Many people say words that are seemingly harmless in their own minds, but is there really anything wrong with them? Do they really need to be said?  And, if you say them, what does that say about you?  Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about such things:

James 5:12
“But above all things, my brethren, swear not,
neither by heaven, neither by the earth,
neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea;
and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”

How many times have we said “I swear” that this happened or didn’t happen or whatever?  What are we really saying?

Matthew 5:33-37
33 “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old-time,
Thou shalt not forswear thyself,
but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34 “But I say unto you, Swear not at all;
neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
35 “Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem;
for it is the city of the great King.
36 “Neither shalt thou swear by thy head,
because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay:
for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.“

This passage is telling us that when we say “something”, we need to say the “something” and nothing else.  In other words, when we say “yes”, we should say “yes” and nothing more.  When we say “no”, we should say “no”.  And, when we say “no” forcibly, it should still be “NO”.  Same thing with saying “YES” forcibly.

When we say anything more than that, you automatically go on the offensive and you cause the tension to rise within the situation and most people on the defensive shut down at that point when they hear the other person say such things.  If that would happen to you, you would automatically, either, have to raise your voice/tenor and/or try to make yourself at least as great as the other person or you automatically will shut down and become submissive to the other point of view.

We as Christians are accountable of every word and deed that we say and do.  Foul and excessive language is  both of those things.

And, to top it all off, we are not portraying a Christian profile and living such as Jesus would have done and that He would approve of us doing if He was sitting with us.

Keep in mind, Jesus raised His voice in the temple when He threw out the money changers.  If someone is wrong and you are right, this is not telling you that you always have to be passive.  What it is telling you, though, is that you have to use your best judgment and act as though you were trying to convince them of their eternal salvation. In other words, we need to act wisely in our choices.  Think before we react and do/speak.

Reading in the Proverbs, we read many pros and cons;  if we do this we get that; this is what we reap if we sow that.  Many times it even tells us that some things are wise and if we do the opposite, we are fools.

Proverbs 10:18
“He that hideth hatred with lying lips,
and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.”

I think these verses speak for themselves. Let’s not be fools!

There are many more where that came from.  This is just to show you that the Bible really does teach about such things:

James 5:12; James 3:10; Matthew 5:33-37; Exodus 20:7; Ephesians 4:29; Romans 3:14; 1 John 1:7-8; James 1:1-27; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; Romans 1:1-32; 1 John 3:8; 1 John 2:1-29; James 4:7; James 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12; Colossians 3:22-23; Colossians 1:1-29; Galatians 5:24; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; Romans 13:14; Romans 12:1; Romans 3:10; Acts 16:1-40; John 15:5; etc.

©2012  Mark Davis

Continued Reading:

• What Has Happened?
• Here’s The Problem With Our Churches Today
• What Can I Expect Now That I Am A Christian?
• What To Do Next…?
• WHY Do I NOT See The Blessings of God In My Life?
• Here’s Your Change!
• “Shake Well Before Using”