What did Jesus mean that “by your words you will be justified” (Matthew 12:37)?
ANSWER
In Matthew 12:37, Jesus says, “By your words, you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned” (ESV). Here, Jesus makes a connection between our hearts and the words we speak.
Jesus said, “By your words you will be justified” in the context of addressing the Pharisees, who had just accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul (Matthew 12:27). Jesus uses this opportunity to teach on the connection between the Pharisees’ hearts and their words. Just as a tree is known by its fruit, people are known by their words. The idea is that words reveal the condition of our hearts: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (verse 34, ESV).
Words, then, are not insignificant. On the contrary, they are direct manifestations of what lies within our hearts. Since the Pharisees had spoken evil things about Jesus, they demonstrated the evil in their hearts. Radical conversion by the Holy Spirit is necessary to cleanse our hearts and make us new (John 3:3, 5; Titus 3:5). Following conversion, our words will “justify” us, i.e., our words will acquit us and demonstrate that we have been born again.
When Jesus says, “By your words, you will be justified” (NKJV), He is not saying that our words possess some kind of magical power to make us right before God. Rather, He is saying that God-glorifying words are evidence of saving faith. Just as fruit reveals the health of a tree, our words reveal the spiritual health of our hearts. In this way, pure, righteous, and holy speech demonstrates the genuineness of our faith. Conversely, if our words are evil, blasphemous, or deceitful, that is a sign we are not right with God.
Matthew 12:37 corresponds to several other biblical passages. For example, Proverbs 18:21 states, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits” (ESV). Here, Solomon points out that words can either have a positive or negative impact. To use Jesus’ words in Matthew 12:37, words can either “acquit” or “condemn” us. Therefore, it is important for us to be mindful of how we use our words. Believers should always use their words to glorify God and edify others. “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths,” Paul says to the Ephesians, “but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29, ESV). James teaches that controlling the tongue is basic to godly living: “If we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way” (James 3:2, NLT).
Romans 10:9–10 also makes the connection between our hearts and our words: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (ESV). Confession, then, is an outward expression of saving faith, and it is by our words that we will be justified or shown to be genuine believers (Matthew 12:37).
Matthew 12:37 reminds us that words are significant because they reveal where we stand with God. If we have been justified by faith, then we will live and walk by the Spirit, producing good fruit, including good speech. If we are not in the right standing with God, then that, too, will be evident by our words (see Matthew 7:16).
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