James 3:12, commentary and pictures

One source cannot produce opposite kinds, so a fig tree does not bear olives, a vine does not bear figs, and a fountain does not send forth both salt water and fresh. What a person says reveals what is within, so blessing and cursing should not come from the same mouth, and conduct and outward choices show the spirit of the heart. The inner fountain must be made pure through Christ's love and transforming grace, by drawing nigh to God and surrendering the soul to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, so that a right heart produces right words and conduct. A profession of faith joined with unkind, bitter, suspicious and accusing speech is false and self-deceived, for the bitter water is strife, jealousy, evil surmising and evil speaking to exalt self, while the sweet water is love to God and man. Wisdom from above is shown by good conduct with meekness and is pure, peaceable, gentle, merciful and impartial, while bitter envying, strife and self-exaltation reveal a corrupt source and a wisdom that is earthly, sensual and devilish bringing confusion and every evil work.

Consistent Source and Speech

James pictures a fixed law of nature where each source yields only after its own kind, so a fig tree never produces olives, a vine never produces figs, and a single fountain never sends forth both salt water and fresh. One spring does not give two opposite waters and one tree does not give two opposite fruits, which means one life cannot rightly produce two opposite kinds of spiritual fruit. The impossibility proves the sin when profession and practice contradict, for God never mistakes the source by its stream.

Blessing and cursing ought not to issue from the same mouth, any more than sweet water and bitter can flow from the same place. Speech is to agree with the character within, as fruit agrees with the tree and water agrees with the spring. Jealousy, faultfinding, talebearing, gossip, and sowing dissension by word and act show that the speaker is not living as a branch of the True Vine but is displaying the attributes of Satan.

What a person says and does discloses what fills the heart and what spirit governs within. A harsh, impatient, contentious spirit cannot yield Christlike speech or peace, and those who claim to serve truth while speaking from bitterness contradict the truth they profess. Speaking evil of fellow believers and making merchandise of their mistakes and sins cannot come from a sweet fountain of true profession, even when the accuser is more guilty before God than the one condemned. The clash between life and profession is therefore self-evident, and conduct is to express justice, generosity, tenderness, compassion, and courtesy in harmony with God's commands rather than misrepresenting His character. Bitter, suspicious, accusing words over trifling matters prove the heart is not drawing sap and nourishment from Christ but is bearing the fruit of the natural, selfish heart, since a tongue set on fire by evil-speaking, watching for evil, and perverting the acts of brethren cannot at the same time bear genuine fruit of the parent stock.

True wisdom is known by good conduct carried out with meekness of wisdom. Wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy, and its fruit of righteousness is sown in peace. Boasting and words shaped by bitter envying and strife reveal a corrupt source and a wisdom that is earthly, sensual, and devilish, bringing confusion and every evil work. Self-exaltation while claiming wisdom, contention for place, division, and a bitter contentious spirit war against truth and against Christ and manifestly weaken the church, for by fruits the spirit is known. A double-minded heart that turns from the great Counsellor to finite men and harbors bitterness cannot also yield the pure, peaceable, gentle, merciful, impartial fruit of heaven, but must draw nigh to God, cleanse the hands, purify the heart, humble itself to be lifted up, and bring every burden and perplexity to Christ the source of all power.

The tongue is the unruly member that must be brought wholly under control by training in carefulness of words and acts. Restraining and measuring the course of action is not hypocrisy, and to imagine that freedom to speak and act unfettered is a privilege is self-deception. This teaching must be carefully considered, read and studied and eaten and practiced, laid to heart, and made the pattern for forming character and carried out into daily life. It exposes questioning, faultfinding over everything, and accusing the brethren as proof of imperfect character, and it demands severe self-criticism and searching of heart instead of judging the teaching and character of others, so as to become slow to speak and slow to wrath and to build up weak and tempted souls instead of destroying them. Keeping the commandments is impossible without heed to this control of the tongue, and the work of taming it must be accomplished in order to stand without fault before the throne of God.

Cleansed Heart, Pure Words

The heart is an inner fountain, and only when that fountain is made pure can its streams be pure, for words and conduct reveal what is in the heart just as a tree bears its own kind of fruit. A harsh, impatient and contentious spirit cannot produce Christlike speech or peace, and those who claim to serve truth while speaking from bitterness contradict the truth itself. The cleansing comes through Christ's love and transforming, sanctifying grace, by drawing nigh to God, drinking the water of life, and surrendering the soul to be purified for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. A right heart then produces right words, right conduct and right outward choices, and meekness, humility, kindness, patience and gentle speech show that inner change in daily life, even in dress and habits and orderly conduct. What flows out is decided by what is drunk within, so drinking of the water of life sends forth sweet water and not bitter.

An impure fountain sending bitter water cannot produce what is pure, so a profession of faith or sanctification joined with unkind, irritating, bitter, suspicious and accusing speech is false and self-deceived. As a pure fountain does not send forth an impure stream, so a true Christian whose heart is set on God does not utter words of abuse or enter into contention with those around him. Bitter, suspicious, accusing words over trifling matters prove the heart is not drawing sap and nourishment from the True Vine, and a tongue set on fire by evil-speaking, watching for evil and perverting the acts of brethren cannot at the same time bear genuine fruit of the parent stock. Such a person must be converted and humbled before being acknowledged as a child of God, for merely outward profession cannot save while the vine bears only wild berries and the fountain would yield both sweet and poisoned water. Truth received produces beauty in the soul, and heart and life should show genuine conversion and sanctification.

The bitter or salt water is strife, contention for supremacy, jealousy, envy, evil thinking and surmising, evil speaking, faultfinding, and demeriting others to build up self, sowing seeds that create a harvest of evils. The sweet pure waters are love to God and man. A double-minded heart that turns from the great Counsellor to finite men and harbors bitter envying and strife cannot also produce the pure, peaceable, gentle, merciful and impartial fruit of wisdom from above. A heart that sends forth strife cannot possibly send forth love, so tongue and self must be controlled and the heart submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit, with hands cleansed, hearts purified, self humbled, and every burden brought to Christ the source of all power. Then conversation, works done with meekness of wisdom, and the fruit of righteousness sown in peace flow from one pure fountain.

When the fountain loses its bitter corruption its streams become pure and sweet and refresh those who drink. A sanctified heart with Jesus in the thoughts brings decisive change in the whole life, rejecting evil in action, feeling and thought and purifying what was good from selfishness and impurity. A pure heart gives rise to pure and holy words and conduct that refresh others, showing itself in clean, orderly habits, dress, kindness, patience and gentle speech. Error mixed with valuable thoughts cannot be treated as a pure source of spiritual and moral good alongside truth, for an impure fountain cannot send forth sweet water and all truth has its source in God. The same figure describes departure from faith as an unnatural change from sweet water and good grapes in the past to bitter water and wild grapes in the present, bringing sorrow of heart as the end nears when truth alone will triumph, so truth must be planted in the heart by the Holy Spirit and daily tended there by grace.

Daily Life and Community

In the church, division, disunion and strife manifestly weaken the body and war against truth and against Christ, rather than showing a life shaped by Christ in peace and holiness. As a fig tree does not bear olives, a vine does not bear figs, and one fountain does not yield both salt and fresh water, so a bitter contentious spirit cannot come from the same source as sweet, truthful and wise conduct. What is produced reveals the nature within, for words and conduct reveal the spirit within, and by fruits the spirit is known. Strife is not the fruit of Christ and truth, but true wisdom is shown by good conduct with meekness of wisdom, through good works, meekness, peace and holiness.

Jealousy, faultfinding, talebearing, gossip and sowing dissension by word and act reveal decidedly that a church member is not a branch of the True Vine but is manifesting the attributes of Satan. Blessing and cursing cannot come from the same mouth, just as no fountain sends forth sweet water and bitter at the same place, a fig tree cannot bear olive berries and a vine cannot bear figs. One who professes Christianity cannot speak evil of brethren and make merchandise of their mistakes and sins, even when he himself is more guilty in the sight of God than the one he condemns, for a life of bitter condemnation cannot come from a sweet fountain of true profession and the contradiction between life and profession is self-evident. Such speech with bitter envying and strife in the heart comes from a wisdom that is earthly, sensual and devilish and brings confusion and every evil work, whereas the one endued with knowledge shows out of good conduct his works with meekness of wisdom, and the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Bitter, suspicious, accusing words over trifling matters prove the heart is not drawing sap and nourishment from Christ but is bearing the fruit of the natural selfish heart, and a tongue set on fire by evil-speaking, watching for evil and perverting the acts of brethren cannot at the same time bear genuine fruit of the parent stock. The habit of questioning, finding fault with everything and accusing the brethren is proof of imperfect character, and demands careful reading of the whole third chapter of James, severe self-criticism instead of judging the teaching and character of others, searching of heart, becoming slow to speak and slow to wrath, and creating a different atmosphere that builds up weak and tempted souls instead of killing them.

Careless words expressing doubt or accusing fellow believers can take root in minds and hearts and produce unbelief, apostasy and a harvest of evils. Envy, evil thinking, evil surmising, evil speaking, faultfinding, striving for supremacy and demeriting others to build up self are salt water, for no mouth can yield both fresh and salt water, just as a tree is known by its fruit and a fountain by its water. Those who profess the truth and are sent to work for others are not sent to find fault or to let others find fault in them, and every church must be carefully disciplined in the use of the imagination and the tongue. God will not work with workers in that spirit, for they only close the field, unless they humble their hearts before God and confess their sins.

Everlasting consequences depend upon the use of the tongue, because the heart is like a fountain that cannot give two kinds of water. The bitter waters are strife, contention for supremacy and bitter words from the tongue, and the sweet pure waters are love to God and man, and a heart that sends forth strife cannot possibly send forth love. Hasty harsh words reveal a defect of character that is never improved by vindicating the course taken, and the wrong done by the tongue must be confessed, with pride conquered, disunion removed, wounds healed, and reconciliation to brother and humility before God clearing the way for blessing. Therefore the tongue must be controlled, self must be controlled, and the heart must be submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit, because every word spoken must be strictly accounted for to God with eternal consequences.

In the Christian home what flows out is decided by what is drunk within, for a person is a fountain sending forth either sweet water or bitter water. If the heart drinks of the water of life, the fountain will send forth sweet water, not bitter. Loving and fearing God produces tender, wise and respectful words that bring love into the home and draw the confidence of children. Intimidating, overbearing and faultfinding words create slavish fear, expel love, corrupt character and drive children to deception and criticism. A wise, tender, God-fearing father treats the younger members of the Lord's house with tenderness and respect as the Lord's property by creation and by redemption, and teaches them to keep the way of the Lord without driving them.

A life and speech lacking purity cannot rightly serve as a source of pure godly influence, for a person cannot consistently produce both good and evil from the same source. A pure heart gives rise to pure and holy words and conduct that refresh others, for a source produces what is consistent with its nature. A gospel minister must therefore put away everything unbecoming to the ministry, for outward work cannot make an impure source produce what is pure, and the fountain must be cleansed so that only what is pure proceeds from it. When a brackish fountain loses its bad qualities its streams become pure and sweet, and a sanctified heart with Jesus in the thoughts brings decisive change in the whole life, with renewing grace rejecting evil in action, feeling and thought and purifying what was good from selfishness and impurity, so that physicians take care that what they sow in others' hearts is pure.

A merely outward profession cannot save, for as a fountain cannot yield both sweet and poisoned water and a vine bearing only wild berries cannot produce the right fruit, profession of faith must be matched by a life shaped by truth. Truth produces beauty in the soul, and heart and life should show genuine conversion and sanctification. Members need grace working deeply in their souls so that their lives become spiritually wholesome and they are ready to meet Christ, and when a fountain loses its bitter corruption its water becomes pure and sweet and its streams refresh those who drink.