Articles
Coping with Life 25 – Filthy Speech
Coping with Life 25 – Filthy Speech
Mike Willis
When I was a child, men used filthy language, but if there was a woman present, the man generally apologized if he used it in front of her. Today, women use the same profanity and vulgar language as the men. When I was a child, my mother washed out my mouth with soap when she heard that I used mild profanity toward my brother. The punishment was just, for I was guilty. There were prohibitions in place to prevent certain speech from being broadcast on radio and television.
Christians recognize that God has spoken in His word about filthy language. Here are some of the things He has said.
“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” (Eph. 4:26).
“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (Eph. 5:4).
“But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth” (Col. 3:8).
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:33-34).
“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” (Matt. 12:36-37).
Sometimes one excuses filthy language by saying, “He/she is such a good person at heart.” Jesus said that one should not be fooled by such ideas. The words that come out of the mouth stem from the thoughts of that person’s heart. If the language one is hearing spoken in public venues is any clue to the status of one’s heart, the world around us is terribly corrupt.
Let our words “give grace to those who hear,” be full of thanksgiving, and give evidence of a God-fearing heart. Verbal abuse of those around us is but a step away from physical abuse, and frequently triggers physical abuse. Even when there is no physical abuse, verbal abuse leaves scars. If some of the racial slurs and epithets used to describe homosexuals are sinfully abusive, as most of us admit that they are, how much more are those filthy words with which men and women, boys and girls frequently demean each other every day? My perception is that God’s holiness prohibits Him from having eternal communion in heaven with those who use filthy speech.
