James 3:3-12 – “Set on Fire”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

³Observe the horses: We place the bridles into their mouths into them obeying us and we turn about their whole body. ⁴Observe also the ships, being so great and driven by fierce winds, and turned about by a very small rudder, wherever the impulse of the pilot purposes. ⁵Thus also, the tongue is a tiny member and boasts great things. Behold! A small fire ignites an entire forest, ⁶and the tongue [is] a fire, the world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, defiling the whole body, igniting the circle of the life, and being ignited by hell.

⁷For every nature of creature, whether birds, reptiles, or sea creatures, is tamed or has been tamed to the nature of humans, ⁸but no one is able to tame the tongue, an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹With it we bless the Lord and Father and with it we curse the men, ones made according to the likeness of God. ¹⁰Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things ought not thus to be. ¹¹A spring never produces the sweet and the bitter out of the same opening. ¹²My brothers, a fig tree is not able to do olives or a grapevine figs, thus neither sweet water to do salt.

This passage has been an interesting study to me. There may be several thoughts I want to record before I leave it. However, there is one thought I definitely want to gather up and try to put into some orderly expression: I am amazed how much this is a “heart” passage.

Let me try to communicate what I mean. I’ve been reading this very passage for years and have actually taught through it numerous times. I believe I sincerely wanted to “do” what it says and have urged other people to do the same. When I studied it and memorized it and taught it and read it again and again, I was always looking for “rules” or “principles” to follow, rules I could take with me throughout my day to help me “control my tongue.”

But I’m different now. I believe, when I studied Galatians, the Lord helped me to finally repent of my legalism. He helped me to see that life isn’t about keeping rules; the Bible itself isn’t about God giving us “better” rules to follow. My whole Christian life I said I believed in grace, yet I always approached the Bible looking for rules to follow. But that isn’t what any of it is about; it’s about understanding His heart and living out an intense love relationship with Him. “Laws are for lawbreakers.” “My son, give Me thine heart.”

The message of the Law is “Do this and live.” When I approach the Word looking for rules, that is exactly how I’m reading it: “Do this and live.” I’m looking for “What wilt Thou have me to do?” and it’s so close to the truth, the difference is almost indiscernible. But … and this is a spiritually monumental BUT … I am NOT under Law. I am under grace. And what is the message of grace? “Live … and do this.” It is NOT “Do this and live.” Grace first imparts life, then it empowers action. The Law does not work because it is speaking to dead and broken hearts. It says, “Do this and live” to people who cannot do it. It’s like giving orders to a cadaver. Like Paul, when I hear the “rules,” I can even “agree the Law is good.” But I find another law at work within my members so that I cannot do the things I would.

And who shall deliver me from this body of death??? “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” … because “through Him the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death.”

It isn’t about “the rules.” It’s about my wonderful Savior’s heart. It’s about His blessed Holy Spirit living in me and empowering me to see the world through His eyes, to actually want what He wants, to love like He loves.

And so this time, as I’ve studied this passage what strikes me more than anything is that God is not trying to give us “rules” to follow. He’s wanting to awaken our hearts!

I could come away with thoughts like “I need to do a better job bridling my tongue,” or “I need to be careful not to both bless and curse, to be more consistent,” etc. I could come away thinking, “I’d better read through Proverbs again and review the verses on the tongue.” BUT BUT BUT did I not hear what He said???? “The tongue is a fire, an unruly evil, full of deadly poison … No man can tame the tongue!” He’s not trying to give me rules to follow, He’s trying to help me see the ENORMITY of the problem. What He struck me with more than anything this time is first of all just how serious the whole matter is. “Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. And the tongue is a fire … and it is itself set on fire by hell!” “Set on fire by hell!” Yikes!

What I need is not rules. I need a Savior!!! These verses make me run to the Throne and bow my heart before Him and cry out, “God deliver me! I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell amongst a people of unclean lips!” Please, please, please take a coal from Your altar and touch this mouth of mine!

I don’t want to have a mouth set on fire by hell! “Lord, listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need! Rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me!”

And even as I’m praying and crying out to Him, I know in my heart He is helping me. He is helping me to see the world through His eyes. He’s helping me to see that “life and death” really are “in the power of the tongue.” He’s making me want to use my mouth to do good, to love, to bless and not curse. But in so doing, does anyone else see that when He’s done this, I don’t need “rules.” Oh, they’re fine if you like, but I see the problem and I see how important my words are, and I see what He sees … and that changes me, not from the outside in like rules try to do, but from the inside out … like grace. “Live … and do this!”

After all the times I’ve read this passage, and memorized it, and reviewed it, and taught it, this is the first time I can honestly say, “I see.”

I’m shocked I never really “saw” it before. But then that is what legalism does. It eclipses the face of God in our hearts; it hides His heart from our eyes.

 I am so thankful for grace, so thankful for Jesus, so thankful for His blood, so thankful for His Spirit in me, so thankful that He would allow me to rise above my incorrigibly legalistic heart and actually know Him. “For this is eternal life, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3).

God deliver me from this mouth set on fire by hell. May it today be set on fire by Heaven. Help me to see.   ... Change my heart, O God.