Taming the Tongue (James 3): Gossip, Slander & “Respectable Sins” That Can Destroy Your Witness
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Jonny Ardavanis
4.9 • 902 Ratings
🗓️ 27 January 2026
⏱️ 34 minutes
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Summary
How powerful are your words—really? In this episode, we open James 1:26 and James 3 to expose the “respectable sins” of the tongue: gossip, slander, lying, crude talk, and careless words. Scripture is clear: the tongue reveals the heart, and unchecked speech can lead to self-deception and spiritual harm.
This episode is sponsored by The Master's University. To learn more about how you can invest in a college education devoted to Christ & Scripture, visit: https://www.masters.edu
We walk through five biblical realities about the tongue—why it’s powerful, restless, foul, prone to lying, and deadly through gossip—and why believers must bridle the tongue for the glory of God. If you’ve ever brushed off gossip as “not that serious,” these passages will challenge you.
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💬 Question: Which “tongue sin” do you think Christians minimize most—gossip, sarcasm, exaggeration, or crude joking?
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The scripture says there is a direct correlation |
| 0:02.3 | between the amount you talk and the amount you sin. |
| 0:04.7 | And the speech you utter, as we have already discussed, |
| 0:07.2 | reveals your heart. |
| 0:08.1 | The saddest form of deception in the scripture |
| 0:11.3 | is self-deception. |
| 0:12.9 | When you're not just deceiving others, |
| 0:14.3 | you're deceiving yourself. |
| 0:16.0 | And the scripture says, if anyone thinks |
| 0:18.3 | that he is a worshiper of God, |
| 0:20.1 | a follower of Jesus Christ, |
| 0:21.8 | and does not bridle or control his tongue, |
| 0:24.9 | that person is self-deceived. |
| 0:27.7 | They've lieded themselves, |
| 0:29.7 | and whatever faith they profess is worthless. |
| 0:40.6 | Hank, how you doing? |
| 0:41.6 | I'm doing a while, Johnny. |
| 0:42.1 | How are you doing? |
| 0:43.0 | Okay, Hank. |
| 0:43.5 | Okay. |
| 0:44.8 | I need to tell you a story. |
| 0:46.0 | I need to get it off my chest. |
... |
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