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Using Profanity
"Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness" (2 Peter 3:11).
"Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?" (Psalm 12:1-4).
"For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." (Luke 6:43-45).
Don't know much about a person? Listen to them talk for a few minutes and you will hear what is in their hearts. I don't know about you, but I don't always like what I hear when I listen to myself talk. We all face a battle with our tongues. I try and try to control it, but sooner or later, I say something I wish I had not said. Or I engage in conversation with co-workers which is meaningless or silly. Or even worse, I listen to or even spread gossip. James had some harsh words to say about the tongue. He likened it to a bit placed in a horse's mouth which, even though small, is used to guide and control the animal. He also likened the tongue to the helm of a ship. Again it is small, but it can turn large ships, even when driven by strong winds. "Even so the tongue is a little member," James said, "and boasteth great things.....The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."
Strong words. James continued, "For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: but the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? Either a vine, figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom." (James 3:1-13).
Paul echoed these thoughts to the church at Ephesus, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers..... Let all evil speaking be put away from you.... But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks." (Ephesians 4:29; 5:3-4). Not only is our conversation to be chaste and full of grace, even foolish talking and jesting is condemned. "Every idle word that men shall speak," Jesus declared, "they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement." (Matthew 12:36). The apostle Peter admonished us, "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." (1 Peter 1:15).
Solomon, in his wisdom, offered much insight into our conversation. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life," he said. "Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee." (Proverbs 4:23-24). David said that the mouth of the wicked is "full of cursing and deceit and fraud." In contrast, David cried, "My tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long." (Psalm 10:7; 35:28)
Our tongue has the power to hurt, but also to heal. It can be of great influence to those around us who are not saved, and be an instrument in their salvation. Peter said, "Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." Then to people with unsaved spouses, he said, "Ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives." (1 Peter 2:12; 3:1). "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time," Paul told the Colossians, "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:5-6). Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth. Salt is a purifier and a preservative, hence our role among the unsaved, and our conversation should be seasoned with salt. David said in the Psalms, "I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue; I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me." (Psalms 39:1).
Lot lived among probably the most wicked city or nation which ever existed. In fact, Sodom remains the only city known to be destroyed by God with fire from Heaven. Peter said that God "delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds." (2 Peter 2:7-8). Lot lived among a people whose conversation was filthy and profane. Lot couldn't stand it and it vexed his soul. The word "vex" is translated from the Greek word "basanizo" which means to be tormented or tortured, to be harassed or distressed. I don't like how I talk sometimes, and wish I could control my tongue. While filthy talking is not a problem for me, I do need strength that God would help me not to gossip or talk about other people, and not to complain or murmur when things are not going my way. But, I especially do not like to be around others who engage in innuedo and filthy and profane talking.
I would think any child of God would hate to be around such conversation. I cannot control what my co-workers or others say around me, but I can control which movies or TV shows I watch.Which is why I marvel at how many Christians attend PG and R rated movies knowing that they contain such profane language and scenes. And I further marvel at how many Christian magazines and web sites offer reviews of PG and R rated movies, especially the ones which are blatantly profane and filthy. I don't see any need for these reviews, for we all should know the attitudes of the world. If a movie or television show is rated PG, R, or rated for adults, then you know it contains either bad scenes or language and the solution is simply not to watch it. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, which temple we should not defile. If we are able to sit and watch and listen to the filth and profanenss of the world without it vexing our soul, then something is wrong in our hearts.
In Isaiah 6, we read of Isaiah's vision where he saw the Lord sitting upon the throne. When you stand in God's presence, there is no boasting of your righteousness or of your great deeds. No, you only see your weaknesses; your imperfections appear within His brilliant light. In the presence of such holiness, Isaiah cried out, "Woe is me! for I am undone! because I am a man of unclean lips!" (Isaiah 6:5). Isaiah was not unsaved, nor a prodigal son walking in the ways of the world. No, he was a great prophet, and he prophesied about the coming Messiah more than any other! It was this same Isaiah who would cry in God's presence, "I am a man of unclean lips!" No, sin cannot be hid in God's glory!
How tragic it would have been if the vision had ended here. How hopeless we would be to have our sin before us without a remedy. But, something marvelous and wonderful happened! "Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar; and he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." (verses 6-7). Our sin cannot be taken away, until we acknowledge it. And the promise is made, "If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9).
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