With it (the tongue) we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.

                                                                                                                   James 3:9-12 

Imagine attending a wonderful church service. The worship is awesome, the preaching convicting and powerful, and the fellowship with others, second to none. But as we leave, we begin to talk negatively about others that we had experienced in that setting. Imagine spending our time worshiping God and enjoying time with fellow believers only to digress into destructive words about others. This is what is at the heart of James’ declaration in today’s passage.

First, we need not miss the obvious reference to the intrinsic value that God places on all of His creation. James tells us that we should not curse others (with our words) because they are “made in the likeness of God.” It’s amazing that when it comes to infants, we usually have no problem seeing the marvelous, miraculous work of God (Psalm 139:14). But for some reason, as those we grow into adulthood, we begin to take offense with others, especially when they do not agree with us. These disagreements can be about a variety of issues but it is our attitudes that develop from this conflict that leads to “cursing others with our words.” As believers, we are to value human life…all life. We should recognize that all of humanity has been created by God and everyone is made in the likeness of His image, meaning that everyone has intrinsic value. We are to consider others as more important than ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4). When we do these things, we are less likely to follow our worship of God with vile and destructive language.

With clarity, James tells us that, “these things ought not to be this way.” The church is to rise above the scratching and clawing of the world. As believers, we are to be the “called out ones” and our speech and they way in which we treat others is to be a testimony to that reality. James uses a device in making his point. “Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?” This is an obvious reference to the two kinds of words that flow from our tongues. The fresh water is in reference to the edifying and encouraging words that we speak. The bitter would be damaging and destructive attitudes and words. When it comes to a fountain, how can both types of water flow? The answer is obvious…they can’t. The water flows from the source and that point of origin is either full of fresh or bitter water, but not both.

So how can our words be so gracious and hospitable while we are attending church only to find ourselves gossiping and slandering our fellow man afterwards? As James would say, “that should not be.” Our heart is the source of our fountain (spiritually speaking) and it is out of the heart that we see the flow of our words. If our hearts are full of love, joy, and peace in the Spirit, then fresh, gracious, restorative, and redemptive language will be the result. I believe this is to what Jesus was referring when He spoke the following:

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.

                                                                                                                           John 7:38 

But if our hearts are full of bitterness, resentment, and anger, then our words will also flow from that source as well. I believe this is why Paul is warning us against these things when he writes the following:

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

                                                                                                            Ephesians 4:29 

Blessing God and then cursing others is not Christian behavior. Our words will give away our hearts. Either we will demonstrate that the Spirit is active in our attitudes, words, and behaviors or we will reveal the bitterness contained within. Either way, the tongue has tremendous power and we must learn to use it for good!