Controlling the tongue and spiritual growth

Pavel Mosko said:

James 1:26 ►
"Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless."


Many see the passages of the epistle of James in a negative light (It goes on and on the power of people to hurt each other with their speech etc.) I actually see the above passage positively, that is to say the Existential decision to day by day to govern your speech and your overall disposition towards others actually lends credibility to your testimony of Faith, and if you want a way to grow in the Fruit of Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) one of the most immediate ways to do so, is to do your best to exercise self control, compassion etc. at those times when you are most tempted to respond back to others who have slighted you in like kind.


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Pavel Mosko said:

Well the Greek lexicon is Orge, the basic word we get for orgy, but it actually is a more general word for a fiery passion, especially anger. Interesting how it became more sexualized by us later.

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Pavel Mosko said:

Well the Greek lexicon is Orge, the basic word we get for orgy, but it actually is a more general word for a fiery passion, especially anger. Interesting how it became more sexualized by us later.

I often like checking the Aramaic/ Hebrew equivalents since I think the original writers were often thinking in those terms. It seems like that basic translation holds up when switching to the Aramaic NT, which isn't surprising. (Most of the time, it does the topic of love being the most noticeable exception. Lots of people read a lot into agape and phileo while the Hebraic idea of love is much more general and less specific.)

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Pavel Mosko said:

Ah good point, I think that might even qualify as a Socratic question.

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I suspect, given what I know about the rest of the the NT that gossip, back biting and complaining might be what he had in mind. And other kinds of scheming, factions, dissensions, schisms and rivalries also included in that.

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Pavel Mosko said:

Well I have been using and plugging "The Bible Project", which gives these nice little animated comic book Cliff note summaries and analysis of to all the various books of the Bible as well as other kinds of Lexicon concepts etc.

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In reading and rereading the book, I actually think he is getting at what I was getting at. In Chapter 3 he talks about "taming the tongue" at length comparing it to bridling a horse, or having a rudder on a ship. And how our behavior should exemplify the fruit of spirit etc.


But given what he talks about the poor immediately in the next chapter. It really looks like there was some double mindedness going on with the poor in the congregation. In culture, it was recognized that you should be take care of the poor in various ways, but given human nature I think the poor were sometimes treated with contempt (as irritants, burdens etc.), or obvious favoritism was given to rich people for business and personal reasons of various church goes (so they get favors, business etc.). So in that regard, they might not have been much better than the Pharisees who did similar kind of things (they gave their parents support as offerings, and liked to give very public offerings which I believe were sometimes done as a commercial advertisements of them their business, or whatever position in society or the synagogue they were competing for).


Anyone some of this might have something to do with the famous Raca passage regarding "fools being in danger of hellfire". But some of the etymology on that word, actually seems to come from spitting. Spitting was a common way of showing contempt for that society, and we even sometimes do that (especially in watching western movies, with people chewing tobacco etc.) But there is a passages in the OT at showing contempt for God by showing contempt for the poor since he is their Maker.



Besides that their were obvious issues of quarreling in the church (some of which even have lead to murder). Where their fights came about "from the battles that were waged in their heart".



PS - All of this also caused me to look at the language of the Beatitudes (again that is). Poor in spirit, mostly being thought of as a euphemism for humility, although this one Jewish encyclopedia I saw seemed to indicate it had a specific kind of connotation or origin for 2nd temple Judaism, mentioned in some Qumram scrolls etc.

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