Fireproofing Your Speech

One way speech therapists help people who are lisping is to engage them in an exercise that prevents their tongues from touching their teeth or the roof of their mouths. Does this sound easy? Then try swallowing without allowing your tongue to touch either your teeth or the roof of your mouth. It’s almost impossible!

Yet, the difficulty in controlling the tongue’s movement goes far beyond a mere speech exercise and extends to our every word.

It is the Greek sage Publius who said, “I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.” Years ago, before the rise of Jimmy Fallon or Jay Leno, I read an interview with former talk show host Johnny Carson, where he was asked about any regrets he had concerning his career. He responded, “I suppose one regret I have is some of the things I have said on the air. I hadn’t planned to say them, they just slipped out. I would give anything if I could retrieve some of those words.”

James echoes this difficulty of controlling our speech when he writes, “But no one can tame the tongue; full of deadly poison” (James 3:8, 1:26). Yet James also says one test of the authenticity of our faith….is the ability to control the tongue. As James continues to develop the theme that “genuine faith produces authentic works,” he addresses the subject of our speech. He asserts, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless” (James 1:26). 

Thus, in the following passage in chapter three, James once again invites us to “look into the mirror” at our conduct and determine if the image we see is consistent with our professed faith. One evidence of genuine faith is the ability to control our speech. 

We are going to discover why and how we can fireproof our speech by looking at James 3, beginning with verse one. I might note that this passage is the longest passage anywhere in the Bible about controlling our speech.   

1. The Warning To Teachers (James 3:1-2)

It’s foolish to think you can speak on God’s behalf and not place yourself under His judgment.   Jesus made the same point: “I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36–37).

But why are teachers under this stricter judgment? Generally, those with greater responsibility have greater accountability. Specifically, I can think of three reasons.

First, teachers are responsible for speaking the truth. When I get up on Sunday mornings, I don’t preach my opinions—or I better not preach my opinions. My calling is to preach the Word of God—and only the Word of God.

Second, teachers are responsible for the lives of others. I can’t apply the truth of God’s Word to your lives; you have to do that yourself. But because I hold a position of trust, if I don’t handle the Word of God accurately, I might lead you into error that could cause you to drift away from Christ.

Third, teachers are responsible for living the truth. Having presumed to speak for God, I better be living for God. He doesn’t suffer fools who say one thing and do another. That’s hypocrisy.

2. The Power of the Tongue (James 3:3-7)

After stating the goal for a true believer—controlling one’s speech—James illustrates the difficulty of doing so. First, James demonstrates the power of the tongue in relation to its size with two examples. 

A small piece of metal in a horse’s mouth can control the entire direction of that large and powerful animal weighing 1,200 pounds. A large ship is not so much directed by the winds as they are by a relatively small piece of metal known as the rudder. 

And so it is with the tongue. As someone described, that two-ounce, four-inch mass of mucus membrane can control the destiny of not only our lives but countless others.

And that’s what James explains in verses 5-6: the power of the tongue in relationship to the damage it can cause.

• In Relationship to Its Effects (James 3:5-6)

Thus, James says that the tongue is powerful not only in relation to its size, but also in its effects.

The Ranch Fire in California in 2018 destroyed over 400,000 acres. It was caused by a single spark as a man drove a steel spike into the ground with a hammer.

Just as one careless spark can ravage hundreds of thousands of acres of a forest, so one word can destroy the reputation of an individual, the unity in a marriage, or the spirit of an entire congregation.

3. The Secret Behind the Tongue (James 3:8-12)

But James quickly reminds us that the basic problem is not the tongue, it is the heart. The tongue simply is a mouthpiece for what is in the soul of a man. Just as a bucket is lowered into the depths of a well to deliver its contents, so the tongue brings forth the innermost thoughts of the heart. 

That is why it is impossible to control our speech, at least with our own effort. Our speech only reveals what is in our hearts. We must change our hearts before we change our speech.

4. The Application of the Message

I believe that such an exposition demands some new commitments from us regarding our speech. From this lesson, I want to suggest four principles for our lives:

1. “I Am Responsible For The Words I Speak” (Matthew 12:36-37)
2. “My Speech Is a Daily Reminder of the Need to Purify My Heart” (James 4:8)
3. “I Will Refuse to Criticize Another Person Until I’ve Confronted Him Privately” (James 4:11-12)
4. “I Will Ask Forgiveness from Those I’ve Offended with My Speech” (Matthew 5:23-24)

The pattern for our speech should be that of the Apostle Paul: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). 

• Is it true….
• Is it necessary…
• Is it loving…
• It is building up or tearing down the unity of the church.  

Full Passage: James 3:1-12