Brian G. Najapfour, The Gospel-Driven Tongue: Lessons from James on Godly Conversation. Grandville, MI: Reformed Fellowship, 2017. Paperback. 72 pages. ISBN 978-1-935369-13-4. $5.99.

The author quotes a sobering Japanese proverb, “The tongue is but three inches long, yet it can kill a man six feet high” (p. 55). We do so much talking, yet little thinking about our talking. I know this to be true in my own life. How many times have I put my foot in my mouth, spoken harshly to my wife and children, said something I immediately regretted, or alienated friends by unkind words? Here is a book that can help us all think about our speech. Rev. Brian Najapfour reminds us in five practical lessons from the letter of James that we are citizens of heaven, and thus we need to have a “heavenly accent,” that is, we must speak in such a way that “reflects our Lord and our true eternal home” (p. 32). What we learn in these lessons is that we must be quick to listen to God’s Word and slow to use our speech (chap. 1). We must, through prayer and reliance upon Christ, control our tongue lest we destroy our Christian witness and ourselves (chap. 2). We must realize that we all are vulnerable to sinning with our tongues; that the tongue, which forms our speech, is one of the most important parts of the body; and that our inclination is to use the tongue for evil (chap. 3). We must understand the sinful nature of the tongue. It is a “fire,” a “world of unrighteousness,” “untamable,” a “restless evil,” and “full of deadly poison” (chap. 4). We must realize the inconsistency of the tongue (chap. 5). We use it to bless as well as to curse, but we must learn to be consistent with our speech, for it is “an excellent indicator of what is in our hearts” (p. 62). Honest Christians will admit that they need to learn these lessons.

Rev. Najapfour notes that it is the heart, not the tongue, that is ultimately to blame. If we are to speak with the “heavenly accent,” our hearts need to be regenerated and sanctified. We cannot become consistently Christian in our speech patterns in our own strength. Thus he not only gives practical advice throughout on how to use our speech for the glory of God and for good, but also shows that “only the cross of Christ can make our bitter tongues sweet again— and only the cross can make our sinful hearts pure” (p. 63). He goes on to say, “In fact, without the cross of Christ, there would be nothing that we could do to address sufficiently the sin problem in our lives. However, we can give thanks to God, for the gospel of Jesus Christ is absolutely true, and through Him our hearts may be eternally changed” (p. 63). I heartily recommend this book for private devotions or a group study. Each chapter is short, yet packed with practical instruction, and has questions to facilitate further discussion. May this book be used to challenge many Christians to control their tongues and use them consistently for the glory of God and the edification of one another.

Rev. Steve Carr is pastor of Grace Reformed Church of NW Arkansas. He is a graduate of Kuyper College (B.S.) and Mid-America Reformed Seminary (M.Div.). He is married to Crystal, and they have five children.