Sunday Sermons
The Plague of Profanity
The Plague of Profanity
When I was a non-Christian I would emit quite the dark, rancid cloud of profanity. When I made Jesus Lord of my life, I determined to finally get control of what came out of my mouth. Although I don’t use bad language now, I still battle from time to time swearing “in my head” and I am seeking to take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). What has helped me clean up my speech? This:
A List of Forbidden Words?
The Bible does not provide a list of forbidden words because words because of the adaptive nature of human languages?words become obsolete and new words are constantly being created from culture to culture, so that each culture’s language has its own unwritten list of words considered profane. “No mere assemblage of letters creates an intrinsically evil word. ‘God’ and ‘dog’ have identical letters, yet the meanings attached to the respective arrangements are worlds apart. Words become ‘bad’ by virtue of their connotation, motive, etc… It is important to note at this point that neither are these terms, ‘hell’ or ‘damn’, is inherently evil. There is a proper context in which they are permissible. Jesus spoke of a type of person who He called a ‘child of hell’ (Matthew 23:15), and the Great Commission warns that those who believe not ‘shall be damned’ (Mark 16:16). What makes words profane or not, is the manner in which such terms are employed, i.e., hatefully’, vindictively…” (Profanity?A Biblical Assessment, Wayne Jackson, www.christiancourier.com).
God is Not Silent on the Use of Language
Rather than giving us a list of forbidden words, God has give us guidelines.
- “No filthiness and silly talk”: Ephesians 5:6. The term filthiness here includes behavior that flouts social and moral standards, obscenity.
- “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth”: Ephesians 4:29. The term “unwholesome” or corrupt denotes that which provides no good service. It is related to a word that means “to rot”.
- “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth”: (Colossians 3:8). The term “abusive” is also translated “shameful” and “filthy” (KJV). “As a result of their studies in the Greek papyri, Moulton and Milligan suggested that the word generally denotes ‘foul or filthy’ language” (The Plague of Profanity, Wayne Jackson, www.christiancourier.com).
In the above verses note the zero tolerance policy on profanity. “Let no” (Ephesians 4:29), “There must be no” (5:4), “Put them all aside” (Colossians 3:8) is a more elevated moral standard than a mere “I will try not to swear as much”. In 1957 William Barclay wrote in his commentary on the Book of Colossians, “There can never have been a time in history when so much filthy language is used as it is today. And the tragedy is that today there are many people who have become so habituated to unclean talk that they are unaware that they are using it” (p. 184).
How Valuable the Human Soul!
- “With it (the tongue) we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?” (James 3:9-11).
Profanity is a symptom of a deeper issue, and so James in the above verses, essentially issues us a challenge. If you or I are swearing at another human being we have completely forgotten that they are created in the image of God, and are therefore very valuable, even treasured by Him. “If someone says, ‘I love God’, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). Before we swear at someone, remember, Jesus shed His blood for them. We must treasure people just as our Lord does.
Language: An Incredible Gift!
Certainly God did not create mankind with the ability to communicate well and articulate accurately our precise thoughts, so that we could insult, gossip or engage in profanity. What a pitiable use this would be, of our ability to communicate. The English language is such a beautiful language. Let’s determine to use it in the most God-honoring, spiritually advantageous ways we can find:
- Share the gospel with a directionless, wandering soul.
- Encourage and comfort those around you with painful lives.
- Pass on life-improving wisdom to the next generation (Psalm 78:5-6).
- Bring back a sinner from the brink of destruction (James 5:19-20).
- Deliver those who have been taken captive by Satan (2 Timothy 2:24-26).
- Speak the truth fearlessly.
- Give God the glory and the praise due Him.
Honestly, there is an abundance of profanity in our world. I don’t need to add any. The world does not need any more insults, put downs, cutting remarks, snide comments or using the names of God or Jesus as common exclamation points in a sentence. Our world needs truth! It needs hope. It needs a reason to believe. It needs conviction and edification. No wonder that the Spirit said, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).
What Really Gets People’s Attention
Over the years I have heard people attempt to defend their profanity by claiming that swearing gets the attention of others and that without it, no one would take them seriously. Not so. Jesus never swore yet the world, at that time and still today, cannot ignore Him. You will see people swear everyday that no one takes seriously. You will see people swear while others either ignore them or roll their eyes. If you want to really get the attention of others, then do something rare and unexpected: speak the truth with conviction. Speak up when it is not popular (2 Timothy 4:2). Take God’s side on an issue. Expose the evil around you (Ephesians 5:11). Call sin by its proper name. Find the boldness to address the elephant in the room that everyone wants to ignore (Acts 17:23; Acts 24:25; John 4:16), and you will have the attention of the entire room. Consider the following passages on what is effective communication:
- “A gentle answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1).
- “And a soft tongue breaks the bone” (Proverbs 25:15).
Laziness and Real Courage
Some seem to think that swearing is an indication of being courageous or is somehow masculine, yet the truth is that swearing is a form of laziness. A curse word is just a lazy substitute for a genuine argument or a solid point (Acts 26:24-25). Swear words either blend into the background noise or create open wounds that fester. The truth is life-giving.
First World Problems/I Need to Grow
Tempted to swear at inanimate objects? While in bad traffic? When experiencing slow service? While waiting in a long line? I remember hearing about someone who was describing their situation as “going through hell”. Our perspective needs to be adjusted back to reality. Suffering every single moment in torment without any relief or hope of relief could be accurately described as “going through hell” (Luke 16:24) enduring delayed service cannot. If the annoyances of life move us to swear, what are we going to do when we face real persecution? Years ago Jeremiah was told, “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses. If you fall down in the land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5).
Is My Anger Justified? (Jonah 4:4)
Anger can do a lot of harm (James 1:19), and is rarely effective for positive change.
The Great Alternative (1 Peter 3:9)
I was put on this earth to be a blessing to people, to lead them to Jesus, to help them, to be a light of hope in the darkness. God is going to judge and He will issue a judgment that will be a million times more severe than I would issue (Matthew 25:41). Instead of swearing at those who inconvenience us, we should tremble of the judgment arriving and the vast multitudes that are completely unprepared. There is no need to curse, for a real curse rests on the head of all who are outside of Christ (John 3:36). I need to speak words of life!
We will be judged by every careless word (Matthew 12:36). Enough said.
Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net
