James Chapter Three, Blessing God and Cursing Men

 

James 3:7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. [8] But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

 

Contrasting and comparing, James seems to remind his audience about the creation of mankind, and what God said regarding us. “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the ground. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them,” Genesis 1:26, 27.

This particular injunction has been called the Dominion Mandate before, and according to the apostle it has largely been obeyed, willingly or unwittingly. Mankind was created and gifted the mantle of stewardship over the earth and all that dwells on it. Externally speaking, mankind exerts his will, strength and intellect to achieve dominion over the myriad animal species that people our planet. Internally, however, we are made privy to a different story. The tongue, a euphemism for our words, is apparently beyond the scope of our ability to bring to heel. The tongue is an “unruly” evil, which Oxford defines as “disorderly and disruptive. Perhaps that is why in verse 6 James says that it (the tongue; our words) is set on fire by Hell. Our God is a God of peace and order, 1 Corinthians 14:33, 40. Our words frequently disrupt order and sew discord. As Christians we are commanded to “speak the truth in love,” Ephesians 4:15: an inseparable duo since God’s character embodies both traits.

 

James 3:9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. [10] Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

 

The blatant hypocrisy comes to a head. We go to church, sit in our pew, and sing psalms. We hear the resident pastor preach, and go home. We’re driving home and someone cuts us off, and we swear at them under our breath. We talk badly about those who have wronged us. We complain about neighbors, spouses, children, co-workers, et al. Maybe we’ve missed a vital point.

 

Going back to the time when God, through Moses, led the people out of Egypt, He gave them commandments to follow. One of which is this: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness (similitude) of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth,” Exodus 20:4. Why? God already placed His image on the earth during the creation week, Genesis 1:26-27. Humanity, the triune being of body, soul and spirit, is made in God’s likeness, 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Humans are spirits clothed in bodies, whose purpose in creation was to serve God and enjoy His fellowship. Solomon astutely inquired: “Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?” Ecclesiastes 3:21. What becomes of that spirit? “Then the dust (of which our bodies are composed) will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it,” Ecclesiastes 12:7. Mankind, made in God’s image, has his fate inexorably linked to his Maker. When we see our fellow man do we look at them as a soul for whom Christ died? If the gospel is universally applicable in every age and culture, why do we as God’s sons and daughters not speak with the grace of our adoptive Father? Why this doublespeak? We curse people because it’s easy and it satisfies the sin nature which is still in us, always creating conflict, Romans 7:21, 23, 1 John 1:8.

 

James 3:11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? [12] Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt and fresh water.

 

If we as Christians are a field cultivated by our God to bear fruit, then as mentioned earlier, our fruit will identify our nature. Paul, when addressing the Corinthian church, told them, “you are God’s field, you are God’s building,” 1 Corinthians 3:9. As God’s field, what then is the result of God’s cultivation in our lives? “For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God,” Hebrews 6:7. A saint should manifest the righteousness of Christ as the Holy Spirit continues His work of sanctification in us. Like cultivated land bears useful plants, or an apple tree produces apples, Christians should be recognized for their consistent, God-honoring nature. That nature, if kept between God and us, can’t be assessed. Neither can it be useful. Neither would it be obedient of us. Jesus said the two great commands are to love God above all (paraphrasing) and to love our neighbor as we already love ourselves. Love of God is reflected then in our treatment of anyone that is our neighbor. In other words, everyone in the world. James desires his readers to have clear water to quench the thirsting. The salty water tantalizes but ultimately disappoints and in extreme cases, can kill.

 

Is there a solution? “Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Christ Jesus our Lord!” Romans 7:24, 25. Walk in the Spirit, so we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, including the tongue, Galatians 5:16, 17. And through the same Spirit, “let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt,” Colossians 4:6. The “always” does seem to indicate that, while people cannot bridle the tongue, God who made both language and us, can and will. We will never be perfect in practice here on this earth; but neither should that ever deter us from surrendering to the Holy Spirit and giving Him authority over us. So bridled (so to speak) we can be free FROM sin, and free FOR righteousness. Do we crave consistency? Obedience from the heart, whose motivation is love for God, is a good beginning. “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth…put off all these…filthy language out of your mouth…if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live,” Colossians 3:5, Romans 8:13. How many have rejected Christ based on our poor representation as His saints? If we truly offer the fruit of the lips to praise God (Psalm 71:23, 24) then with that same mouth we should also speak honorably and peaceably with the people around us, people who have been created in the similitude of God.