(Further reflections on “The Untamable”—Sunday 21-Aug-2022)
What would be the responses of those who heard the apostle James’ (3:11-12) questions, “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs?” “No, no, no, it’s impossible!” And it’s impossible that “a salt pond yields fresh water” are likely the shoutout responses from the audience. Then they were faced with the reality. How come the tongue can do such a thing, “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.” If it is impossible that it ever happens in God’s creation, then it should also supposedly be impossible that it ever happens in God’s people, “My brothers (and sisters), these things ought not to be so (James 3:9-10).”
We know that the ‘untamable beast’—the tongue, needs to be tamed. But we might not fully be aware of is that it cannot be tamed by human strength, because it is also capable of being used for good as well as for evil. However, since the Fall (Genesis 3) as a result of being born with having “the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil,” fallen humanity is inclined to choose evil more often than good. But even human righteousness is like a ‘filthy rag’ (cf. Isiah 64:6). This therefore, there is only one person who was able to tame the tongue. He is no other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who does not only make salvation available to those who believe and follow Him, but also enables them to tame ‘the untamable’ by giving its freedom to choose between either letting the tongue run its natural’ course- the sinful nature, staining the whole body and putting the entire course of life on fire by hell (cf. James 3:5-6) or planting God’s word into the heart/mind to bridle the tongue (‘putting away all filthiness and rampant wickedness’) and the whole body, saving the soul (cf. James 1:19-21). It is like bits that needs to put into the mouth of horses to make them obey. It is like a rudder that needs to be put into a boat to direct its course as the pilot wishes.
Now how do I know if our tongue is being tamed? You have asked the right question. Thus, a right answer will be revealed in James 3:13-18 on Sunday 28-Aug-2022. —
Pastor Lap
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