What or Who Defines What Filthy Language Is? - Eph. 4:29
"22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do 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. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
I watched a video on a friend's blog yesterday entitled "How Far Is Too Far??? Pastor says 'F-You' in his sermon." It got my attention so I watched the video, and it wasn't what I expected... actually it was kind of funny. The pastor made the premise that the new F-word ought to be "forgive." And proceeded to talk about how believers ought to be the most forgiving people on the planet, and certainly ought to be quick to forgive one another. Then he had people turn to their neighbor and say "F-you". Then animatedly described many situations where the F-word (forgive) was appropriate. It was not what I was expecting when saw the video. I will embed the video at the bottom of the post. This video triggered a question that so many people have when it comes to language... What is "unwholesome talk" or "filthy language" as Paul describes in Col. 3:8?
What words are appropriate and what words are not when it comes to representing the inward change brought about by the Holy Spirit? I think if you ask 10 people, you will get 10 different answers. I want to put a disclaimer on this post... I will be using some words that are not a part of my vocab to make a point so as to be clear. There are certain words that people have grown up just not saying because they have been conditioned to believe they are vulgar. For instance, many believers are offended by the phrase "pissed off", while other believers readily use the word "asshole". Is one filthy language and the other not? What or who defines it? Let me offer some suggestions, and I will leave room for the Holy Spirit to interact with you on a personal basis about this issue.
Language is unwholesome if it...
1. Tears people apart!
2. Glorifies sinful behavior!
3. Is crude or vulgar as defined by your context or culture!
Think of a triangle with these three sides... If you go outside the triangle at any point then you have stepped into the arena of "unwholesome language".
So what does this mean? Well two of them are easy to discern. It is easy to recognize it if your language tears people apart or glorifies sinful behavior. The third one requires discernment. It all depends on the context that you are in. There is a context that the word "damn" is just an ordinary word and not considered "filthy", yet there are other contexts where that word would bring a gasp. It's a matter of sensitivity and conscience. Do you smell what I'm cooking? Do you understand where I am going with this? There is such a gray area when it comes to the third category, that it demands you being sensitive to your context and obedient to your conscience as the Holy Spirit is interacting with you.
On the flip side, when you hear someone else "swear" and it falls into the realm of the third category, show some grace because their conscience may not be affected at all.
We have freedom in Christ, but Paul tells us to use our freedom to serve one another in Love (Gal. 5:13)! Paul says in 1 Cor. 8:9, "9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak."
Consider your language because language matters... what is your language like?
Eph. 4:22-32
I watched a video on a friend's blog yesterday entitled "How Far Is Too Far??? Pastor says 'F-You' in his sermon." It got my attention so I watched the video, and it wasn't what I expected... actually it was kind of funny. The pastor made the premise that the new F-word ought to be "forgive." And proceeded to talk about how believers ought to be the most forgiving people on the planet, and certainly ought to be quick to forgive one another. Then he had people turn to their neighbor and say "F-you". Then animatedly described many situations where the F-word (forgive) was appropriate. It was not what I was expecting when saw the video. I will embed the video at the bottom of the post. This video triggered a question that so many people have when it comes to language... What is "unwholesome talk" or "filthy language" as Paul describes in Col. 3:8?
What words are appropriate and what words are not when it comes to representing the inward change brought about by the Holy Spirit? I think if you ask 10 people, you will get 10 different answers. I want to put a disclaimer on this post... I will be using some words that are not a part of my vocab to make a point so as to be clear. There are certain words that people have grown up just not saying because they have been conditioned to believe they are vulgar. For instance, many believers are offended by the phrase "pissed off", while other believers readily use the word "asshole". Is one filthy language and the other not? What or who defines it? Let me offer some suggestions, and I will leave room for the Holy Spirit to interact with you on a personal basis about this issue.
Language is unwholesome if it...
1. Tears people apart!
2. Glorifies sinful behavior!
3. Is crude or vulgar as defined by your context or culture!
Think of a triangle with these three sides... If you go outside the triangle at any point then you have stepped into the arena of "unwholesome language".
So what does this mean? Well two of them are easy to discern. It is easy to recognize it if your language tears people apart or glorifies sinful behavior. The third one requires discernment. It all depends on the context that you are in. There is a context that the word "damn" is just an ordinary word and not considered "filthy", yet there are other contexts where that word would bring a gasp. It's a matter of sensitivity and conscience. Do you smell what I'm cooking? Do you understand where I am going with this? There is such a gray area when it comes to the third category, that it demands you being sensitive to your context and obedient to your conscience as the Holy Spirit is interacting with you.
On the flip side, when you hear someone else "swear" and it falls into the realm of the third category, show some grace because their conscience may not be affected at all.
We have freedom in Christ, but Paul tells us to use our freedom to serve one another in Love (Gal. 5:13)! Paul says in 1 Cor. 8:9, "9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak."
Consider your language because language matters... what is your language like?
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