Cursing, Profanity, and the Tongue

A few thoughts on cursing, profanity, and the use of the tongue.

Profanity is the linguistical crutch of the inarticulate. But beyond the lack of credible, reasonable vocabulary, what's the big deal about a little profanity? 

What does the Bible say about cursing and profanity? Turns out that the words you use are a major subject in the Bible.

Jesus said "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37) Your words do matter! Jesus later claims that the words you speak are more defiling than what you put in your mouth. Matthew 15:10-11 "And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: [11] it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."

Paul writes to the church in Colossae: "But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth." (Colossians 3:8) And to the church at Ephesus he writes: "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, 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) Profane and obscene words are the opposite of grace and actually tear down rather than build up. They have no place in the vocabulary of a Christian.

The usage of words that are profane and inappropriate coming from the lips of a Christian create an oxymoron. The cursing and the claims of holiness are not compatible. James 3:10 says "From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so." 

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Jesus spoke extensively about the correlation between the content of one's heart and the words that they speak. Your words are important and give an indication to those listening about what matters most to you... what on your heart. Luke 6:45 "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." (See also Matthew 12:33-37 and Matthew 15:10-20.)

Psalm 10 describes the wicked in verse 7 by saying: "His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity." Then later in the Psalm, the contrast between the righteous and the wicked is described in verses 31 and 32: "The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. [32] The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse."

So what's the alternative? How should Christians speak? Paul writes in Colossians 4:6 "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." Grace and love are the context by which we share the Truth of the Gospel with the world around us. 

While I haven't addressed it in this particular article, there is much this would imply about words and conversation that are gossip, slander, and always tearing down people or things or ministries or politicians around us. This grace eliminates falsehood from our lips. It is not loving or gracious to communicate things that are false to others. 

To change our lips to be tools of the Holy Spirit we will have to allow Him to wash our mouths and cleanse our vocabulary. Our cooperation in that divine work will include an intentional exclusion of those words in our daily lives. To begin to eliminate music that includes such messaging and words is a holy habit; pleasing to the Lord. Turn the television off. Curtail the constant inundating impact of a steady stream of profanities into your home and mind. 

I doubt anyone has ever left a movie theater thinking: "I wish there had been more profanity in that movie." No one ever complains that a song needed more coarse language to increase the enjoyment. And no one ever gains respect for another because they use foul vocabulary. 

May God send a hot coal to purge our lips of the unclean things that have previously come from them.

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