Thousands of acres have been demolished through either carelessness, hubris, or arson. The tongue is like this. If let loose in the right environment, it can burn out of control and damage much. This illustration reminds us that one of the tongue s frequent tendencies is to boast. To bring attention to oneself or one s own insights is a manifestation of this spiritual forest fire.
Heresy is also another sin of the tongue.
When people begin to deviate from Scripture, they take small steps. These sparks then become gangrenous, if not contained. They lead to more and more error. Watch against those first boasts of error. Although it is a very small part, compared to the rest of the human anatomy, it has large impact.