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Answer
James 3:6 compares our tongues to fire. To understand this metaphor in context, we need to begin in verse 5: “Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” Fire can be either constructive or destructive depending upon its containment. So it is with the tongue.
Fire is one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity. With fire, we cook food, heat our homes, and destroy garbage that would otherwise overwhelm us. Likewise, the gift of speech is of great benefit. With our tongues, we communicate information, express affection, and praise God. A tongue under control can speak life and truth into our world, bless and discipline our children, and transfer the wisdom God has given us «Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. », (Proverbs 18:21). But, like fire out of bounds, our tongues can also do great damage.
James 3:9–10 says, “With the tongue, we praise our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” A tongue out of control can tear down self-worth, destroy relationships, and order the execution of evil plans. Like a grassfire touched by a sudden breeze, our words can take off, spreading far and wide in ways we never imagined. Gossip, slander, cursing, and lies are all symptoms of a wildfire tongue (Exodus 23:1;Leviticus 19:16;Proverbs 16:27;2 Corinthians 12:20). One has but to witness the rRapid spread of a scandalous rumor reveals that the tongue is like a fire. James 3:8 warns that the tongue’s fire easily becomes unmanageable: “No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” So what are we to do? If the tongue cannot be tamed, how are we to control it? The fruit of the Spirit includes self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), which is precisely what we need to extinguish the fire of the tongue. Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” When we consider the members of our bodies as instruments of righteousness “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” (Romans 6:13), we acknowledge that our tongues belong to Him. Bitter words, hateful words, and foul words must be crucified with the flesh (Galatians 2:20; Galatians 5:24), or they will dominate our speech. Our flesh does not have the power to tame the tongue; only the Holy Spirit can.
Whatever good gift God creates, Satan perverts. The tongue is one such area Satan has corrupted, which is why the Bible says the tongue has been “set on fire by hell” “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” (James 3:6). We defy Satan’s evil attempts to destroy our lives through the tongue when we commit ourselves daily to the lordship of Jesus. We can offer ourselves every day.By presenting our bodies as living sacrifices “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”, (Romans 12:1), we can specifically focus on surrendering our tongues to the Lord. “Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips” “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; Keep the door of my lips.”, (Psalm 141:3). We can ask the Lord to make us more aware of the words we speak and promptly repent of any comment that dishonors Him.
Our tongues can be likened to fire when we use our words to warm hearts, spread truth, and dispel lies. To maintain control over our tongues, we can begin each day with the prayer David prayed: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”, (Psalm 19:14).
