How can ye, being evil, speak good things?Matthew 12:33-37, “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things…For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

Among us there are those who have a propensity for kindness when considering man’s fallen state. Some think that mankind is in a totally depraved condition and lacks no ability to fully develop any evil thought, word, or deed. Then, the contradistinctive position is assumed that we are good beings that are getting a bad deal through no fault of our own (Adam) and God has since apologized by sending His son to die for us and we are all eventually going to live forever with God in bliss. In the mean time, the world is rampant with sin and not getting better.

In our day we are overrun with books and tapes explaining the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” We must admit that unpleasant things happen all the time to people who appear undeserving. Contrariwise we must admit that pleasant things happen to people who appear undeserving, unappreciative and unthankful and even unaware of any heavenly Father of lights from whom the good and perfect gifts come.

Ecclesiastes 8:14 says that this is an empty, or vain thought, “There is a vanity [waste of time] which is done upon the earth; [to consider] that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is [a waste of time] vanity.”

There are a couple of points to keep in mind when considering these hard questions about the good and bad happening to all, that don’t seem to surface in the discussions on “why.” One point is that bad things don’t happen to good people. There are no good people. “ALL we like sheep have gone astray, EVERY one of us has turned to his own way.” (Isaiah 53:6) All have sinned and come short, all have missed the mark. Jesus Himself said, There is none good – but God. Is this a technicality? Is this inapplicable when considering whether man is good or not, whether he deserves bad things or not?

We must not look at the “bad things” as getting what we deserve as much as fruit that has come to the tree. We must make either the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt or make the tree good and the fruit good, but we cannot say that a good tree is bringing forth corrupt fruit.

In Matthew 5:45, Jesus taught that we should bless and give gifts as God does, revealing that God gives the good things of life to all – without partiality. Life is indeed a gift from God. What if the rain only fell on the crops of those who love Him? “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Here we see the impartial loving favor of God, but what about the unpleasant things? In Ecclesiastes 2:14, where he was considering the fate of fools and wise he said, “… I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.” The only thing that separates God’s people from the rest is how the disaster is handled, not whether or not it comes. “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” (Proverbs 24:16)

After the initial point (that there are no good people) is accepted, some will alter the question and ask, “Why do bad things happen to God’s people?” The question is yet moot, for just as there are no “good” people, we must consider that there are no “bad” things. The things that we insist on calling bad, really, are unwanted, unpleasant, painful, or costly.

Who would call a new baby a bad thing? Yet no one would look forward to hours of painful labor; or, if a man suddenly came into a great deal of money and it eventually caused him to turn from God and lose out on the eternal reward laid up for him, who could call the windfall a “good thing?” Jesus asked, “What would it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” Just because things are unpleasant and painful, we cannot label them “bad” until we see their effect on us in the long run. Just because we gain what we want, we cannot call the experiences “good” until we see how these things effect us long term.

From where do these things come? How are these pleasant and unpleasant things set into motion and suddenly appear in our lives? Jesus said that they come from our hearts and our mouths. We, who dwell on the wickedness in us and in this world, cause this wickedness to manifest and eventually (in the form of unpleasantness) appear in our lives.

They do not necessarily appear as unpleasant items mind you, but our reaction to ANYTHING – pleasant or unpleasant, good or bad, welcome or unwelcome, riches or poverty, sickness or health, causes our downfall, failure, hardship, or it brings about deliverance, joy, and accomplishment. We have the ability to make castles from sand or make sand of our castles. All this creative power comes from the ABUNDANCE of our heart.

…how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things…For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

Realization of this idea (that you have the power within you to make any situation a stumbling block or a stepping stone) has caused an erroneous teaching. The error is that the abundance is in your control, namely in the words you speak. This is not a matter of learning to speak right, avoiding certain words or making good confessions of faith, nor is it control of your own will. You cannot decide to fill your heart with good things so your life will be better. You must lay down your life filled with evil, your heart filled with evil things, and exchange them for the abundant life and a heart full of good things.

This exchange is only accomplished through repentance and conversion.

Cry out to God for His mercy, and surrender your will to His. He will fill your heart with good things so that your reaction to the evil things, the “bad” and unpleasant things, will bring about goodness and blessing in your life.

 Out of the Abundance of Your Heart

The abundance of your heart will cause you to speak good things. These words will not be a forced or wooden parroting of positive thinking verses; they will be true and genuine representations of the contents of your heart. There will be heard from your mouth the most gracious words of acceptance and goodwill. You will bless, and not curse, the things seemingly invading your life. ANY thing, good or bad will have the same effect of blessing. You will be surprised how the things that ruined you before will encourage and strengthen you now. From the abundance of your heart your mouth will speak.

Job 8:20-21 says, “Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers: Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.”

Your own wickedness causes your grief. As soon as you realize that, you will be well on your way to repairing it. God waits for you to change your evil and selfish way. When you go His way, He will change your heart. That will change your acceptance of His will and your attitude toward your own life and the “good” and “bad” things that happen in it. This change will be heard in your speech. Complaints, condemnation, and confusion will disappear, and be replaced with blessing.

Your speech should sound as if God were in control. You need to smile and bless, and not condemn and not complain. It is true, your words need to change, but “How can ye, being evil, speak good things?” James 1:17