Sinning with our tongue is so easy to do, it comes so naturally to us, that James says that in a very real sense, if we can control THAT member, we can control every other member. Because the tongue is the most difficult member of the body to tame or control, the man who has learned to bridle it is a "telios" man, James says----a complete, mature man. Some of the ways we can sin with our tongues include speaking harshly or rashly, without sufficient forethought, expressing anger or hatred or irritation, by lying or sarcasm, by using false flattery, by making vows or promises that we don't intend to keep, speaking uncharitably of others, gossip, talebearing, slander, bearing false witness, backbiting, blaspheming, using foul language, scoffing, reviling, murmuring, complaining, mocking, boasting, impure jesting, using crude humor, etc.
Although James says "no man can tame the tongue, THE GOD-MAN, Jesus Christ, can do it. |
