Recently, I was asked, “Why is it wrong to use profanity and who or what determines that a particular word is profane?” Unfortunately, the proliferation of profanity has become a normal part of Generation Z (ages 6-24), Gen Y.1 (ages 25-29), Gen Y.2 (ages 30-39) and Gen X (ages 40-56). Though much of society accepts profanity as a natural way of expressing oneself, God abhors the profane.
The New Oxford American Dictionary defines profanity as being a swearword, blasphemous, obscene language, and irreligious or irreverent behavior. As Christians, our greatest desire should be to please God by following His standards rather than accepting the world’s amoral standards.
The varying cultures of the world have different modes of communication and different curse words; however, God has standards that apply to all peoples of all nationalities: “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” (Ephesians 4:29).
The Greek translation of unwholesome is “rotten” or “foul.” People, especially Christians, are to be imitators of Christ, so that no foul, dirty language is spoken, because at one time our hearts were full of darkness, but now they are full of light from the Lord, so our behavior and words should reflect the light of Christ (Ephesians 5:8). To accomplish this, we “let the Word of Christ dwell in us…” (Colossians 3:16).
Jesus said, “I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:36). The KJV translates “every empty word” as “every idle word” (careless word). The Greek phrase is rema argos, meaning “careless or inactive or unprofitable words.” We are admonished to make the best use of our words, because “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matthew 12:34).
Words are important because the words we speak will be used to gauge our spiritual condition in the judgment: “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). We are also admonished not to take the name of the Lord our God in vain, for the Lord will not hold us guiltless who takes His name in vain (Exodus 20:7).
Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” (Matthew 15:10-11 NIV).
One of the vilest words used with total abandon is the F-word. We see it on Facebook. We hear it in public places. It is used as an adjective, a noun, and a verb. Its use permeates PG and R rated movies.
The 1993 Oscar nominated film, In the Name of the Father used “that” word 151 times within 133 minutes. Even more shocking was the film, The World of Wall Street, in which “that” word was used 569 times within 180 minutes. That was approximately three uses of “that” word every minute of the movie, which did not include other profanity spoken.
Obviously, the screen writers, actors, and the viewers were not troubled by “that” word nor the other profanity. Make no mistake, God will not hold us guiltless for watching movies that not only speak profanities but use His name in vain. Though a person may not personally use profanity, the act of watching movies filled with profanity validates their acceptance of it.
A youth group leader, Janie Tinkenberg, in her effort to help teens make right decisions, created a phrase, “What Would Jesus Do?” (WWJD) and had the acronym imprinted on bracelets. The question posed to the youth was, “Would Jesus join you in this behavior or activity, or would He be grieved over your participation?” This grassroots movement spread worldwide throughout the 1990’s and for many, WWJD is still a part of many Christians’ internal thinking when making decisions.
Those who love the Lord must be sensitive to what the Lord would have us say and do, because He is daily with us. It is incumbent upon parents and grandparents to set godly examples for their children and grandchildren. Speaking profanity or watching it spoken on T.V. will set an ungodly example for them to emulate. Instead, we are to “nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4, WEB). That means holding ourselves to God’s high standards by asking, “What would Jesus say and do in this situation?”
Interestingly, The New Oxford American Dictionary has this to say about the overly used F-word: “Despite the wideness and proliferation of its use in many sections of society, the word remains (and has been for centuries) one of the most taboo words in English. Until relatively recently, it rarely appeared in print, even today, there are a number of euphemistic ways of referring to it in speech and writing.”
If you are one who finds this all foolishness and cannot see the big deal about listening to or using a few profane words, let me share more of God’s perspective on vulgar speech. “But now you must put aside all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips” (Colossians 3:8). Let your conversation always be full of grace, helpful, and valuable (Colossians 4:6). Clearly, profanity grieves and offends the Lord.
And lest we think God isn’t really that concerned with our words, He has this to say: “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:35-36). Yes, I intentionally repeated this scripture, because God’s warning should motivate change in those who struggle with or accept profanity as being a normal form of expression.
The Word of God tells us that “a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver (Proverbs 25:11). The words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart should be acceptable to God (Psalm 19:14). Profanity is more akin to what is flushed down a commode. It is total waste and profits no one. Therefore, we must be careful of what we watch and what we speak, so that our actions and the words of our mouths are pleasing to our Lord and to those who listen (Psalm 19:14).
PRAYER: FATHER, forgive me if I used words or watched entertainment that offended You and others. Help me to be aware of my words and my choices, so that I may reveal Your Light to others. In Jesus’ name, amen.