|
The Tongue
“The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body … .the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:6, 8).
The hand and the foot can become instruments for carrying out the will of the flesh; but no member of the body so readily expresses our will, exposes our weakness and reveals the true state of our heart as the tongue. It is easily inflamed by malice in the heart, and inflames others, doing endless mischief by one idle or malicious word. James describes it as a fire which not only kindles trouble but keeps the trouble going. It is capable of instigating every form of unrighteousness, thus becoming a world of iniquity. By its evil suggestions it can lead to every member of the body being defiled and stir into activity the whole course of fallen nature. The tongue is untameable by nature. Every kind of creature has been tamed by mankind, but no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Not only does it defile the body, but it can poison the mind. How easy it is by a thoughtless or an unkind word to poison the mind of one believer against another!
|
