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Here is Why it\u2019s Not Necessarily\u2026<\/p>\n
In my series of \u201cWhy Am I Even Addressing This\u2026\u201d I\u2019m tackling basic level questions in which many of us haven\u2019t seemed to gather credible answers for.<\/p>\n
Again, for most of us, the answer has been \u201cobvious<\/i>\u201d but, that\u2019s depending on which circle you\u2019re operating within.<\/p>\n
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If you google this question this website \u201cgotquestions.org<\/span><\/a>\u201d comes up and, they say this:<\/p>\n Answer:\u00a0<\/b>It is definitely a sin to swear (curse, cuss, etc.). The Bible makes this abundantly clear.\u00a0Ephesians 4:29<\/span><\/a>\u00a0tells us, \u201cDo 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.\u201d\u00a0First Peter 3:10<\/span><\/a>\u00a0declares, \u201cFor, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.\u201d\u00a0James 3:9-12<\/span><\/a>\u00a0summarizes the issue: \u201cWith the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God\u2019s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.\u201d[1]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n What\u2019s so painful about this article is where the author tries to bring it home by saying:<\/p>\n \u201cJesus explained that what comes out of our mouths is that which fills our hearts. Sooner or later, the evil in the heart comes out through the mouth in curses and swearing. But when our hearts are filled with the goodness of God, praise for Him and love for others will pour forth. Our speech will always indicate what is in our hearts. \u201cThe good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks\u201d (Luke 6:45<\/span><\/a>).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Yeah, I mean\u2026 at best, this is toxic theology.<\/p>\n It\u2019s just mind-blowing people still think like this.<\/p>\n The implication here is toxic because it\u2019s implicitly stating that if one says \u201cf*ck\u201d too many times then, their hearts are probably so incredibly filled with evil that they\u2019re spewing hate\u2026<\/p>\n Look, I\u2019ll be the first to say that words matter but, I\u2019m not at all going to agree with the idea that simply saying [or, for this matter, just thinking] a four-letter word reveals the evil in our hearts.<\/p>\n In\u00a0Philippians 3:8<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Paul writes:<\/p>\n In short, the word \u201cgarbage\u201d translates as the Greek word \u201cskubala<\/em>.\u201d It\u2019s an emphatic word that\u2019s tough to properly translate; communicating the proper power it typically conveys in the Greek. In other words, it\u2019s profane. The best translation many scholars suggest is either human excrement or \u201cshit.\u201d<\/p>\n In this particular context, Paul is using the word to emphasize his felt disdain for his accomplishments and accolades. It\u2019s appropriately profane (Nate Pyle gives us a good word here<\/a> echoing similar sentiments).<\/p>\n That\u2019s one of many situations though \u2013 because, then, there\u2019s Ezekiel 23, the entire book of Song of Solomon, and of course the words of both John the Baptist and Jesus used towards the pharisaical.<\/p>\n Profane language was consistently, intentionally, and prophetically used in the text in order to make their points stick. John the Baptist calls people vipers; Jesus referred to the religious elite as \u201cblind guides\u201d and \u201chypocrites.\u201d This instances of profanity were not indiscriminate they were calculated and thoughtfully intentional.<\/p>\n And, to also avoid being one who isolates single texts or bible verses outside of their context we should acknowledge the words of Paul in\u00a0Colossians 3:8<\/span><\/a>\u00a0; where he says, \u201c8\u00a0<\/sup>But now you must also rid yourselves\u00a0of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander,\u00a0and filthy language from your lips\u201d.<\/p>\n And, of course, the infamous James 3<\/a> on \u201cTaming the Tongue\u201d.<\/p>\n Which all of these verses, pericopes, and chapters of the bible are credible, in my opinion. It\u2019s when we zoom out and look at the larger context I think most of us will begin to see Paul (or, whoever wrote these) is denouncing a dehumanizing form of behavior that is expressed through a verbalized form of violence.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t rage against sound wisdom by lacking the self-control and discipline over what you say.<\/p>\n The last bit on this topic for me is the biggest piece we can\u2019t miss\u2026\u00a0Which, this addiction or obsession with moral authority is not just legalistic but it\u2019s painfully ironic in that it\u2019s what most of these verses on never swearing are actually about. For instance,\u00a0Matthew 5:33-37, Jesus says\u2026<\/p>\n 33\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cAgain, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, \u2018Do not break your oath,\u00a0but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.\u2019<\/span><\/span>\u00a034\u00a0<\/sup>But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all:\u00a0either by heaven, for it is God\u2019s throne;<\/span><\/span>\u00a035\u00a0<\/sup>or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.<\/span><\/span>\u00a036\u00a0<\/sup>And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.<\/span><\/span>\u00a037\u00a0<\/sup>All you need to say is simply \u2018Yes\u2019 or \u2018No\u2019;\u00a0anything beyond this comes from the evil one.[a<\/a>]<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
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There\u2019s Profanity in the Bible\u2026<\/b><\/h2>\n
It\u2019s a question of wisdom rather than a judgment on one\u2019s character\u2026 It\u2019s a small but major tweak.
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<\/a><\/h2>\nOur interpretation of the word \u201cswear\u201d in scripture is similar to our interpretation of what it means to use the Lord\u2019s name in vain<\/a>\u2026 in that, it\u2019s an interpretation that\u2019s completely incorrect. When we read this in all of its entirety we can then see, easily, Jesus is speaking of swearing in the context of oaths in the sense that he\u2019s saying for us to not \u201cpledge\u201d anything\u2026 \u201cSimply let your \u2018Yes\u2019 be \u2018Yes,\u2019 and your \u2018No,\u2019 \u2018No\u2019\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe irony found in all of this is that far too many times we all fall into this idolization of rules and laws; we build an ivory tower out of this falsified moral form of authority. We too conveniently puff our own selves up\u2026 as opposed to losing ourselves in Him.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u00a0You can follow Andy Gill on Facebook<\/a>:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n