The Way: The Wise Tongue

Creation witnesses to the existence of God. It reveals His power. It gives us clues to His nature. This witness of Creation “is clearly seen” leaving men “without excuse.”

But men, due to the orientation of their heart, “knew God,” but withheld worship and gratitude. The result is the closing out the obvious truth about God’s existence. It is useless and pointless thinking, leading to a dark heart, one where the lights have gone out. Paul describes these people as “darkened in their foolish hearts.” Still, “they claim to be wise.” Proud and self-assured, they “became fools…God gave them over [he released them] in the desires of their hearts to impurity” (Rom. 1:19-24). The commitment to impurity and ungodliness intensified their blindness to the obvious truth. They will not acknowledge that they are thinking and living as fools, supposing themselves to be wise. They are deluded. Blind. This is stark language.

IDEA TEN: When a person closes their heart to obvious truth, their heart-lights go out. Inner guidance is diminished. They live in and love the darkness. They don’t hear God. They have muzzled their conscience. They are self-deluded, elevating themselves as wiser than others. Committed to impurity, practiced privately or publicly, they are fools. Only the Holy Spirit can help us reach them. We must pray.

When God ‘gives a person over,’ it is not the end of His love. Like the Prodigal’s father, He knows that only when the son (or daughter) reaches the end of their rope and ‘comes to themselves, to their senses’ (Luke 15:17), will they have a window of godly reason, and hear the call of God’s grace to come home. The Biblical language implies that such people are ‘under a spell,’ not themselves, no longer clearheaded. “The god of this world has blinded their minds” (2 Cor. 4:4). Every salvation is therefore an act of spiritual warfare. You, with the partnership of the Holy Spirit and the Word, “save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 1:23).

IDEA ELEVEN: The salvation of those who are spiritually blind is possible. It is an act of spiritual warfare in partnership with the Holy Spirit. It rises out of prayer, emphasizing the irreplaceable role of intercession and its connection to the Holy Spirit’s action in the life of the unbeliever. Gospel engagement with such people cannot be accomplished merely by the presentation of propositional truth. Some of our friends are clearly ‘under a spell,’ unknowingly. They have closed their eyes to the obvious truth and their heart-lights have gone out. That is why a rational appeal to them is inadequate. God has let them run through the barricades toward destruction – what else could He do? What can we do? Pray that God will break the spell and the Holy Spirit will remove their blinders. That they will wake up to God, and come home.

The word know (ginóskó) in 1 Cor. 2:14, also carries the meaning of ‘feeling.’ As in Romans, the unbeliever is past ‘feeling’ without being aware of it. He cannot resolve the incongruence between Biblical ideas and the worldview he prefers. A world created by God is unacceptable. It demands deference to God, an acknowledgement he is unwilling to grant. This is not merely a conscious and rational problem. It is not more information that he needs. He needs ‘supernatural perception’ orchestrated only by the Holy Spirit. Our role is continuing prayer, until God illuminates his mind and opens the door of his heart. He must ‘come to himself.’ The spell has to be broken. All we can do is pray and wait and watch like the prodigal’s father, ready to welcome the lost child with open arms, leading with love.

IDEA TWELVE: There are some of our friends who are hostile to the gospel, ‘past feeling,’ under a spell. They are running the red lights. Reason cannot reach them. Their salvation is a matter of prayer and patience. In the end, love will be more compelling and humbling to them than truth – they already know the truth.

Paul says to the Thessalonians, “You received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which [now, because you did so] also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thess. 2:13: Italics for emphasis). Salvation does not occur with superficial, merely cognitive belief. It demands a radical embrace, the welcoming and receiving of the gospel. Only then does truth effectively do its work.

IDEA THIRTEEN: The word of God, the truth, must not only be heard, but it must also be welcomed, received, radically embraced. This is deep belief that allows the word of God, the truth to do an effective work of transformation. The superficial acknowledgement of gospel facts does not bring change; it is only mental assent, without a full welcome and embrace of Christ or his truth. Receiving it as the word of God, as divine truth, places us in the subordinate and surrendered posture. We no longer have the good news, it has us.

“Unrighteous deception” characterizes “those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10). Again, it is not a matter of merely believing, but also of receiving. Here, deception is driven by unrighteousness. This is self-deception. It is the unwillingness to change, to embrace holiness and righteousness, and that assures continuing deception. One can claim salvation, without surrendering, without crucifying the flesh. They are cultural Christians. Superficially committed to Christ while continuing to practice sin. Such people have eyes, but they can’t see. They have ears, but they can’t hear. Their heart is hard and closed to the gospel. Only the work of the Holy Spirit can break the grip of such deception.

IDEA FOURTEEN: One can hold the gospel and pretend salvation without full surrender. Full surrender, the radical reception of the gospel, forces out unrighteousness. And unrighteousness is deadly in its capacity to deceive. The gospel is sobering. It breaks the power of deception, showing us our true inner self. A true Christian, beholding themselves in the mirror of God’s word, cannot be self-deceived.

A Spiritual Encounter

Again, this cannot be overemphasized as we emerge from an age of rationalism that has so impacted both evangelism and our understanding of Biblical salvation. It is more than a rational presentation – it is a spiritual encounter. In any evangelism encounter, there is more than the witnessing believer and the unchurched unbeliever present in the moment. God is there, by the Holy Spirit – and if He is absent, there can be no salvation. And His presence cannot be assumed; it must be recognized. Angels are watching. The invitation to know Christ is a holy and critical point in time. In the salvation moment, Paul says the gospel is ‘spiritually discerned.’

The Greek for discerned is anakrinó. It means to examine or to investigate. It means a long and hard look at the demands of the gospel, and cost of following Christ. It can mean to question and to judge. God is not afraid of honest questions. The term is from ana and krino. Krino means to scrutinize, interrogate, to discern and to make a determination. Ana means up and down. It implies our completing the process of deciding by separating the facts and reaching a conclusion. We properly distinguish by vigorously judging “up and down, and down to up.” We ‘closely’ examine through “careful study, evaluation and judgment.” This is not a quick and superficial act. It is studied, weighed and carefully considered. It is a life-altering decision. Wow.

IDEA FIFTEEN: The Holy Spirit orchestrates our salvation – our conviction of sin, our being convinced of God’s righteousness, our being justified and freed from judgement (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit effects our regeneration (new birth) and sanctification. He fills us with himself. The Holy Spirit helps us move beyond mere rational objectively to ‘spiritual discernment,’ where we distinguish sin and righteousness, seeing the world in a different manner. We see things with different eyes, illuminated by the Spirit.

As we pray and offer a witness, the Holy Spirit quietly works in a closed heart, offering a radically different way of seeing self and the world. Questions and misgivings are common. The Holy Spirit presses the case for Christ in a manner that is impossible for us to do. He unlocks the closed heart in response to earnest faith. The individual then not only hears the gospel but ‘receives’ it, and ‘knows’ for certain that God is being revealed to them (1 Cor. 2:14). He helps the person spiritually discern.

IDEA SIXTEEN: With some lost friends, we can only pray and offer the witness of our lives, our godly presence around them, giving the Holy Spirit the opportunity to work in their closed hearts. At times, their misgivings surface, and questions are voiced. We look for times when their hearts are open, even if only slightly, to hear the gospel, praying that they receive it and ‘know’ the certainty of God’s love and truth. That they will taste the liberating power of the gospel.

The Mouth of the Godly

There are dominant voices the unbeliever hears. Human voices, and at times, that of the Holy Spirit. There are the deceptive whisperings of the serpent. His voice is predictably deceptive – urging us to be self-interested, to doubt God, to disbelieve the stated consequences of sin. It suggests that we act boldly and independently in the face of God. That we rebel against Him and violate His standards, arrogantly breaking His laws. That we dare Him to act and challenge Him as impotent or treat Him as non-existent. At times, even as believers, we echo these whispers – doubting, disbelieving the toxic nature of sin, dismissing its consequences, dancing over the line of righteousness, testing God.

Satan’s tactics are predictable as are sin’s consequences, but the problem with deception is that it is deceptive. We take the first step, and suddenly we are pulled into the undertow. The role of the Holy Spirit is predictable as well – he comforts but also convicts. He is, to us, as is the Father, as is Christ, both love and truth with power. We are the ones with unpredictable voices, at times echoing the deceptive whispers of hell, and at other times, speaking the language of faith and hope.

The problem is that what we say affects others. Even our self-talk can be toxic, and it can leak into verbal speech before others. For this reason, we must guard our speech, not only for our own health, but for the sake of those we might influence – either as bold and steadfast believers or as those who wobble in their faith and run both hot and cold. James 3:10 warns us about ‘blessing and cursing coming from the same mouth.’ God hears “every careless word that people speak.” (Mt. 12:36). He reads our thoughts. Proverbs 10:31 declares, “The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice” (Prov. 12:14 NLT). Wisdom is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. So ‘the mouth of the godly’ is an instrument of the Holy Spirit ‘giving wise advice.’ May that be me and you!

IDEA SEVENTEEN: Unbelievers need a clear and consistent witness from us, one that speaks both love and truth. Our wobbling, our lukewarm state, could be keeping our uncommitted friends from believing, our lives being not much different than theirs. Blessings and curses should not proceed from us. We should be predictable, disciplined in our speech. We should reflect in our lives and with our lips the predictability of the Holy Spirit and not the deception of the serpent. The difficulty in evangelism is not always the hardness of the sinner, but the bad behavior of the saint.

Proverbs 15:4 presents a similar thought, “Wise words bring many benefits” (Prov. 15:2 ESV). We might say, ‘words inspired by the Spirit and graciously spoken by us are loaded with godly benefits.’

Wow. The word for benefits is yatab, which can mean to make one well. It can mean to mend or make better, to make one sound or beautiful again. And to make one successful and happy. Language then is either deadly or lifegiving, worthless or wise.

IDEA EIGHTEEN: Here is the power of words. Words as wisdom, words that heal and edify or the inverse, words that wound. We are to speak words that are wise, “loaded with godly benefits.” That may feel to us inauthentic. Why? Because of the dissenting voice within, the echo, the whispers of the serpent. They need to be dismissed, so that with conviction, we can become the voice of the Spirit. And by grace, we can become the example unbelieving friends need to see.

The Language of Life

“A gentle tongue is a tree of life” (Prov. 15:4 ESV). We are back now in the garden of Eden. Other translations call this a “soothing tongue” (NIV). The KJV calls this “a wholesome tongue.” The Legacy Bible is simpler, “a tongue that brings healing is a tree of life.” The Amplified expands the idea, “a soothing tongue [speaking words that build up and encourage] is a tree of life.” The Christian Standard Bible calls this “the tongue that heals.” A few translations read “a healed tongue” emphasizing the transformation of the one who speaks.

IDEA NINTEEN: We are to speak the language of life. Soothing words. Bringing healing – the language of mediation, of reconciliation.

Proverbs 15:1 reminds us, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Gentle is rak, meaning tender, soft, delicate, even weak or we might say vulnerable. There is the opposite of attempting to meet power with power, or aggressive speech with equally aggressive speech.

On the contrary, our speech is to be measured, guarded and refined, thoughtful and gracious. It uses wisdom, coming against anger in the opposite spirit. Coming against hate with love; unforgiveness and revenge, with grace. What is needed is the “tongue of the wise [that] commends knowledge,” not “the mouth of the fool [that] spouts folly” (Prov. 15:2). God is watching our response to others, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, observing the evil and the good” (Prov. 15:3). James 1:26 (NLT) asserts, “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.”

IDEA TWENTY: We are to speak in a manner that is gentle and intended to diffuse hostility. The tone of our speech is to be soft. The choice of words are thoughtful and at times decidedly delicate, diplomatic, tactful, refined. These are words, that like a surgeon’s scalpel – even if they momentarily hurt, are in the end, meant to heal.

The Biblical Standard for Speech

Paul, writing to the Ephesians (4:29) urged, “Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.” In Colossians 4:6 he advised, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Jesus gives us a solemn warning, “I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words, you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mt. 12:36-37). Pretty sobering.

IDEA TWENTY-ONE: Our speech is to be pure, helpful and healthy, godly and edifying, always gracious. That is a tall order. But remember, we will give an account for every careless word we have uttered. Nothing is more telling about our true Christianity and spiritual discipline than our speech.

James 1:19, the brother of Jesus and bishop of the Jerusalem Church wrote, “My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” Proverbs 10:19, “Wen words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.” And note Proverbs 12:18, “Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” We are reminded again of the power of speech in Proverbs 18:21, “Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” In Proverbs 21:23 we read, “He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.” Ecclesiastes 10:12-14 says, “The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning of his talk is folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness. Yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming, and who can tell him what will come after him?”

IDEA TWENTY-TWO: Our words are to be carefully chosen, monitored, guarded in terms of their potential impact. We have little respect for the idea of the discipline of silence. The scriptures speak of a Christianity that has a guarded mouth, the does not speak incessantly. A faith practice that has learned to restrain the tongue. It speaks less than its unredeemed neighbor and when it speaks, it is a tongue of life, and of wisdom. Could modern Christianity learn such discipline?

There are so many passages that shout to us about our speech, “The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice” (Psalm 37:30). The psalmist declares what we all should say, “My mouth will impart wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding” (Psalm 49:3). If you guard your mouth and monitor your speech, you will protect your life, “but the one who opens his lips [mouth] invites his own ruin” (Proverbs 13:3).

IDEA TWENTY-THREE: We protect our life and our credibility by the discipline of silence. When we speak, we impart wisdom with our words, guarding our language, and choosing the right moment to speak. We can get hung by our own words. We are ruined by undisciplined, unguarded speech. This is a life and death matter.

Dealing with the Fool

Because of this, we are advised to “stay away from a foolish man.” We will, the Bible says, “gain no knowledge from his speech” (Prov. 14:7). Avoid him. In contrast, “The heart of the wise man instructs his mouth and adds persuasiveness to his lips” (Prov. 16:23).

IDEA TWENTY-FOUR: We are to be discerning of those who are closed to the gospel and those who are open. We can, by grace, be persuasive in our presentation of the gospel, out of wise heart. However, some people cannot be persuaded in their present state. We are instructed to avoid them. We can only pray for them.

The Bible highlights the destructive power of speech, particularly foolish speech. In scripture, a fool is not someone who lacks intelligence. He does not need more information. Immorality, not the lack of knowledge, is the marker for foolishness in Scripture. The fool is immoral and deficient spiritually. Why? He has rejected God’s wisdom (Psalm 14:1). As a result, his speech is careless, reckless and lacking in sensitivity or understanding. It leads to chaos and damage to others.

IDEA TWENTY-FIVE: We can discern the spiritually foolish by their speech. The problem in their resistance to the gospel is not their lack of knowledge, but their commitment to sin patterns. Pray. Only the Holy Spirit can break through such bondage.

In ancient Israel, speech was a primary reflection of character and an indicator of the depth and sincerity of one’s relationship with God. The fool’s mouth is at times like a fountain, a gushing of words, suggesting a lack of control and personal discipline. It is a fountain that cannot be stopped (James 3:5-6). Such people never seem to be able to be quiet. James reminds us that our tongue is also like a rudder on a ship. Compared to the vessel, it is small, but it turns the massive ship. So, our tongue, our speech, turns us. It turns the direction of groups, even nations. This small part of the body can cause great destruction. We are warned against careless and reckless words.

IDEA TWENTY-SIX: In a free-speech culture, the right to speak is overrated, and the value of restraint and silence is ignored. The nature of the secular culture around us also affects the church. Our mouths too are like fountains. Words steer our lives; they control our destiny. They are revelations of our heart’s orientation. What we think, we say, and we say, we do. We talk ourselves into things – both godly and ungodly. We follow the crowd and conform to its norms. Our character is revealed in our speech. And speech drives action. With it, we are revealed as foolish or wise.

And there is more:
• “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools pours out foolishness” Prov. 15:2.
• “A prudent man conceals knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.” Proverbs 12:23.
• “Every prudent man deals with knowledge: but a fool lays open his folly” Proverbs 13:16.
• “Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, does hear?” Psalm 59:7.

The Power of Speech

“A man has joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!” (Proverbs 15:23, 28). This passage is telling. In Psalm 59:7, the tongue is like a sword – it destroys lives, it cleaves. Words start wars. James says, the tongue starts fires (James 3:6). Speech is powerful. Lifegiving or deadly.

IDEA TWENTY-SEVEN: Your speech is a monitor of your emotions – sadness and joy, anger and forgiveness, revenge or grace, a stingy or giving spirit. All are indicated by one’s speech. At times, our inner emotions, not reason, drive the tongue making it a sword, severing friendships, creating divisions, starting a fire, or even a war. The alternative? A life-giving, conciliatory word spoken by a disciplined person at the right time.

In Biblical literature, wisdom is often associated with the Holy Spirit, and also with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10) – worshipful reverence for God. The wise person speaks in a manner that promotes understanding and truth, reflecting biblical principles. These are words that have the power to edify and not tear down (Proverbs 18:21).

IDEA TWENTY-EIGHT: A wise person lends his tongue to the Holy Spirit, this is great idea of Acts 2, speaking by the Spirit. Such speech reverences God and godliness. It promotes understanding and truth, it is meant to be positive and conciliatory. It declares the gospel and the risen, enthroned Christ. It calls for reverence for God, for a decision to believe and receive Christ.

The Hebrew culture was an oral tradition. The spoken word was important to them. It was their primary means of transmitting truth and preserving their treasury of knowledge. Ultimately, the wise tongue is a type of Christ – the Word made flesh (John 1:14), perfect wisdom and truth. And the Spirit’s residence in us, is to replicate Christ.

IDEA TWENTY-NINE: The wise tongue, under the control of the Spirit, gives expression to Jesus, the Christ. It is ‘the word,’ by the Spirit, again manifesting in flesh. Christ in us.
Let’s return for a moment to Proverbs 12:18. We noted this passage earlier in talking about the Biblical standard for speech. The NIV reads, “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” The NLT, “Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.” Notice the variations in translations. Here is the ESV, “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” The Good News Translation is helpful, “Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal.”

IDEA THIRTY: We are reminded again of the power of words, a fact we ignore. And by implication, of the need to discipline the tongue to avoid reckless words that are deadly. To speak wisely, with words that heal.

In Proverbs 12:18, we have one who speaks rashly and thoughtlessly, and one who speaks wisely. We have one that speaks words that wound and the other that speaks words that heal. Both times, these are words that are spoken. One is like a warrior’s sword, meant to draw blood and inflict an injury. The other is like a medic’s scalpel, surgically caring for an illness or treating a wound along with the application of medicine and the offer of comfort meant to assure and encourage the wounded that they will be healed. The last phrase, “the wise brings healing,” is more consistent in various translations than any other portion of the passage.

IDEA THIRTY-ONE: If you are consistently speaking words that heal, that bind up wounds and offer comfort, you are among the wise. These are not merely thoughts about another person, they are spoken over and to the person. This is the prophetic – words of comfort, exhortation and edification (1 Cor. 14:2).

The assertion in Provers 12:18 is remarkable – words that heal. The Hebrew for heal is marpe. It means healing a person by effecting a cure to restore health, to find and apply a remedy. This is the role of the believer. It is the idea of the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to proclaim good news…to bind up the broken-hearted” (Isa. 61:1). The end is soundness, wholeness. tranquility. The pain that has crippled and confused the wounded is replaced by calm and composure. Dignity is restored. In Isaiah 61, the poor, the wounded, the captive, the bound – are all conditions where dignity and freedom have been stripped. Yet, by the Spirit’s proclamation, through anointed men and women, these people pass into favor with God, receiving comfort. To them is “bestowed…a crown of beauty” (Isa. 61:3), along with “the oil of joy…and a garment of praise.” They are the people through whom God “displays His splendor” (Isa. 61:3). Not only are they healed, but they also become agents of healing. They “restore ruins” (Isa. 61:4). They are healing communities. They are named “priests of the Lord,” elevated to the noble and sacred role of representing God (Isa. 61:6). A new disposition of poise is enabled by grace.

IDEA THIRTY-TWO: Words heal. The power of comfort by the voice of a loving friend in the healing process has never been fully understood. It can’t be overvalued. And the same is true for emotional wounds. Words find remedies for conditions that medicine cannot cure. They effect inner peace, tranquility, assurance – love. They renew one’s sense of dignity.

• “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,” Proverbs 15:2, NIV.
• “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit,” Proverbs 18:21, NIV.
• “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones,” Proverbs 16:24, NASB.
• “Like apples of gold in settings of silver, is a word spoken in right circumstances,” Proverbs 25:11, NASB.