My cousin Peter asked: What are you views on swearing? What does the bible say about it?
Good Question. Its interesting because growing up in a Christian home, and culturally, swearing is just bad. Your not supposed to do it, yet a lot of us, especially when we're younger do it with out even really thinking about it. Just off the top of my head, Biblicaly there is the passage: "Do not say the Lord's name in vane", but specifically about swearing not including the Lord's name, I'm not really sure and I'll look into it. What I do know is this, that a lot of Scripture focuses on the heart. Jesus especially, lays a pretty undeniable framework for this thing called the heart. Proverbs 4:23 is another good example of the hearts importance: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." In the New Living Translation it translates/says it this way: "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." Do you think this is true? Is your heart the determining factor for the course of your life? This gets into Character stuff, like how you live out your life daily. So the emphasis, for me and I believe all of Scripture is that of a person's heart. So to get back to swearing, though I'm not sure about a specific verse in scripture on swearing, there is another passage on taming the tongue that comes to mind.
Good Question. Its interesting because growing up in a Christian home, and culturally, swearing is just bad. Your not supposed to do it, yet a lot of us, especially when we're younger do it with out even really thinking about it. Just off the top of my head, Biblicaly there is the passage: "Do not say the Lord's name in vane", but specifically about swearing not including the Lord's name, I'm not really sure and I'll look into it. What I do know is this, that a lot of Scripture focuses on the heart. Jesus especially, lays a pretty undeniable framework for this thing called the heart. Proverbs 4:23 is another good example of the hearts importance: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." In the New Living Translation it translates/says it this way: "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." Do you think this is true? Is your heart the determining factor for the course of your life? This gets into Character stuff, like how you live out your life daily. So the emphasis, for me and I believe all of Scripture is that of a person's heart. So to get back to swearing, though I'm not sure about a specific verse in scripture on swearing, there is another passage on taming the tongue that comes to mind.
James 3:1-12:
Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
So to curse here means: to wish evil on someone. James points out the hypocrisy of praising God in verse 9 with the cursing of our fellow man, who have been made in the image of God. Maybe not the same as swearing in the modern sense of the word, unless swearing at someone in anger, wishing evil to happen to them, (road rage is a good example). There is a good take away here between the parallel of this passage and that of a heart issue.
To sum up. How humbling this is. Many times I have sinned against others, cursed them, not loved them or encouraged them despite the wrong they may have committed against me. We are the means that God has chosen. Scripture says that we, all of us, were created in the image of God, with His own hands He created us. We are separated from God by sin, yet we are saved through His son Jesus. How beautiful a picture of God's grace.
Hope this helps. Thanks for the topic. Love talking about this stuff.
This is a copy of a note my friend Martin posted on this very subject.
ReplyDeleteShould I curse?
by Martin Toomajian on Saturday, June 9, 2007 at 10:56pm
I posted a link yesterday about the raid on illegal immigrants in New Haven. I am furious about the raid, and I'll post further comments about it there. But when I posted the link to the Times article, I added my own angry comment which included the f-word. I got a couple of comments, including a concerned note from my pastor, in reference to that.
I am not one to worry much about cursing. I do it alone when I'm angry, I do it in the company of friends, and I've done it online in a public forum in the past. I don't feel particularly guilty for doing it. But there is really no reason for me to ever use the f-word.
In fact, there are plenty of reasons for me not to curse. Here are a few of them from Ephesians:
"4:29Do 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. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
I don't think there's any place in mainstream America where the f-word is considered wholesome talk. And, regardless of how I feel about the New Haven raids, a comment like, "F--- the feds," well, it really does not build them up or benefit those who listen. Could I indeed be grieving the Holy Spirit by cursing? It is hardly worth expressing my anger like this, especially if it's going to confuse or repulse other people or if it will grieve my God.
"31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
I need some help with this passage. I cannot get rid of all rage and anger. Christians are not supposed to sit placidly in the face of injustice, and I fully believe that what happened in New Haven was a vast injustice. In righteous anger, Jesus tipped over the money changers' tables in the temple. In righteous anger, I shout at kids when they use racial slurs or sexual language in my classroom. Maybe there's an issue of translation from the Greek here. I will get angry about issues like these. Maybe the big point here is to express that anger in a righteous, productive way that might build others up. Once again, the f-word comment didn't do that.
"5:3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
I think that more or less settles it. I shouldn't be using the f-word. But it is hard for me to take these instructions totally to heart. No obscenity? No coarse joking? Never? Doesn't God want us to have fun? Doesn't he want us to be human?
Well, yes, of course, God wants us to have fun, but we can have fun without making foul jokes. And, no, he doesn't want us to be human. He has created us to live eternally in Heaven, not as broken human creatures, but as pure beings experiencing the total joy of praising God all the time.
How can we be godly? We can't, and we will always fall short of these commands. I will always screw up and curse or say an inappropriate joke. Those who don't struggle with cursing struggle with other sins. But if we sin--and we will--we have to return to God and confess how we have screwed up. And God in Christ WILL forgive us.
I confessed my sin of profanity, God HAS forgiven it, and I'm going forward from here praying that he'll help me get out of it, to focus on the powerful work he has called us all to do.
That's Great Janet, thanks for that. Martin said it well.
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