mouth speaketh." That's actually from the Bible, and it's even in there twice! Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45 to be exact. Yes, our words say a lot about who we are.
I read a blog the other day by a man who claims to be a pastor that saddened me so much. I realize none of us are perfect, only redeemed by grace. We're still going to mess up, but there is something seriously wrong with trying to justify our sin, so that we can continue to willfully live in it. Basically what this man was writing about was how he swears, and how it's okay. He justified his foul language this way. He thinks the words anyways. By thinking them and not saying them he's a hypocrite. It's better to actually SAY what he's thinking, so at least he won't be a hypocrite. Then he did some serious Scripture twisting of Exodus 20:7 to again justify himself. I guess the sin of hypocrisy is much worse then the sin of using bad language???
What was even sadder about this blog were the many people who commented AGREEING with this so-called pastor. Now Christians who swear can walk around thinking they are okay because they have a non-hypocritical heart. I just wonder how it's possible to use the fact that I DON'T do this particular sin to justify participating in another sin? It makes NO SENSE at all! I really feel sorry for these people because they are so disillusioned. Is it sin to think a swear word? Biblically, the answer is yes. Is it a sin to say a swear word? Again, the biblical answer is yes. Hypocrisy has nothing to do with our language. NOTHING! Saying the bad word that is thought is only compounding the sin. Evil words grieve God just as much as a hypocritical heart. God does not categorize sins. It's ALL wrong in His sight.
I was going to write this huge long post with all these reasons why this guy is totally off, complete with Scripture to back them up. Believe me, there's a lot wrong here. I decided against it. I'm pretty sure anyone who is a Christian and has done any amount of Bible reading or who has attended church for any length of time can figure out that swearing is something that doesn't please God. You don't need me to go listing a whole bunch reasons of why we shouldn't do it. You already know!
As Christians, I think we really need to sit back and think about how much God has done for us. Did we deserve to be forgiven? Do we deserve a home in heaven? Do we deserve the blessings that He gives us on a daily basis? His mercy and grace are beyond our comprehension, and yet many who claim the name of Christ sit around and try to justify their wickedness, as this man did. How much that must grieve God!!! I'm not perfect. I'm keenly aware of that, but I do love God. I hope that I love Him enough to try my hardest to keep from doing things that would hurt Him. That's really what it's all about. Why would I want to sin when I know that God is so hurt by it?
As I've written this SO many verses have come to my mind. Verses like Philippians 4:8, I Corinthians 15:33, Psalm 19:14, James 3, and Psalm 141:3 just to mention a few. I'm going to end with one verse that leaves no question as to whether or not a Christian should use foul language.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Ephesians 4:29
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