Cursing and using foul language is something that some Christians
can struggle with. And on top of that, is cursing
really that bad? I mean, we hear curse words all the time in our music, our shows,
and in our conversations. So could it be possible
that cussing can be okay in some circumstances
to help with the confusion? Here are seven points
that every Christian should consider when it comes to the topic of cursing
or cussing. Point number one Christians
need to control the words that they speak. James Chapter one, verse 26. If anyone among you thinks he is religious
but does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart,
this one's religion is useless. In this passage, the author of James tells
Believers that if there's anyone that thinks they're religious
or a holy person that follows God, but they don't control the words
that come out of their mouth, then this person's belief in
God is worthless and empty. And James goes on to say that this person
is deceiving themselves into thinking they're religious,
but in reality they're not at all. And what I love about James is that he doesn't beat around the bush
and he tells things for how they are. So if there's someone who goes to church
or a Bible study and they pray, but they make no effort to be mindful
of the words that come out of their mouth, James would look at that person and say,
Your belief in God is worthless. And while that sounds harsh,
we need to see where James is coming from. Because in the book of James that he authored, he talks
about how faith with that works is dead. And he encourages Christians
to think about their faith. And then he challenges them to consider
if their belief in God is truly authentic. And he says that if a believer doesn't
make attempts to follow God in the way that they live their life, then
James would say that their faith is dead. Now, I'm not saying a Christian
needs to be perfect in their speech, but what I am saying
is that there needs to be some effort and mindfulness concerning the things
that come out of their mouth. Because if we're Christians,
Jesus should be the Lord of our words. And that means we need to take great heed
to what the Bible has to say about our speech. and should someone not care
about what they say and they let their words flow uncontrolled, it's evident
that God isn't the Lord of their life. Rather, they are. And if they say they're Christians,
they're only fooling themselves. So why does James make a big deal
out of words? I mean, there are only words right? Look at point number two. Our tongue is evil
and has the immense power to destroy James, Chapter three, verses 4 to 6. Look also at ships. Although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds,
they are turned by a very small rudder. Wherever the pilot desires. Even so, the tongue is a little member
and boasts great things. See how great a forest, a little fire
Kindles and the tongue is a fire. A world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members
that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire. The course of nature. And it is set on fire by hell. In this passage, James uses ships
and their rudder as an illustration for people and their tongue. And he says that in the same way
that a huge ship is directed by a small rudder, a person's direction in life
can be affected by their little tongue. And James continues
and says that the tongue is like a fire and that it can act as a stimulus
that can cause a forest fire. And then James says that the tongue
is a world of iniquity and unrighteousness and that it defiles our bodies
and that it sets the course of nature on fire
using the fire of hell itself. So what I want you to see here
is that our tongue has the capability of setting things on fire,
using the flames of hell itself. And to help you understand
the power behind words. Remember that words were responsible
for corrupting Satan back when he was a holy angel of God. Isaiah Chapter 14 versus 12 to 14. how you were fallen from heaven. A shining star Son of the morning
you have been thrown down to the earth. You who destroyed the nations of the world
for you said to yourself, I will ascend to heaven and set my throne
above God's stars. I will preside on the mountain
of the gods, far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens
and be like the most high. And not only that, words
are also responsible for the fall of man. And it's the reason why
there's sin and death in the world today. Because it was the words of the serpent
that deceived Eve. also. It was the words of the Pharisees
and the religious leaders that were responsible
for the death of Jesus. And it was the mesmerizing words
of Adolf Hitler that persuaded Germany
to systematically murder millions of Jews. So as Christians, don't think of the words
of your mouth as being a little thing, your words can either be of God
and have the power to uplift people, or they can be tainted and marked
by the destructive flames of hell itself. So remember, what you say is powerful. And when it comes to our speech, there's something you should keep in mind
regarding bad words. So point number three, there's
a direct command to not use bad words. Ephesians, chapter four, verse 29. Let no corrupt
word proceed out of your mouth. But what is good for necessary edification
that it may impart grace to the hearers? in this passage,
Paul tells the Church of Ephesus to not allow any corrupt word
to come out of their mouth. And the word corrupt here means rotten,
bad, poor quality or worthless. So please understand that the Bible
is pretty clear in its position regarding cussing and cursing,
because it clearly states here not to let any corrupt or bad words
come out of your mouth. And for people who think, Well,
how do you know which word is bad? Like some curse words have substitutes. For example, let's look at the word damn. For someone to be damned would mean
that this person is condemned to hell. But some people use this as a curse word
and would say the word damn as an interjection. And for a substitute,
some people would use darn it. Instead. So what about those words? And how do you know which words are bad? And would you be allowed
to use substitutes? And the answer is found in point number
four. Christians must determine
if a word is wrong. First Thessalonians Chapter five versus
21 to 20. To test all things hold fast. What is good? Abstain from every form of evil. In this passage, Paul tells the Church
of Thessalonica to test or examine everything and to hold on to what's good
and to stay away from all forms of evil. So if you're questioning
whether a word is bad or not, you need to talk to God about it. For me personally, the test
I used to determine if a word is good or bad is to think of my currently
non-existent and hypothetical three year old son and daughter
that I know would follow my example. And if I'm not okay with them saying
that word, then I'd do my best
to remove those words from my vocabulary. But that's me, though. I'm not here to tell you
which words are okay and not okay. Rather, my goal is to point you to God
and to encourage you to seek wisdom and for you to determine yourself
through prayer and God's Word. Which words should stay
in your everyday language? and while there can be some gray area
as to what words are allowed, there are very clear words that Christians
should not use as curse words. And we see that in point number five,
don't use God or Jesus as curse words. Exodus. Chapter 24 seven. 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? in this passage. Moses
received the Ten Commandments. And one of the commandments
was not to take the Lord's name in vain. And what's interesting is that
this commandment was number three. And that's crazy,
because this commandment is placed above murdering people, having sex
with someone else, a spouse, and stealing. So the word vain here in this commandment
means emptiness or worthlessness. So the way someone breaks
this command is by using the name of God in their speech and taking out the weight
of who God actually is, or in other words, using the name of God
and making it empty and without meaning. And one way that we can break
this commandment is by saying, my God or saying
Jesus Christ as a curse word. So why did God place this
as the third commandment? Well, it's important to note that
the first four of the Ten Commandments have to do with man's relationship
with God, and that the last six Commandments have to deal
with man's relationship with each other. And what God desires for his people
is to remember that God is a God to be feared,
honored and respected. Look at Job 28, 28 and to man,
he said, Behold the fear of the Lord. That is wisdom. And to depart from evil is understanding. So yeah, God is our father,
our friend and our Savior who died for us, who we can talk to freely
And at the exact same time God, the Creator of the universe,
who holds our souls in his hands and is the judge of the living and the dead, rightly deserves
to be held in the highest esteem. So when someone uses God
or Jesus as a curse word, what's happening at that moment? Is this person losing sight of the person
and character of God himself? and I'd say that someone
who has no problem saying, my God or Jesus Christ has no idea
that angels fall in worship before Almighty God every day, that souls
are regularly judged before his presence, and that the very fate of their lives
is dependent on what he wills and desires. So for us as Christians, remember
that when we break this commandment, our view of God lessens. And that moment and every sin
that we commit is rooted in the lie that we're bigger than God and we can do
and say what we want. So now that we talked
about what Christians should not do with their speech, like say bad words
or use God as a curse word, we should now look at what we should do. So point number six the words and actions
of a Christian should be different. Ephesians Chapter five, verses 3 to 4. But fornication and all unclean
this or covetousness let it not even be named
among you as is fitting for saints, neither filthy, earnest
nor foolish talking nor coarse jesting which are not fitting,
but rather giving of thanks. In this passage,
Paul tells the efficient church not to have anything to do
with unclean ness and get rid of filthy ness
or shameful ness, and not to be a part of any foolish
talking or bad or rude humor. And he tells them that Christians instead should be giving
thanks with their language. And later in Ephesians
five, Paul says that Christians should not take part in the actions
of people who don't follow God. And he encourages the church
to remember that they used to be of sin and of darkness, but now they're children of light
and that they should walk like it So as believers, we need to remember that
we ought to be followers of Jesus. And that means living like him. And one of the things that Jesus did
while he was here was encourage
people and lift people up with his words. When I think about low points in my life,
I recall the words of my friends that carried me through my pain. Their words honestly saved my life. And they gave me hope
that uplifted my soul. And on top of that,
it was the words of my mentors and teachers that helped
pave my path to get closer to God. So please understand that despite the fact
that our words can be tainted with the flames of hell, they can also have
the ability to be used by God himself and can uplift and encourage people
who need more of God in their lives. and while many people around us
can give in to gossip bullying and put people down
and use the name of God as a curse word, we must remember that as God's children,
we must be children of light. and we must do everything in our power
to use our words in a way that corrects, teaches, helps and blesses
the people around us. And the way that we do
this is through point number seven. Our words should have grace
and should build people up Colossians chapter four, verse six. Let your speech always be with grace
seasoned with salt that you may know
how you ought to answer each other. in this passage. Paul talks to the church in Colossi
and tells them to make sure that their speeches always with grace
and back in point number three, Ephesians 429 says to impart grace with the words
that come out of your mouth. So when it comes to cursing and cussing. Note that those words either tear down people or they tear down
their view of God and His commandments. but God's desire for his people
is to use their words as a vehicle to give grace to others. And grace is goodwill and loving kindness. and the way that we're able to give
grace is to understand the grace that God gives us to receive and then to give that grace
that we received. So if we want to give grace, we need to
remember that Jesus being perfect died. The death that we deserved,
and that by faith in Him and his sacrifice,
we can have everlasting life. You see, God's
heart is to give grace to people. And when we focus on all that we have in
God, His mercy, his faithfulness, a future of hope that's all rooted
in God's grace will begin to grow and have a heart like our God, a heart
that also wants to give grace. So if you're a Christian like God,
use your words to build people up
and to remind them of God's grace. Okay, so when it comes to cursing
or cussing, please remember these seven points. Christians need to control the words
that they speak. Our tongue is evil
and has the immense power to destroy. There's a direct command
to not use bad words. Christians must determine
if a word is wrong. Don't use God or Jesus has curse words. The words and actions of a Christian
should be different, and our words should have grace
and should build people up. As a final note, please
remember that while we can tell people to watch their language,
we don't always need to. I remember having a friend
who was an a Christian yet, but he knew that I was one
and he regularly cursed and he always apologized to me
when he did. and every time that he did,
I said, You don't have to apologize. It's okay. You can curse if you want to. And as our friendship grew,
I continued to witness to him and I told him about the love of God
and what Jesus did for him. and praise God. My friend gave his life to Jesus and years
later into our friendship. I haven't heard him
say one cuss word, and the reason why is because it was God
that changed him, not me. Now I'm not telling you
to not correct people if they cuss. But what I am saying is to not forget that your character
is also a powerful witness. And to remember that changing people
is God's responsibility. similar words reflect God. And as you speak, I hope that these words
echo into your heart. Jesus loves you.
