ask Benjamin West who was the greatest influence in his life as an artist, he would tell you it wasn’t another painter. It was his own mother.
When he was a young boy he decided to paint a picture of his sister while his mother was out running errands. He got out the bottles of ink and began, but soon he had an awful mess. Black ink covered his hands, his face, and the floor. His mother eventually returned and of course saw the mess. But instead of scolding him, West remembers that she picked up the portrait and said, “What a beautiful picture of your sister.” Then she kissed him. Later in life Benjamin West said, “With that kiss I became a painter.”
Sometimes in life, it’s too easy to see the mess and miss the moment. James reminds us that even though the tongue is very small, it boasts great things and it has great power. The tongue can build up as well as destroy.
Here’s the counsel of James for all believers: You have the power to control your words and you’re required to do so (3-4); and your words have the power to influence for good or for evil (5a).
Let’s pray…
(c) Charles Kevin Grant
February 15, 2006