Something Is Wrong with This Picture 

I see it over and over. The latest example I witnessed was when a celebrity had been released from prison. He thanks God for his newfound freedom and shares what sounds like an evangelical testimony of someone who has been saved through faith in Jesus. However, shortly afterwards I hear the same person cursing while exhibiting other actions and attitudes that don’t seem to harmonize with being a follower of Christ. Such contradictory behavior is not unusual. We see high-profile people, whether politicians, athletes, or entertainers verbally express their faith in the Lord. Nevertheless, they turn around and use filthy language or otherwise behave in a manner that doesn’t coincide with their previous words. I hear other believers lift up these individuals as being good examples, praising them for their boldness to be a witness for Jesus when in the spotlight. But are they being a good witness for Jesus? A person’s testimony isn’t simply about the words they say but also about the kind of life they live. If their subsequent words and actions contradict their claim to faith in Jesus, isn’t that a sign that something isn’t right? In some ways, doesn’t that do more harm than good for the cause of Christ and His kingdom? Doesn’t that give the world reason to think of them as hypocrites or to dismiss their professed faith because “they are no different from anybody else.”

 When people deliver such mixed messages by their words or actions, it isn’t right. That isn’t just my personal opinion. The Bible declares it to be so. In talking about the tongue or our words, James declares, “With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so (James 3:9-10). That is the first truth we must realize and admit. It ought not to be that way. Something is wrong when people are praising Jesus one minute and either spewing out curse words or hateful speech in the next. This isn’t behavior to be praised. These aren’t examples for us to emulate. It simply isn’t right, godly, or Christlike.

However, even after recognizing that it isn’t good, we still need to be careful about making excuses for the person involved. It may be true that the person could be a believer, but immature in his or her faith. Likewise, we know that we all fall short of godliness at times. Nevertheless, if our words and behavior are consistently at odds with the godliness that should accompany salvation, it suggests an issue in the heart that needs to be addressed. It could even indicate that a person may only be outwardly professing something which they don’t really possess. In that passage in the book of James it continues, “Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh” (James 3:11-12).

The fruit we bear in our lives is evident of what is in our heart. And it is not just the fruit of what we say when put on camera. It is the fruit of what we say and do every day, when the pressure is on, and when rough times come. Our witness for Jesus isn’t just about giving Him praise when we win or when we are in the spotlight. It is about honoring Him through our words, spirit, attitudes, and actions under all circumstances.

Blessing and cursing, godliness and ungodliness, springing from the same source just isn’t right, whether it is coming from us or from others. It is a heart issue that God needs to deal with.