But ||the tongue|| none′ of mankind can′ ||tame||,—
A restless′ mischief! Full of deadly poison! – James 3.8

I cannot think of a better example of the presence of original sin than the tongue.  Let him who is without sin here, cast the first stone!  Who have we not talked about behind their backs?  Who have we not spoken ill of when they weren’t there to defend themselves?  If you’re patting yourself on the back about how well you have done with your tongue, who have you not spoken against in your mind?  Jesus said that a thought is just as wrong as an actual spoken word, and so we all stand condemned.

How vividly James captures the nature of the tongue.  It is “full of deadly poison!” And so it is, one minute praying and praising our Lord and in the next minute gossiping about, well, everyone.

This is humbling and makes me happy for grace and for Romans 8.  “There is therefore now no condemnation [even for those of us with loose tongues] for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  I am thankful for that for surely James 3.8 exposes my own guilt.