“The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” James 3:6
On October 30, 1961 the Soviet military detonated the largest thermonuclear bomb in history. Its official name was RDS 202 but was nicknamed the King of Bombs and Ivan the Great as a reflection of its destructive power. When detonated in the Arctic regions of the Soviet Union, it had the strength of 50 megatons of TNT which is 4,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima to usher in the end of World War II.
Observers indicated that the fireball from the explosion could be seen from 600 miles away with the mushroom cloud reaching 42 miles into the atmosphere. It was later determined that some window panes cracked from the explosion up to 560 miles away from the center of the blast. The heat was so intense that solid rock was reduced to ash.
As it turned out, the device was too large and cumbersome to be of practical use in warfare. Nevertheless, it was a huge propaganda victory during the height of the cold war which the Soviets used as a means to intimidate the United States. It was a scary time.
We can be glad that the cold war for the most part is over, and hopefully wisdom will prevent the actual use of similarly destructive weapons in the future. But that doesn’t mean that we are completely out of harm’s way. According to James, there is another weapon that is also highly destructive despite its small size. In fact, it’s safe to say that given the toll it had taken on the lives of people for centuries, it could legitimately be called the most dangerous weapon of all times.
What is this weapon? The tongue. The words James uses to speak of its destructive power are telling. He calls it a fire that is set ablaze by the power of hell itself – a world of evil that has the capability of corrupting the soul and setting one’s whole life on fire. He would later say that the tongue is a restless evil that is full of deadly poison.
His description should not surprise anyone, for there is not a person who hasn’t been scorched by its heat. Nor has there been a person who hasn’t charred the lives of others as a human flamethrower through harsh, angry and bitter words. I can remember as far back as the first grade to the words of a bully on the school bus who threatened to harm me if I did not give him candy or my lunch money. Though he left me alone after that, I lived in terror for weeks as those threatening words raged like a wildfire through my mind.
Of course, some of you who read this post will think of that as rather mild in comparison to some of the words you have heard over the years. You can remember the words of an angry parent who spewed their venom of rejection and ridicule all over your young soul. Even today you suffer from the destructive power of those poisonous words in ways seen and unseen. Or maybe the flaming words came from a spouse, a friend, a co-worker or someone else close to you, and you bear the scars from the burns you received.
On the flip side you may be the one who launches the flaming arrows of hurtful words at others. The tongue is your weapon of choice, and you have learned of its power to control, shut-down, and punish those who dare challenge you. Perhaps you don’t think of it as that bad a thing. After all, don’t we all say some things we shouldn’t say from time to time? Indeed we do. But that doesn’t justify them, nor does it get to the core of why your tongue is afire.
Perhaps you were charred by the scalding words of people in your past. Maybe you’ve come to believe that your flaming tongue is the only way you can get people to listen to you. It could be a lot of things. Whatever the reason, whatever the source, hurtful words are not helpful nor are they acceptable. The flame must be doused.
Of course, James had more in mind than the abusive language just mentioned. Included would be such things as gossip, name-calling, slander, cursing, sarcasm, and more. Though we may think of these things as lesser offenses, they still reflect a tongue that has been set on fire. It may be a lower flame, but it burns nevertheless.
So what do you do if your tongue is blazing? Admitting it is obviously the first step. Nothing can be done as long as one lives in denial. Beyond that is the need to see the damage that is being done. Tender souls are wounded. Reputations are tarnished. Relationships are strained. Churches are divided. On it goes. It matters not whether you feel justified in your words. The tongue set on fire is never lit by heaven.
Beyond admitting the truth about our flaming tongue and paying attention to the damage that is being done, let me suggest some practical questions that you can ask yourself before speaking.
- Is what I’m wanting to say true? Before we speak, we must be confident that our words are not tainted with falsehood. Even if we are not knowingly lying, we can still bear false witness by passing along things that we assumed were true but weren’t. Check the facts before speaking.
- Is what I’m wanting to say kind? It may be that what we are wanting to say is in fact true. However, there are many ways that we can speak the truth. We can speak them harshly and with sarcasm, or we can speak them with grace and kindness. We shut off the flame when our words are formed with kindness.
- Is what I’m wanting to say necessary? We live in a time when we feel that we have the right to speak whatever is on our minds. Free speech we call it. If someone doesn’t want to listen, they don’t have to. But we feel duty bound to say it anyhow. That may be the American way, but I don’t think it’s the way of the Kingdom. Sometimes we need to follow the example of our Lord and stay silent. I’m becoming increasingly convinced that our many words aren’t all that helpful. The spiritual practice of keeping our mouths shut reflects a more humble attitude which recognizes that we don’t know as much as we think we do.
Before I close this post, I feel the need to address two groups. First, if you are one of those who have been deeply wounded by the words of significant others in your life, and you find that you can’t get past them, I hope you’ll reach out to get help. Your pastor or a trained counselor can be of great benefit. Likewise, opening your heart to the Lord about the pain you feel can be redemptive. Let me encourage you to do whatever you need to do to move toward healing.
Finally, if you struggle with a tongue on fire, I hope you’ll take the suggestions I have made to heart. More importantly, I hope you’ll see that a tongue on fire reflects a soul that needs its own healing. There may be issues in your past that need to be faced. Perhaps you’ve simply developed the habit of harsh words just to get your way. Whatever is behind your flaming tongue, it is not only burning the lives of others around you, but it is also incinerating your own soul. So don’t wait to do something about it. Fire may be a good thing, but when it comes to the tongue, it’s a flame that needs to be put out.