This morning I was initially somewhat shocked by a statement made by our pastor, but after much consideration have come to completely agree with it. He said "There simply cannot be a dedicated cursing Christian". Wow. I know several professing Christians whose language is anything but wholesome. I want to pause here to say that neither me or my pastor are saying that this voids individuals of true salvation, but rather calls their dedication as a Christian into question. After thinking about this for awhile, I decided to see what the Bible had to say about it. And here's just a snippet of what I came across (emphasis mine).
Matthew 15:11What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'
Matthew 15:18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'
Luke 6:45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
Ephesians 4:29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Job 15:5Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty.
Proverbs 4:24Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
Ecclesiastes 5:6Do not let your mouth lead you into sin.
James 3:10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be
Just within these few verses, God speaks wonders about what we should and shouldn't allow to come from our mouths. What really struck home for me was when He talks about what's in our heart being what comes out of our mouths. How much truer of a test could there be as to the state of our hearts than the very words we utter?
To sum it all up, here's a few verses on just in fact how we should use our mouths.
Psalm 17:3b I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.
Psalm 19:14May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Job 8:21He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
Job 16:5But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.
Our language is a true reflection of who we really are and of the conditions that our hearts are really in. Let this be a reminder that we as Christians are to be set apart, different from the world, not doing the very things they do. Language included.
No comments:
Post a Comment