During this article, I would like to address a specific implication of American Christianity's mode of legalism as it applies to speech. Hopefully this article will be both thought provoking and edifying to those who read it.
Quite frankly, the issue at hand is that we have allowed legalism to rule so much of our lives, that we have actually created an exact (or nearly so) list of "bad words," as though one's heart is judged based on their word choice, rather than on their faith or obedience to God.
You may not believe me, but try using any one of society's list of "cuss words" in the context of the church body, and just see how well it sits with the people. You don't really have to try this to know that it's true In fact, you probably shouldn't for the sake of avoiding being a stumbling block to them. However, let's say that you did try this. You may find that, even if you use one of these words in the context of trying to encourage someone (for example: "You're the nicest f@!#ing person that I know, and I wanted to let you know how much I care about you."), they will ignore everything else that you say in the conversation because of one simple word that we have deemed as horrible. Furthermore, they will not even consider where your heart is in saying this.
What is even worse is that one can have a horribly harsh attitude when speaking to someone, but they will be pardoned as pure in speech because they have not employed any of the technically "bad words." For example, "Why haven't you finished this one simple task that I asked you!? Was it really that hard!? I've never met someone so lazy in all my life!" They never technically "swore," but I really don't believe that "swear words" are the issue at hand here. Let's see what God's Word has to say about our language.
In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, specifically in Chapter 4, versus 29-32, he wrote: "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."
So, as you can see, God instructs us to use our speech in a way that not only avoids bitterness, wrath, etc., but instructs us to specifically use our speech for necessary edification. Obviously it is not a matter of which technical words that we are using. One can not defile language with words, but with the heart behind them. As The Gospel Accord to John, chapter 4, verse 24 states: "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." When Jesus said this, he was speaking to a woman who was obsessed with the idea of her status with God being based on where she worshiped, what heritage she had, her social status, etc. Jesus told her this to get her to realize that it is the state of one's spirit and heart that define one's relationship with God, rather than our physical actions. Of course I realize that most physical actions are a reflection of the heart - don't get me wrong - but in and of themselves, words and actions can not be sinful.
In conclusion, the reason I say all of this is not to justify being able to say swear words. In fact, I would actually recommend avoiding them when possible, since, due to society's misunderstandings, these words could easily be used against Christ's testimony. However, I also don't think that we should by any means condemn people for using these words. Moreover, I am upset over this issue, because we have strayed away from the purpose of our speech. We should be focused on using our language to, as stated earlier in Ephesians, to edify each other, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Our goal in life is to be proactive for the kingdom, not just deactive against the enemy's. If we spend all of our time condemning people for wrongs that we're not even able (or allowed) to judge them for, we will never take the time to observe how our actions can be used for God's glory, and we will never overlook the small problems in life to see the larger ones at hand.
5 comments:
I'll definitely grant that you make a very good point, and that the use of cuss words should not be as serious a point of contention as they are. I would like to say this, however; that more often than not, when a person begins to frequent the use of cuss words it is for them a means of rebellion. or peer pressure. they begin to use "foul" language because they think that it is cool or that it is a way that they can break a rule. Because of this, it often IS a stumbling block to people who choose to resist those temptations. the fact that when many of those kids grow up and grow numb to the verbal impact of such mannerisms doesn't make it easier on those around them. While things are not always the way that I have stated above, and the concerns I state may not be the primary concerns we need to deal with, it would do us well to reference the following verses:
-Romans 14:21
-Romans 14:1
-Romans 15:1
-1 Corinthians 10:32
-1 Corinthians 8:9
-1 Corinthians 9:22
-2 Corinthians 6:3
-2 Corinthians 11:29
-Galatians 6:2
Some of these read Jew or Gentile, but ultimately it is a matter of ones personal faith, and the respect you show for that person that the glory of Christ may not be diminished in any way. As for this blog, I read the passage in
1 Thessalonians 5:14 which says,
"We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone." I think you promote a good example of that.
A brother in Christ,
~Joshua
Now no one should judge anyone, but we do unfortunatley. And I for one don't believe cuss words do anyone justice when engaging in a conversation. One because they often carry a negative connotation as well as rob you of your expression. There are so many words in the English language that can be used to get our point across with out using any cuss word. I would urge any one battling with using profane language to pick up a thesaurus or dictionary and learn descriptive words that express extreme emotion. Any time we communicate negative vibes it always pollutes our message no matter what our intention. We have to be soo careful what comes out of our mouths, because what comes out of our mouths comes from our hearts. And Paul talks about taming the tongue alot in Corinthians, David goes into this as well in the psalms. Most of all Jesus also taught that its not what goes into a mans mouth that makes him unclean but what comes out. So Although I share your distaste for legalism inside our churches and community I would have to say I would not blame someone for being put off by hearing theses types of words in the same realm as God's words, especially when we have so many other wonderful words to use
This is an excellent insight John. I would definitely agree that we ought to be careful in how we use our speech. Someone was once explaining to me how speech is a very sacred thing, because it's a form of communication that we have with God that no other being in existence has.
Essentially, though, the point here is that many people believe that there is a technical list of words that are inherently evil and that people are sinning when they use them. I would definitely agree that it is always wiser to avoid them, knowing that they are culturally offensive. But, we should not be so fixated on those words that we miss the point of what people are saying (i.e. my example of someone whose vocabulary consists of using those words even when they are just trying to compliment someone).
The overall theme pointed out in Ephesians 4:29-32 is that we are to uplift each other with our speech. I believe that that can come out in many ways for many people. Some people (in my experience) are actually put-off when people do not use swear words, because they see those people as "goody goodies." I wouldn't want something like that to hinder me from lifting them up or lifting up the name of Jesus.
That last part of your Post was key. If "they" see you as Goodie Goodie for choosing not to use those words. Then thats good, It starts a conversation. I t begs the question WHY? why does he choose not to use those words?I think that would be a portal to understanding, not even to be biblical just as a matter of how to speak in a professional manner or even just speak in a way that is more poetic if you will less harsh. We can not sell short our belief or standard to bring a point across. I honestly don't think you using a profane word is going to hinder anything, if the person your are speaking to is judging you by what words you use that are "goodie ,goodie" they are the same as the people who are judging you on using the words in the first place. Many people Christians included can be hung up on many things such as your topic technical words or doctrinal interpretation but we have to realize that offense comes with the territory of Truth. Jesus offended a whole lot of folks. I think that we shouldn't worry about offending people to the point where we cant get our message out, obviously there are some exceptions to that but Im sure you get my gist.
Simply put, I couldn't agree more.
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