The Tongue: What Does the Bible Say?

Does the Bible Have Anything to Say About the Tongue?

Since God created people, they have a voice. Amazingly, the tongue, a very tiny organ, is crucial for producing the sounds that make up language. Without this little, often-overlooked component of our anatomy, we would be unable to communicate with one another.

Despite its potential for good, the Bible describes the tongue as a “restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). Singing God’s praises, edifying one another, and speaking the truth are all ways we might utilize our voices.

Unfortunately, we often abuse this privilege by spewing venom at God and others, spreading malicious rumors, and proclaiming falsehoods as gospel. Taking a biblical perspective, we may say that the tongue is a contradiction since it is the source of enormous power in communication but also presents itself as an instrument of sin.

The Importance of Language and Its Role in Scripture

The ability to communicate verbally is a uniquely human trait. Until the period of the Tower of Babel, it’s probable that everyone on Earth spoke in the same language (Genesis 11:1-9). In that era, humanity ignored God’s instruction to populate the globe (Genesis 9:1).

By mucking up their language, He encouraged them to disperse and populate the globe (Genesis 11:7-9). As a result, today’s languages vary widely in terms of variety while sharing many core concepts.

On the day of Pentecost, “tongues of fire” settled upon each of the disciples, marking a reversal of Babel (Acts 2:3).

The Holy Spirit gave the apostles the gift of language, or “tongues,” so that they could communicate with the many people who had traveled from all over the globe to be there that day (Acts 2:5-12).

Although many people have the false belief that the spiritual gift of speaking in other languages has stopped, we may still use language to share ideas, express ourselves, and give thanks to the Lord.

What Your Tongue Can Do

James writes at length on the tongue in his letter. With the tongue we glorify our Lord and Father,” he wrote in one section of his message (James 3:9). Humans use words to praise God throughout the Bible.

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For instance, David wrote hymns of worship to God using his musical talents (Psalms 18 and 40). People “from every country, tribe, people, and language” adore the Lamb in Revelation, the last book of the Bible (Revelation 7:9, BSB).

Besides praising God with words, individuals often utilize their voices to convert others to Christianity. It was Jesus’ command to His disciples to “go and make disciples of all countries” (Matthew 28:18-20).

The disciples are seen to have preached the gospel and taught others how to follow the Way in the Book of Acts (Acts 2:22-39; 13:15-41). Christ even used Paul, a former persecutor, to spread the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, and even to authorities and monarchs (Acts 9:15).

At long last, our own spoken words may have a positive effect. To the congregation in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul spoke these words of exhortation:

Please refrain from using any profane or abusive words. Let the words that come out of your mouth be beneficial and encouraging to those who hear them (Ephesians 4:29, NLT).

Our words, when used correctly, have the power to heal and inspire.

A Cataclysm of Evil

The power of our words to exalt God, shout His praises, proclaim the gospel of grace, and uplift others around us is great.

Aside from this, however, the Bible calls the tongue “a world of wickedness among the parts of the body.” It rots from the inside out, puts one’s whole existence on fire, and is consumed by hell (James 3:6). Like a little spark may set off a forest fire, so one’s tongue can lead one astray.

Regrettably, the same lips that glorify God also tear people down and condemn them (James 3:9-10). In our fallen state, we tend to use our God-given ability to communicate to bad use.

To glorify God and curse others with the same tongue is hypocritical, as the Apostle James clearly points out. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! he wrote vehemently. This is what the Bible says (James 3:10 NLT).

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A tongue that can both bless and curse in the same breath, he says, is like a river that produces both fresh and salt water, or a fig tree that bears olives, or a grapevine that produces figs (James 3:11-12).

A Christian who uses the same words to condemn their fellow people and to laud God is in an abnormal condition, since such behavior does not exist in nature.

Nature’s Wilder Side

The tongue is not just “a realm of wickedness,” but also uncontrollable. Although humans have successfully domesticated a wide variety of animals, both great and little, the tongue remains stubbornly resistant to taming (James 3:7).

No human being can tame the tongue; it is the one thing in creation that cannot be controlled. Despite its name, this evil never sleeps, and it is brimming with lethal toxins (James 3:8). This may seem like an outrageous claim at first, but after giving it some thought, the vast majority of us can see that it is in fact true.

The tongue is quite tiny, yet it has the potential to do great harm. Words have the power to wound deeply and long after they are said. When we communicate carelessly to one another, we have the potential to inflict others damage.

We can speak life or death into people’s lives, and the choices we make will have an impact on their lives. The repercussions of one’s propensity to speak freely are laid forth in Proverbs 18:21: “The mouth may bring death or life” (NLT).

Reckless speech not only hurts the people around us, but also has negative effects on our own well-being. There is no such thing as a “idle” or “careless” slip of the tongue, Jesus says; we shall render an account for them all (Matthew 12:36-37).

Words Worth Protecting

Believers cannot hope to entirely “tame” their tongues because of our shared battle with our speech brought on by our sinful nature. We are not, however, completely on our own, for the Lord has not abandoned us.

To begin, the Holy Spirit dwells in each and every believer. He can teach us to think before we speak and to react to others with restraint (Galatians 5:22).

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In addition, the psalmist’s prayer and request, recorded in Scripture, are: “Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the entrance of my lips” (Psalm 141:3). The psalmist’s prayer might serve as inspiration for us as we try to control what we say.

Finally, Christians should keep in mind that controlling our speech requires us to likewise control our emotions. Jesus made a direct link between a person’s words and their inner state, saying, “For the mouth expresses what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45). As sin increases uncontrolled in our souls, it also increases in our words.

James addresses both the contradiction of the tongue and the desire to grow in godly understanding in the same chapter.

“The wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure; next peace-loving and compassionate and obedient and full of mercy and good fruit and impartial and genuine,” as opposed to the wisdom of this world (James 3:17).

Godly knowledge enables us to live and talk in a manner that brings glory to the Lord, and we may gain this wisdom by spending time with God on a regular basis by reading His Word and praying.

I don’t see the point, so why bother explaining it?

As with other things in life, talking to one another is routine. To communicate with one another and to utilize their voices in worship of God, which He created in them, is a gift from God.

Sin’s corrosive influence on language mirrors its pervasive toll on all aspects of existence. More often than not, people mean to hurt others when they speak.

Despite its little size, the human tongue has been shown to do significant harm on several occasions. It’s easy to feel alone in the fight against evil, especially when we consider the wicked power of our own words.

Having the Lord’s assistance, we can keep our mouths shut and put our words to good use.

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