A Perfect Man

One of the verses we looked at in or study last Sunday on gracious speech was James 3:2: "We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check."

To me, this is one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible. Here's why. Back in Matthew 5:48, Jesus commanded us: "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Jesus was referring to being perfect in regard to the fulfillment of the command to love others as ourselves, something that is an overall theme of the Sermon on the Mount, especially in Matthew chapter 5. He explained in the verses just prior to verse 48 that being perfect in regard to loving others as ourselves means loving our enemies as well as our friends. Frankly, that is not very easy to do. It can even seem impossible at times, which might be one reason why we sometimes read right past what Jesus said in verse 48 or respond with: "Yeah, right! Perfect, huh? I'll get right to that."

What's so encouraging about James 3:2 is that James actually outlines the path to the kind of perfection Jesus had in mind and he holds out the possibility of our walking that path as something we can experience. It's as if James writes: You can experience the perfection Jesus had in mind, and here's how to do it:
Control your tongue!

There is something so fundamental about the role that the tongue plays in Christian maturity and in a maturing Christian's life that controlling it (the tongue) represents complete victory over disobedience to the Great Commandments, which are: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and Love your neighbor as ourself." It is possible to obey these commands fully (which is the root meaning of the original word "perfect" used by both Jesus and James).

The fundamental role that the tongue plays is highlighted in other ways in the Scripture. For example, in Romans 3:10-18, the Apostle Paul uses poisonous speech as a mark of unbelief: "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness" (vs. 13-14). Later, in Romans 10:9, Paul references speech to underscore the change that takes place in a person who becomes a believer in Christ: "If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." All of this to say that it comes as no surprise, therefore, that we would read in James of how fundamental of a role the tongue and gracious speech play in Christian maturity or in fully obeying what Jesus has in mind to accomplish in our lives and relationships.

Once again, the exciting part to me is that we are not left with some frustratingly vague notion or impossible-to-accomplish expectation of "perfection". It is possible right now to become the kind of people Jesus wants us to be through the vehicle of gracious speech. This doesn't mean that all other sin issues go away. It simply means that there is something so fundamental about gracious speech as the path toward obeying Jesus fully that other issues pail in significance by comparison. There is also the suggestion that victory in the area of gracious speech indicates the presence of the kind of spiritual power that will bring victory in every other area of life.

All of this is hugely encouraging to me, and I hope to you as well.