By Steve A. Hamilton

Introduction:  The tongue is a little member but how great a fire it kindles!  The tongue defiles the whole body.  The tongue can no man tame, it’s an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.  The tongue blesses and curses.  This should not be so!  It’s a problem in every church. 

I.  What constitutes cursing?

          A.  The use of curse words (Matt. 5:22).

                   1.  “Raca” – senseless, empty headed man; a term of reproach used by the Jews in the time of Christ; worthless, empty, vain fellow: a term used to degrade a person’s intellectual ability.  Today’s term – “idiot” or “stupid.” 

                   2. “Fool” – an act or appointment of God deemed foolish by men, without learning, forethought or wisdom, expressive of condemnation.

          B.  The use of curse words to judge someone.

                   1.  For example, “damn you,” or “go to hell.”

                   2.  We will be judged as we judge (Matt. 7:1-2).

                   3.  We will give account of our judging (Rom. 14:10-13).

                   4.  By so judging another we condemn ourselves (Rom. 2:1).

          C.  The use of corrupt and vain words (Eph. 4:29-5:7).

                   1.  “Vain” – empty, without value; without force, fruitless; conceited.

                   2.  “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth!”  Yet, how often to we hear people take God’s name in vain?

D.  The use of idle words and euphemisms (Matt. 12:36-37).

                   1.  “Idle” – unprofitable, of things from which no profit is derived, although they can and ought to be productive.

                   2.  Most exclamations used today are idle.  For example, “crud,” “crap,” “bull,” “shoot,” “shucks,” “darn,” “pooh,” etc.  Those words should mean what they mean but they don’t.  They are idle words.

                   3.  If I went around saying, “oh, tree,”  what would you think?  I wasn’t referring to a tree so the use of the word is idle.

                   4.  When taken out of context, it becomes meaningless and idle.  For example: “as cold as hell.”

                   5.  Euphemisms – (Webster’s) “the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant.”  For example, “passing away,” for “dying.”  Exclamations used this way are shoot, shucks, bull, darn, goodness, heck, gosh, gee and egad.  Note: not all exclamations are idle as words like oh, ouch and wow convey meaning.                         

II. Consequences of cursing.

          A.  Corrupted good habits (1 Cor. 15:33).

          B.  Rejected by God (1 Pet. 3:10-12).

          C.  Defiles (to make unclean; to dishonor or tarnish, as a reputation) a man (Matt. 15:11).

          D.  Causes vain worship (James 1:26).

          E.  Increases into more ungodliness (2 Tim. 2:16).

          F.  Strays from the faith (1 Tim. 6:20-21).

III. How should we speak?

          A.  Restrain our mouth with a muzzle (Psm. 39:1).

          B.  Holy in all manner of conduct (1 Pet. 1:15-16).

          C.  Lay aside all evil speaking (1 Pet. 2:1).

          D.  Speak as the oracles of God (1 Pet. 4:11).

          E.  Hold fast to sound words (2 Tim. 1:13).

          F.  Put off all filthy language (Col. 3:8).

          G.  Choose words carefully (Col. 4:6).

Conclusion:  As we learned, cursing causes us to waste our time here in worship (James 1:26).  If we curse, our time here is wasted because we are heading to hell regardless of our conduct in worship.  Of course, we can always repent making our worship, once again, beneficial.  Do you need to repent of the words you have used?

Last modified: 05/02/08