James 3:1-12  “What Real Faith Looks Like:  Real Faith Affects the Way You Talk”

Francis Carpenter was an eminent American portrait painter back in the 1800s. Among the people he painted was President Abraham Lincoln. For six months he would come to the White House and paint Lincoln, when he could get him to pose. He sat and listened to him talk, day after day. But after spending six months in the White House with Lincoln he later said that he could not recollect a Lincoln story “which would have been out of place uttered in a ladies’ drawing room.” (Carl Sandburg, Abraham Lincoln, The Prairie Years and the War Years, p. 563) 

That’s quite a testimony to the wholesomeness of  President Lincoln’s words — and sadly quite different than what we’ve heard from many of our presidents in more recent years!

But it SHOULD be true for us as God’s people as well. If Jesus Christ has come into our lives and saved us, it should make a difference in the way we talk. That’s the bottom line for James 3:1-2, our passage for today. As we saw last week, James again first here gives us the PRINCIPLE he’s driving at,  then he gives us some illustrations/examples of that principle. So let’s look at what this passage teaches us about how “Real Faith Affects the Way Your Talk.” 

I. The Principle: Real Faith Affects the Way You Talk.

James show us here that one fruit of genuine salvation is that people with real faith will seek to control their words. He says in :2, “”For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.” And then he addresses our words as Christians all the way through :12.  

I think it’s important for us to see the connection between James Chapter 2, and James Chapter 3. We often think of the Bible as “compartmentalized”: Chapter 1 stands alone, Chapter 2 stands alone, Chapter 3 stands alone, etc. But this is not true. The Book of James is really just one letter — and as some of you know, the “chapter divisions” and “verses” that we have today, were not in the original text; they were added later. James wasn’t sitting there writing “Chapter 2, verse 3”!  

So my point here is that James Chapters 2 and 3 are very much related. If you remember from last week, we saw that James said that if you really have faith, you’ll have some works in your life that show that your faith is real.  So now Chapter 3 isn’t a “separate topic;” rather it’s saying that our WORDS as Christians are one of the “fruits,” or “works” that show that our faith is genuine. Real faith will impact your words. Controlling your words is a fruit of genuine salvation. That is the principle he’s giving here in the first part of Chapter 3. 

He opens in :1 saying “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren.” He’s not saying “don’t be a teacher in the public school”! He’s talking about the church. The teaching ministry in the church is led by the pastor(s). So he’s saying don’t just let anyone become pastor/teachers in your churches. WHY would this be? He says in :2 “FOR (here’s the reason why) FOR we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he SAYS, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.” James says one of the marks of the work of Christ in a person is their words. He says if you can control your words, you are a “perfect” man — the word “teleios” means “mature, full grown” — and it’s only mature Christians, who can control their tongue, who should be pastors in our churches. But the larger point he makes in James 3, is that mature Christians will control their words. 

There are multiple testimonies of this in some of the greatest men in the history of our country, especially our presidents: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman. All these great men demonstrated their maturity by controlling their words. For example: John Adams wrote of George Washington that he had: “‘the gift of silence,’ which,‘I esteem as one of the most precious talents.’” (David McCullough, John Adams, p. 593) One of the reasons Washington was a great president, and a great man, was his self-control, which he exercised in many areas of his life. And this was especially true of his words. He showed his maturity, by taming his tongue. 

James said this should be true for us as Christians too: if we are truly followers of Christ, then “Real faith affects the way you talk,” and it will impact our speech. It’s one of the “works” that shows that our faith is real.

So having made that point, now James gives us a series of illustrations of that point, just like he did with faith and works. He gives us at least 5 illustrations between here and :12:

II. Five Illustrations/Examples:

The first 3 illustrations all deal with how “little” words may seem to us — but he says they’re NOT “little;” they are extremely important and have a big impact:

A. The Horses

:3 “now if we put bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well.”

The first illustration he uses is of a bit in a horse’s mouth. Many of us have had a horse, and you know the importance of a bit. You use it to direct the horse where you want it to go. 

When I was a boy at Harrah Elementary School, my dad brought us home a Shetland pony one day, we called her Gypsy. I had been reading about Native American Indians, and I thought it was neat how they would ride horses without any saddle or reins or anything; they just controlled them with gentle pressure from their legs and so on. So one day after reading I ran out to the back, jumped on Gypsy and said “Ha!” and she took off like a shot — and I held on for dear life. I had NO control of her whatsoever. There were 60 acres out back, and she took me for a personal tour of many of them! She ran out in the field, and down a steep gully, and up the steep gulley, and finally she ran under a branch that was too short for her but that hit me head on, and knocked me off onto the ground. Gypsy ran back to the barn — and I limped back home!  

I learned my lesson. The problem (other than my ignorant exuberance!) was that I had no control over that pony. That metal bit that we’d slip into her mouth, with the reins behind them, was not very big, but it controlled the whole 450 pound animal! It was small, but it was very powerful and important!

And James says our words are that way too. Some of us may think, “Oh, my words aren’t very important; it doesn’t matter that much what I say.” The Bible says here: YES IT DOES matter, very much, what you say! 

We may say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That may sound good, but it’s not true. Words are very powerful, and very important. You can impact both your life, and other people’s lives, for better or for worse, with your words. We’ll talk about this some more in a moment.

B. The Ships

:4 “Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder, wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.” 

Just like the small bit directs the huge horse, James says here that a very small rudder directs a whole ship: tons and tons of weight, all led by a very small rudder. Again, it’s small, but it’s powerful. And so are our words, God says here. And if we’re not careful with them, they can lead us in the wrong direction.  

In occupied Germany in 1945, George Patton caused a firestorm with his words, responding to a reporter’s question about why “reactionaries” were in charge in some areas of Germany by saying: “Reactionaries? Do you want a lot of Communists?” Patton’s words caused a tumult throughout Europe.  Eisenhower wrote his wife Mamie: ‘That man is yet going to drive me to drink. He misses more opportunities to  keep his mouth shut than almost anyone I ever knew.’” (Jean Edward Smith, Eisenhower in War and Peace, p. 454) Patton’s rash words almost directed us to World War III! 

Your words may not cause “World War III,” but they may cause a war between some loved ones, when you pass along a bad report one of them made about the other. Your words may foolishly bind you to a wrong decision, or a direction you really don’t want to take. 

So what do we need to do?? We need to direct the rudder; we need to tame the tongue. Christian people should not be in the habit of just saying anything that pops into our minds. We need to realize how impactful our words are, and direct them rightly — or often, better, just withhold them. As God’s people, let’s make sure we don’t miss opportunities to keep our mouth shut!

C. The Fire

:5b—6  “See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our [a]life, and is set on fire by hell.”

Our words can cause so much trouble! They really ARE like “a fire,” as James says here.

“When Admiral Dewey thoughtlessly boasted that his deployment in Caribbean had been “an object lesson to the Kaiser,” Roosevelt summoned him to the White House for a reprimand. The sight of the old warrior in medals melted his anger, but he wrote seriously afterward, “Do let me entreat you to say nothing that can be taken hold of by those anxious to foment trouble between ourselves and any foreign power, or who delight in giving the impression that as a nation we are walking about with a chip on our shoulder. We are too big a people to be able to be careless in what we say.’”  (Edmund Morris, Theodore Rex, p. 210)

Basically Roosevelt was telling the old Admiral what James is saying here: Your words can be like a fire. Don’t be careless in what you say. Tossing out careless words is like throwing a lighted match into a field, or the side of a road — it can cause untold damage. 

But James’ point here is that Christians should seek to quench this “fire,” and limit the damage of our words. Roosevelt told Dewey “we are too big a people” to do that — as Christians we are not “too big” a people to do that — but we are too important a people to do that. We are too holy a people to do that. We ought to be too responsible a people, as the very people of God, who are representing Jesus Christ, to do that. Don’t let your speech be like a fire, doing so much damage to other people with your words. (In high school Cheryl had some friends, that she felt like she had to “clean up the damage” from their careless words after they’d passed through somewhere. People shouldn’t have to “put out the fire” after we’ve spoken — but that’s too often the case with our words. They can be like a fire. Don’t let the “flames” of your words spread unchecked! 

D. The Tamed Animals

:7-8  “For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. 8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.”

Here God says the tongue is like an untamed animal. And just like an untamed animal, it can be hurt us. He says: “it is full of deadly poison.” That is literally true. Your words can be so harmful to other people.

Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the Maisy Dobbs mystery series. In her biography she told of the time she had started singing along with her mother in the kitchen. She said, “I was peeling vegetables and Mum was standing near the stove. She stopped singing, turned to me and said, “Jack, can you sing solo?” 

I nodded and smiled, pleased that she’d asked, and began to sing the song with all my heart, stopping only when she held up her hand and shook her head. 

“No, Jack — I mean, can you sing so low that I can’t hear you?” 

Jacqueline wrote: “I never sang again.” 

She wrote that from that day forward: “I mimed in music class and I mimed in school assembly, moving my lips so no one knew I wasn’t singing. I left the choir at the Congregational Church because I was sure I had the most terrible voice. I still don’t sing …”.  (Jacqueline Winspear, This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing, pp. 279-280)

You can easily sense the lifetime of hurt and pain that her mother inflicted on Jackie with those cutting words. We need to be so careful about what we say: to our kids, to other classmates at school, to our co-workers and employees on the job — AND to other people at church. Realize that your words can be like poison to them; “deadly poison,” James says. As Christians we need to realize that, and let our faith affect the way we talk, to everyone. Godly people will tame their tongue! 

E. The Fountain 

:9-12  “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; 10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. 11 Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.”

Here he gives us the example of a fountain: he says, now if you are getting water from a fountain (and here he’s not speaking about a “water fountain” like we have in the hallway here at church — or what you have at school or at the office — this Greek Bible word means a spring that comes up from the ground. If you find a spring that is giving out water, he says it’s either going to be good or bad; it’s not going to give you good water one minute, and then bad water the next.

And his point is, it should be the same with YOUR life as a Christian, and with your words. The “spring” or “fountain” of your words shouldn’t be good one minute, and bad the next.  (And he adds several more illustration here: of a fig, a vine, salt water … he just really gets rolling with examples!)

But you see his point: Your words shouldn’t be incompatible with your life, as a Christian. Your words should validate your Christian testimony — and they should be consistent. 

On Twitter (X) the other day I read this headline:

“#Texans CJ Stroud says he has been struggling with cursing & he wants to STOP CURSING” And then it quotes Stroud as saying:  “I can’t proclaim I love God and have a wild mouth, it’s hypocritical.” “CJ is looking to be a great influence on the younger generations & spread the Glory of God (ML Football X post, 8/02/24)”

I was so grateful to see that C.J. Stroud said that. I’d seen where he’d really “come out” as a Christian at a press conference last year — but as we talked about last week, words can be cheap. A lot of people SAY they’re followers of Christ, but so few really show the fruit of it in their life. James shows us here, that one of the most important “fruits” of our life is our words. It’s important that C.J. Stroud recognizes this, and he says, “I can’t proclaim I love God and have a wild mouth.” That’s just what James says here: your words should be consistent with your Christian testimony.

Genuine Christians should not be inconsistent in our language. The “fountain” of our words should not be “both fresh and bitter” water:

— You shouldn’t say: “Oh, bless the Lord!” one minute — and then talk about somebody behind their back the next minute. 

— You shouldn’t sing praise songs at church on Sunday and then shout curse words at school or work or home on Monday! 

Your words should be consistent with your Christian testimony. We talked last week about how Coach John Wooden asked if we were convicted for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict us? Your words are part of the evidence — the FRUIT —that confirms to you and also demonstrates to the world, that you really are a Christian. What is the “evidence” of YOUR life showing? Do your words confirm to people that you really ARE a Christian — or would they cause people to doubt it? 

III. The Gospel

Now, some of us might say, You know, I truly believe I AM a genuine Christian, but I know I have fallen short some with my words. Honestly, that’s true for all of us. Go back to verse 2, where James says: “For we all stumble in many ways.” 

— WHO stumbles? “ALL” of us.

— HOW do we stumble? “In MANY ways.” 

So the Bible says we ALL fall short in this, ALL the time. NONE of us is perfect in our words — or in all of our conduct. This is just what Romans 3:23 says, right? “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

THIS IS WHY WE NEED THE GOSPEL! The way we fall short in our words should be one of the most convicting things that shows us our need to be saved. NONE of us is all we should be in our words — as we’ve seen by looking at all 5 of these examples that James gave. Did any of us come through all of those “unscathed”? No way. We ALL fall short of this standard. It’s just like James says here: “For we all stumble in many ways.” 

It just shows us that we have all sinned and fall short. NONE of us live up to God’s standard on our words (or anything else).

So what’s the answer? The only hope for us is to cast ourselves on God’s mercy in Jesus. If it’s up to our words, or our life, none of us would ever see heaven. We need God’s mercy.  We all need to have the attitude of the publican in Luke, who was unwilling even to lift his eyes to heaven, but just cried out:  “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”

And thank God that when we do come to him, and ask for His mercy, He WILL give it to us. Because Jesus died on the cross and paid for our sins, now “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But you do need to call on Him. If you haven’t done it before, you should do it today. Admit your sins to God — admit that you’ve fallen short in words and deeds. And ask Him to forgive you, and save you, in Jesus’ name. When you do that, He will come into your life and save you!

And when He comes into your life, He will not only forgive you, and save you, HE WILL ALSO CHANGE YOUR LANGUAGE. Jesus doesn’t just forgive us, He also changes us. And one of the things He changes, is our words. 

In 1904 a great revival broke out in Wales (Great Britain). Whole communities were transformed. Bars and gambling houses closed due to lack of business. Prostitution ceased. Courthouses closed because there were no criminal cases to try!  A somewhat humorous effect of the revival had to do with the coal mines, one of the primary industries in Wales. When the coal miners got saved they had to retrain all the little donkeys in the mines that pulled the coal carts, because when the miners got converted, they stopped using profanity, and the donkeys had been conditioned to respond to commands laced with foul-mouthed curse words. Unfamiliar with the new “cleaned-up” vocabulary, the donkeys didn’t know what to do any more! 

But the point is: the miners’ language changed when Jesus came into their lives. This will happen to us too: if the Lord really saves us, He will not only forgive our sins, but He will begin to change our lives. Things will be different. And one of the things that will be different, is our words. 

Now does that mean that we’ll never struggle with our language again once we give our life to Jesus? No, most likely not. Most of us have to watch our words, and it’ll be battleground for many of us as long as we live. But if we really belong to the Lord, we WILL be working on it. We won’t be content to just stay as we are with our words. And there WILL be a difference in the way we talk, because Jesus is in us. 

That’s what James is saying here:

— In Chapter 2, he said, if you really have faith, you’ll have some works to show that your profession of faith is real. 

— Now here in Chapter 3, he says one of those fruits that shows that you’re really saved, is the way you talk. The big question for each of us today from James 3 is, What do YOUR words say about how real your faith is? Real Faith will affect the way you talk!

INVITATION

You can’t seriously read the first part of James 3 and not be convicted about your language. What’s the Lord showing YOU about your words today?

— Maybe there’s some specific words you have been using, don’t have a place in your vocabulary as a Christian. Follow the example of C.J. Stroud, and ask for God’s help to get those words out of your life.

— Maybe it’s the way you talk to your kids, or your spouse. Your words can be like honey or like poison to them. Make sure you’re blessing them, not leaving a lifetime of hurt, with your words to your family.

— Maybe you’ve just gotten in the habit of speaking thoughtlessly, but you’re seeing that those thoughtless words are causing great hurts.

— God could be speaking to you about 1000 different things regarding your words today. Ask Him what needs to change in YOUR life, and let Him change you.

— And then finally, what do your words say about whether you are really a Christian? Are your words part of the good fruit that shows you are truly a follower of Christ — or do they convict you that you really are not saved?

If you need to be saved today, why don’t you ask the Lord to do it, right now!