Humility in Speech

Do your words demonstrate someone whose life has been transformed by Jesus? Our text this Sunday, James 4:11-17, picks up on this theme and it’s a continuation of James’ admonition that we’ve seen earlier in this book for believers to tame our tongues. In short, James’ desire is for the believer’s life and actions to be consistent with the new identity and new life they have in Christ. Having just called believers to repent and humble themselves before God, James now turns his attention to humility in speech. James calls us to fight the temptation to exalt ourselves in the way we speak. James takes aim at how we speak of those around us. Our brothers, sisters, and neighbours. Some of the questions that arise in this text would be: Do we see ourselves as superior to others and talk down to them? And how do we plan and speak of our future? Are we presumptuous in our planning? Do we boast in our own abilities? Will we humbly submit our plans to God? Do we speak in humility looking to God to exalt us or do we speak in arrogance, exalting ourselves? James wants to remind us that the manner of our speech reveals the condition of our heart. What we say exposes what or who we worship. As Christians, we must speak truthfully and humbly from the overflow of a heart and affections that have been transformed by and are consistent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A heart of humility is the antidote to self-exalting speech. The question we must ask ourselves is this: When you speak, who is being exalted?