If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. (Jas. 1:26)
Controlling the tongue is among the most difficult things we do as believers. The most godly among us will at times struggle to glorify the Lord with their faculty of speech. Others of us would say this is the preeminent struggle of our sanctification—a constant battle to bridle the tongue.
No matter where we are on that spectrum, we must recognize that the Bible does not treat an unbridled tongue as a merely behavioral issue. With the above introductory verse on the subject in 1:26, James indicates that there is a direct link between the devotion of the believer and the control of that believer’s tongue. In short, one cannot truly be religious while living with an unbridled tongue.
Our modern society has given the words “religion” and “religious” almost exclusively negative connotations. The Bible does no such thing. The Puritans, for whom the Scriptures served as the vocabulary of thought, loved these words. Rightfully so. By “religious,” James simply refers to one’s devotion to the Lord. We could paraphrase the verse this way: “If anyone thinks he is devoted to the Lord and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s devotion to the Lord is worthless/meaningless.”
The conditional clause at the beginning of the verse indicates that it is possible to think oneself religious—that is, devoted or set apart to the Lord in one’s affections, character, and conduct—while being only self-deceived in that assessment.
James’ logic works this way: if one is truly devoted to the Lord—his life set apart unto holy service and worship of God—it will be manifested in every area of life, including one’s speech. James is simply following Jesus in this teaching that the faculty of speech cannot be separated from the rest of one’s life. Jesus said in Matthew 15:18, “…what comes from the mouth proceeds from the heart…” In other words, our speech is the most reliable indicator of the devotion of our deepest selves. An unbridled tongue signals an undevoted heart. We may believe ourselves to be devoted, but in this matter, the tongue can't lie. It will give us away.
In James 3:12, the apostle writes, “Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.” Obviously, James intends for us to bridle our tongues—to control our behavior. But 3:12 indicates that this is not only a matter of outward behavior. The heart also must be addressed.
Therefore, we might say that alongside and in conjunction with our attempts to bridle the tongue should be consistent, Christ-centered attention to bridling the heart. That is, bridling the affections. Bridling the thoughts. Bridling the motives. Loving what God loves. Hating what God hates.
How do we go about bridling an unbridled heart, assuming we have already followed Christ in faith?
First, we should engage in a prayerful search for the heart of God in the Scriptures. That is, reading the Word intentionally looking for the character of God. The most obvious manifestation will be in Christ Himself, for “He is the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15). As we read, we should pray that the Lord would expose our hearts and help us to love His. We should pray that we would be moved to love what He loves and hate what He hates. Even more effective would be to do this kind of reading with another believer—looking for and discussing the heart of Christ, talking about our own hearts, and praying with and for one another that He would bridle our hearts that we might bridle our tongues.
Second, we should regard our failures of the tongue and heart from the perspective of the gospel. When we fail, we should repent and trust in the righteousness of Christ and His atoning work on the cross alone--not our performance--to maintain our standing before the Father. Additionally, we should embrace the reality that no matter how we fail, God is and always will be our Father, relating to us in love, not in wrath. Finally, we should be reminded of the truth that in Christ's work in life and death, He purchased every part of us, including our hearts and tongues, when they were full of spite against Him. Now, by His Spirit, He works to make our hearts and tongues like His.
May we all grow in these things…devoted tongues giving evidence of devoted hearts.
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