It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. – Philippians 1:20.

The Tongue and the Mind

The Bible also teaches that Christ must be magnified in the way we use our tongues. In fact, a whole chapter of the Book of James is given over to that teaching. James comments on the power of the tongue for good and evil, and he notes the difficulty people have in taming it. It is a difficulty even for Christians. He concluded that “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” – James 3:9–10.

Frank E. Gaebelein, one of the editors of the New Scofield Bible, has written of these verses:

“James is right; so far as man goes, the tongue is incorrigible. Yet as James’ divine brother declared: ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God’ (Luke 18:27). The fact is that many Christians through the ages have been given the grace to control their tongues and use them constructively to God’s glory. They have not retreated into monasteries, but in the temptations and difficulties of daily living they have been given victory over the unruly member. They have done it, not in their own strength, but through submission of mind and heart to the indwelling Christ.” ¹

How are we to gain control of our tongues? Only by submitting our minds to Christ. We speak what we think. Therefore, if Jesus is to be magnified in the way we use our tongue, He must be magnified in the way we use our mind also. Paul writes of Christians: “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5. Paul knew that there can be no purity of speech apart from a genuine purification of our minds. Jesus also taught this truth when He said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” – Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:45. Righteous words come from a righteous heart, one that has been surrendered to Christ, cleansed by Him, and filled with the thoughts He strives to place there.

If Jesus Christ is to be honored in your thoughts and your words, as He desires to be, there must be no preoccupation with idle thoughts, even less with anger and cursing. Instead you must fill your mind with God. Moreover, you must participate in a constant and sympathetic encouragement of other believers, as spiritual truths and spiritual lessons are shared between you.

To Be Continued

Adaptation of excerpts from James Montgomery Boice, Philippians: An Expositional Commentary.
¹ Frank E. Gaebelein, The Practical Epistle of James (New York: Channel Press, 1955), 80.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
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