The Right Words Matter

"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." (Ephesians 4:29 ESV)

"Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving." (Ephesians 5;4)

“….. speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,…” (Ephesians 4:15 ESV)

We are living in days of words, images, and unprecedented amounts of communication. Christians need to be grounded in the Word of God so as not to be deceived by falsehoods and ‘half-truths” or distracted by useless and even demonic ideas and words.

My concern here and today is not so much wrong and false statements, notions and the poisonous ideas around us. We should shun these, and especially encourage one another in the Body of Christ to be guided by the truth of God’s Word. My concern is that we (as believers) do not give in to the needlessly harsh, self-serving, sometimes crude, often boastful, and even the vitriolic way in which people are communicating at times.

In our cultural context, and it is amplified by media, saying or writing something brash, saying something controversial, saying something that criticizes and denounces an idea, a practice, or a person or people gets attention. There are times when you sense that “trash talking” helps to get a hearing.

Well, that is addressed by what the Apostle Paul is teaching in the Ephesian texts above. Later he will ask for prayer to be bold in his preaching of the gospel. So, the issue is not boldness in gospel proclamation or sharing the truth of Jesus Christ with conviction and certainty. What the Apostle is addressing is speech that lacks grace, lacks edifying truth, and is “out of place” for someone growing into Christ-likeness. Christians do not need to react “in kind” to crude, questionable, and self-serving words and arguments.

The Apostle James warns us about the power of the tongue (James 3). The mature person is seen in his or her control of the tongue. This truth can be applied to what we write, post online, or communicate in the numerous ways that are available today.

Someone may rightly point out, did not Jesus Himself speak strong devastating words at times? Absolutely He did. He spoke strongly against religious hypocrisy especially, and those who were denying Who He was or what He taught. He sometimes used strong language to rebuke His own disciples whom He taught for years and whom He loved dearly. There are absolutely times to rebuke, challenge, correct. We must. But, these strong words need to be for the furtherance of the truth, the glory of Christ, and ultimately for the good and the edification of the people hearing. They do not need to be lased with crudity, half-truths, and worse.

There is a difference between strong words of truth and corrupt words of self. There is a difference between direct rebuke for correction and crude words simply to put somebody down in order to look better.
The Apostle is addressing believers in the Ephesian Epistle and thinking especially of their communication on a daily basis. I encourage you to meditate on these words. Also, read James 3:1-12. Read through the Proverbs and see how many texts address the correct use of our mouths and our words.

Even when we are really moved to speak strongly, we need to remember another phrase right in Ephesians chapter 4, “be angry and do not sin”….. This clearly speaks to more than our words, but I think it is right to include our words within this warning.

Blessings to you in Christ.

—David O.