In a world where words flow freely through conversations, social media posts, text messages, and countless other channels, we rarely pause to consider what our speech reveals about us. Yet thousands of years ago, Jesus Christ offered a profound insight that still resonates today: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45, NKJV).
This verse, tucked within Jesus’s Sermon on the Plain, contains wisdom that goes far beyond simple religious instruction. It offers a profound psychological and spiritual truth about human nature, one that invites deep self-reflection and has the power to transform our relationships, our communities, and ultimately our own hearts.
But what exactly does Luke 6:45 mean for us today? How can this ancient wisdom apply to modern life? And how might understanding this verse more deeply change the way we speak, listen, and live? Let’s explore these questions together.
The Context: Understanding Luke 6:45 in Its Biblical Setting
Before diving into the meaning of Luke 6:45, it’s important to situate this verse within its broader context. This statement appears in what scholars call the “Sermon on the Plain,” a collection of Jesus’s teachings recorded in Luke 6:17-49. While similar to Matthew’s famous “Sermon on the Mount,” this discourse has its own distinct elements and emphases.
In the verses immediately preceding Luke 6:45, Jesus uses the metaphor of trees and fruit to illustrate character:
“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.” (Luke 6:43-44)
This agricultural illustration would have resonated deeply with Jesus’s first-century audience, who lived in an agrarian society. Just as you can identify a tree by examining its fruit, Jesus suggests, you can recognize a person’s true character by observing what they produce, especially in their words.
The verse that follows Luke 6:45 shifts to another metaphor: house-building. Jesus contrasts those who hear His words and do them (building on a solid foundation) with those who hear but don’t act (building without a foundation). This sandwiching of our verse between two powerful metaphors, trees/fruit and building foundations, highlights its significance as a pivotal teaching about authentic discipleship.
Breaking Down Luke 6:45: A Verse in Three Parts
Let’s dissect this verse to better understand its components:
- “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good.” – This first clause establishes that positive speech and behavior flow from internal goodness. The Greek word for “treasure” (θησαυροῦ/thēsaurou) suggests a storehouse or repository of just random thoughts but accumulated values, beliefs, and character traits.
- “And an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil” – This parallel structure reinforces the cause-and-effect relationship between internal character and external expression. What’s inside will inevitably come out.
- “For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” – The concluding statement provides the universal principle. The word “abundance” (περισσεύματος/perisseumatos) literally means “overflow” or “surplus.” Our speech reveals what fills our hearts to overflowing.
This three-part structure creates a comprehensive teaching about the connection between our inner life and our outward expression, particularly through speech.
The Heart in Biblical Understanding
To fully grasp Luke 6:45, we need to understand what “heart” meant in biblical times. Unlike our modern association of the heart primarily with emotions, the biblical concept of “heart” (καρδίας/kardias in Greek) was much broader.
In Scripture, the heart represents the center of a person’s being, including their intellect, emotions, will, and moral character. It’s the core of one’s personality and the seat of decision-making. When the Bible speaks of the heart, it refers to our complete inner life, not just our feelings.
This comprehensive understanding makes Jesus’s statement even more significant. He’s not simply saying that our emotional state affects our words (though that’s true). He’s asserting that our entire inner life, our thoughts, beliefs, values, desires, and character, inevitably manifests in our speech.
The Treasure Chest Analogy
Jesus’s metaphor of “treasure” offers a helpful way to visualize this principle. Imagine your heart as a treasure chest. Throughout your life, you fill this chest with various items:
- Values you’ve embraced
- Beliefs you’ve adopted
- Memories you’ve stored
- Wounds you’ve suffered
- Joys you’ve experienced
- Habits you’ve formed
- Content you’ve consumed
When life’s pressures squeeze when you’re stressed, tired, surprised, or put on the spot, what spills out? According to Jesus, it’s whatever your heart is filled with “in abundance.”
This explains why people often say things they later regret in moments of pressure. It’s not that these words are uncharacteristic; rather, they reveal what was already there, perhaps hidden beneath a carefully maintained surface.
Words as Diagnostic Tools
If our words flow from our hearts, then our speech serves as a diagnostic tool for our spiritual and emotional health. Just as a doctor might listen to your heartbeat through a stethoscope to assess your physical condition, you can “listen” to your own words to gauge your inner state.
Consider these questions:
- What topics dominate your conversation?
- What tone characterizes your speech?
- How do you talk about others when they’re not present?
- What comes out when you’re under pressure?
- What words flow when you’re caught off guard?
The answers provide insight into what fills your heart “in abundance.” This self-diagnostic isn’t meant to induce shame but to promote self-awareness and growth.
The Relationship Between Heart and Speech in Scripture
Luke 6:45 doesn’t stand alone in Scripture. This connection between heart and speech appears throughout the Bible:
- “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” (Matthew 15:11)
- “Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” (Matthew 15:18-19)
- “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21)
- “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29)
These verses collectively emphasize that speech isn’t merely a matter of communication; it’s a spiritual issue that reveals our character and shapes our relationships.
Modern Psychological Perspectives on Luke 6:45
While Luke 6:45 comes from ancient Scripture, its principle aligns with modern psychological understanding. Contemporary psychology recognizes that our speech patterns often reveal our underlying thoughts, beliefs, values, and emotional states.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), for instance, examines the connection between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, including our speech. CBT practitioners often help clients identify negative speech patterns that reveal underlying negative beliefs.
Similarly, psycholinguistics study of the psychology of language, examines how our word choices, speech patterns, and communication styles reflect our mental processes, social identities, and emotional states.
Even in everyday life, we intuitively understand this connection. We say things like “That’s not like you” when someone’s words seem inconsistent with their character, or “You’re not yourself today” when someone’s speech patterns change during stress or illness.
Modern psychology thus affirms what Jesus taught: our words provide a window into our inner world.
Application: Transforming the Heart for Better Speech
If our words flow from our hearts, then merely trying to “watch what we say” addresses symptoms rather than causes. Real transformation requires heart change.
How can we cultivate hearts that naturally produce good speech? Scripture offers several pathways:
1. Filling Your Heart with Truth
“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). When we internalize truth through Scripture reading, meditation, memorization, and study, it becomes part of our heart’s treasure, eventually flowing out in our speech.
2. Guarding Your Heart
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). This involves being intentional about what we allow into our minds, the media we consume, the conversations we engage in, and the thoughts we dwell on.
3. Regular Heart Examination
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). Self-reflection and prayerful examination help us identify what needs to change within.
4. Community Accountability
“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17). Trusted friends can help us see blind spots in our speech patterns that reveal heart issues.
5. Practicing Gratitude and Praise
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16). Cultivating thankfulness and worship reorients our hearts toward goodness.
Luke 6:45 in Everyday Life: Practical Examples
How might Luke 6:45 play out in everyday scenarios? Consider these examples:
The Workplace Conversation
Mark consistently speaks critically about his colleagues during lunch breaks. Despite claiming to value teamwork, his speech reveals a heart filled with competitiveness and insecurity. Luke 6:45 would suggest that Mark needs to address these heart issues, not just monitor his words more carefully.
The Family Dinner
During a family dinner, Grandmother Sarah always finds ways to express gratitude for the food, the company, and even for challenges that taught her something. Without trying to “be positive,” her speech naturally flows from a heart that has cultivated thankfulness over decades.
The Social Media Post
Jamie posts angry political rants online but claims they’re “just venting” and don’t represent their real views. Luke 6:45 challenges this disconnect, suggesting that our digital communication is equally revealing of our hearts.
The Crisis Response
When their child falls and gets hurt at the playground, Jordan immediately reacts with calm, comforting words rather than panic. This instinctive response reveals a heart that has internalized peace and presence, even if Jordan doesn’t consciously think about it in the moment.
In each of these scenarios, words function as windows into the heart, revealing what truly fills each person’s inner life.
Common Misunderstandings of Luke 6:45
While powerful in its truth, Luke 6:45 is sometimes misunderstood or misapplied:
Misunderstanding #1: Perfect Speech Requires a Perfect Heart
Some believe this verse demands perfection, that Christians should never say anything wrong because their hearts should be completely transformed. This creates unnecessary guilt and shame.
In reality, heart transformation is a process. Even mature believers have areas of ongoing growth and struggle. The verse describes a principle rather than prescribing perfection.
Misunderstanding #2: All Negative Speech Indicates an Evil Heart
Sometimes people interpret this verse to mean that any expression of grief, lament, or righteous anger must come from a corrupt heart. This misunderstanding ignores that Jesus himself expressed righteous anger and lamentation.
A good heart doesn’t always produce “positive” speech; sometimes it produces truthful speech that addresses difficult realities with appropriate gravity.
Misunderstanding #3: Speech Control Is the Primary Goal
Some focus exclusively on controlling speech without addressing the heart issues beneath it. This treats Luke 6:45 as primarily about communication technique rather than inner transformation.
While speech discipline matters, Jesus points to it as a symptom rather than the core issue. Changed speech should flow from a changed heart.
Luke 6:45 Across Different Bible Translations
Different Bible translations offer nuanced perspectives on this verse:
- King James Version (KJV): “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”
- New International Version (NIV): “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
- English Standard Version (ESV): “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
- New Living Translation (NLT): “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”
While expressing the same core truth, each translation offers slightly different emphases. The NIV and NLT, for instance, make the meaning more immediately accessible to modern readers with phrases like “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” and “what you say flows from what is in your heart.”
Contemporary Challenges: Luke 6:45 in the Digital Age
Jesus spoke in Luke 6:45 in an era of face-to-face communication. How does this principle apply in our digital age, where so much “speech” happens through texts, emails, social media posts, and other written forms?
The principle remains powerfully relevant. In fact, digital communication often reveals heart conditions even more starkly:
- Reduced Filters: Without facial expressions and immediate social feedback, people often express thoughts online that they might filter in person.
- Permanent Record: Unlike spoken words, digital communications create a searchable record that can be analyzed for patterns over time.
- Amplified Impact: Digital words can reach thousands or millions, multiplying both their potential for good and harm.
- Deceptive Distance: The illusion of distance in digital communication sometimes allows people to express heartfelt attitudes they normally conceal.
In many ways, Luke 6:45 offers a needed corrective to our digital discourse. It reminds us that whether spoken aloud or typed on a keyboard, our words reflect our hearts and impact others accordingly.
The Ripple Effect: How Our Words Shape Communities
Luke 6:45 focuses on individual heart conditions, but its implications extend to community health. Our speech doesn’t just reveal our hearts, it influences others’ hearts as well.
Consider how different types of speech affect communities:
- Grumbling and Complaining: Negative speech patterns can spread discontent through families, workplaces, and churches.
- Gratitude and Encouragement: Positive speech can elevate community morale and cultivate collective resilience.
- Truthful Communication: Honest, kind truth-telling builds trust and authenticity in relationships.
- Gossip and Slander: Destructive speech about others erodes community trust and creates division.
When multiple people commit to heart-level transformation that produces healthy speech, entire cultures can shift. This is why the New Testament frequently addresses speech patterns in its instructions for church communities (Ephesians 4:29-32, Colossians 3:8-17, James 3:1-12).
Conclusion
Luke 6:45 is more than a reflection on speech, it’s an invitation to heart-level transformation. Jesus shows that our words reveal what fills our hearts, calling us to self-awareness, honesty about inner struggles, and a desire for true change from the inside out. Rather than merely managing behavior, this verse points to the deeper work of renewing the heart, knowing our speech shapes not only ourselves but our communities. When our words expose what we’d rather not see, we can take hope in Jesus, the one who transforms hearts and, in doing so, transforms what overflows from them.