If any one think himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his heart, this man's religion is vain.
James has just called his readers to be doers of the word and not hearers only. Now he gives a test anyone can run on himself. It is not about how much religious activity a person keeps up. It is about what comes out of his mouth.
What "Religion" Means Here
The word James uses describes the visible side, not the inner life.
The word "religious" used here refers to the outward sign. It is not the word for pious or godly. It is not the word for giving religious service or worship to God. It means religious practice paid on the outside.
That outward practice can be worn like clothing, and the word itself carries the idea of being tied to a set way of living.
Someone may seem religious, and many people do put on that cloak. But if he does not keep his tongue under proper control, his religion has no value. Judaism was called "the Jews' religion," because religion is what "binds" a person to a set course of action. Christianity, instead, sets a person free from bondage.
The Deception Is Self-Deception
This man is not fooling the crowd. He is fooling himself.
The word here is not really "seems" but "deems," or "thinks himself." The question is not what he looks like to others, but what he thinks of himself. Self-deception gets its chance here because this is not deeds but only loose speech… Yet each of us urgently needs to "bridle his tongue." We each carry an old nature that Christ never had. If we do not bridle the tongue, the evil of our fallen nature finds an easy way out through it; and if we fail to judge that evil, it deceives the heart.
The Tongue Reports on the Soul
Why does James pick speech as the measure? Because nothing else shows the inner condition so quickly — and closeness to God shows up there too.
"And does not bridle his tongue." The tongue shows the state of the soul faster than anything else. When a man keeps himself in the presence of God, his speech does not turn evil, and he does not talk too much. "But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him." (Hab. 2:20.)
Even Good Works Need Testing
Zeal in good works is not proof by itself.
It is clear then, from verse 25, that we are to be doers of the work and not merely hearers of the word. But even our doings need testing. A man may seem religious and be eager in all his works. Yet if he does not bridle his tongue, his religion is proved vain. He has not learned to be "slow to speak," as verse 19 required. In giving rein to his tongue he is giving rein to self.
Where the Power to Bridle Comes From
So who can master the tongue? The answer is not stronger resolutions.
Who then can control the tongue? "No man" can do it, but Christ can, and we have only to look to Him in simple faith. This means feeling both our own utter helplessness and His all-sufficiency… How often have we suffered from some blunder of the tongue and resolved to command that wild member better next time? But our resolution proved to be like the morning cloud that passes away. All we could do was go away and weep over our miserable failure at self-control. Why? Because we took the matter on in our own strength, or at least without feeling our own weakness deeply enough.
Even so, a bridled tongue is not a tamed one.
By the power of the Spirit of God, a believer may "bridle" his tongue — that is, hold it under restraint. This is a serious responsibility. But let no one talk himself into thinking he has tamed his tongue. If he does, he will almost certainly learn by painful experience that it is still "a restless evil, full of deadly poison." So it needs constant guarding and restraining.
The Question It Leaves With Us
The last test is personal. What has the truth we know actually done in us?
What has the truth that we know done for us? Does it enable us to bridle our tongues when we are provoked? If not, what we know is worse than useless, and our religion is vain.
Summary
- Outward. The "religion" tested here is practice on public display. It is the visible side, not the inner life, and a man can put it on like a coat.
- Index. The tongue reveals the state of the soul fastest. A man who keeps himself in God's presence does not speak evil or talk too much.
- Deceived. Speech is cheaper than deeds, so this is where a man fools himself. The verdict falls on what he thinks of himself, not on what others think of him.
- Self. Giving rein to the tongue is giving rein to self. So zeal in good works still has to pass this test.
- Christ. No one can control the tongue, but Christ can. So we hold the bridle by faith and constant restraint, never by resolutions that fade like a morning cloud.