⁵. . . See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! ⁶And 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 life, and is set on fire by hell.

How we communicate and what we say is serious business! Let’s separate it out so we can see the full, rapid fire, staccato emphasis. The tongue:

• • • Is a fire
    • Is the very world of iniquity
    • Defiles the entire body
    • Sets on fire the course of our life
    • Is set on fire by hell

These are strong statements intended to arrest our thoughts. Watching a television report of a forest fire in some distant state seems a bit tragic, but anyone who sees one up close knows how terrifying it can be and the extensive damage it can cause. We need to be knocked out of our spiritual lethargy to see how damaging our words can be. We need to examine closely why this is.

The problem comes from our “boasting,” as James put it in the previous verse. Boasting is the outward expression of our self-centeredness. We may think it only affects us and is harmless toward others, but boasting is the core of our communication problem. We use our tongue for our benefit to build ourselves up, at the expense of others. That is why we say hurtful things to others. We judge, criticize, demean, denounce, and slam them, and otherwise use our words for harm. This is a complete reversal of our Lord’s teaching, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 7:12).

Our human nature inclines us to minimize the depth and breadth of damage our words cause. We recognize how bad this can be when others do it to us, but not when we do it to them. Since the words we throw at other people don’t hurt us, we minimize their seriousness to others. We can easily hide behind the false notion, “Sticks and stones may break bones, but words can never harm.” Words do harm; they can be used as verbal weapons to hurt, manipulate, and control; they can be intentionally harmful or simply insensitive. Words can be thrown out and then quickly forgotten, but the hearer feels them deeply, and they can linger on and fester. Verbal warfare can destroy families, friendships, and churches. There is no end to the damage our words can cause. We know this intuitively, but we need the constant, sobering reminder.

Lord, convict me when I try to minimize the damage my words can cause.