Profanity! Obscenity! Vulgarity! Filth!

 King Solomon wrote, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Prov. 25:11). In other words, words fitly spoken are works of art to be as cherished as the most precious metals on earth.

But what about words UNfitly spoken? Are there also vile and disgusting things that we, as God’s servants, should not speak?

It would seem so, for Jesus Christ told us in Mat. 12:35-37,

35 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

36 “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

37 “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

If we’re to appear before the throne of Almighty God and give account of every word we speak, then it seems we ought to be very careful about what we say! The apostle James added, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless” (Jam. 1:26).

This is a sobering thought, for I’ve spoken many unclean things over the years. We all have. No one who’s ever been able to utter words is blameless in this matter.

So what types of speaking should we avoid? Many types; this is a big subject. And so, instead of covering all of them, let’s focus on just a few at this time.

As you may have already guessed from the title, this post focuses primarily on profanity and vulgarity. Nathan Griffith has addressed this topic previously as well, but I’d like to cover it a little differently. Profanity, in fact, involves more things than most people realize!

Let’s begin with a few dictionary definitions, all of which may be found on dictionary.com.

Our English word “profanity” stems from “profane,” which means “characterized by irreverence or contempt for God or sacred principles or things; irreligious.” “Obscenity” stems from “obscene,” that is, “offensive to morality or decency; indecent; depraved.” For the purposes of this study, “vulgar” has two relevant meanings: 1) “characterized by ignorance of or lack of good breeding or taste,” and 2) “indecent; obscene; lewd.”

When we speak of profanity, obscenity, and vulgar language, those are the types of language that we’re describing. Lewd, distasteful, indecent, depraved, irreligious, or blasphemous language. Words that bear one or more of these labels in the dictionary include the F-word, the S-word, and various other four-letter words we commonly hear in the world around us, not to mention the various words by which people blaspheme God’s name.

Now it ought to be apparent, simply from the dictionary definitions, that God’s people shouldn’t use such language. But we don’t have to rely on our own judgment. God’s Word shows beyond any doubt, for anyone willing to listen, that such language is unbecoming to His people.

Filthy Language

In Eph. 4:29, God spoke to us through the apostle Paul, saying, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

In the original Greek, “corrupt” is sapros (Strong’s # G4550), which means “rotten, putrid, corrupted, unfit for use, worthless.”

In Eph. 5:3-4, we find, “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.”

Foolish talking we’ll cover a little more as we continue; everyone knows what coarse jesting and dirty jokes are. “Filthiness” is the Greek word aischrotes (Strong’s # G151), meaning, “obscenity, filthiness, baseness, dishonor.” Likewise, in modern Greek, the word means “obscenity.”

Finally, Col. 3:8 admonishes, “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.”

In Greek, “filthy language” is aischrologia (Strong’s # G148); it means “foul speaking; low and obscene speech.” In modern Greek, it describes “smut, ribaldry.” That word “blasphemy” is also interesting, because it stems from the very Greek word that’s used in this text: blasphemia (Strong’s # G988). Now, in modern Greek, blasphemia means “blasphemy, cuss, curse, profanity, swearing.”

No, it isn’t mere human judgment that we ought not use lewd, distasteful, indecent, depraved, irreligious, or blasphemous language. It’s the word and command of Almighty God! As 1 Thes. 4:7 reminds us, “For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.”

As God’s people, as Christians, we bear His name (Jam. 2:7). Our speech and conduct reflects on His good name. Should we bear His name with honor or dishonor? Gutter language or clean language? “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's” (1 Cor. 6:20).

Dishonoring God’s Name

Speaking of honoring God’s name, what about misusing His name itself? This seems straightforward enough; the third commandment tells us, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain” (Ex. 20:7; Deut. 5:11).

Again, in Lev. 19:12, we read, “And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.” In Lev. 24:10-16, a man cursed and profaned God’s name while disputing with another man. God commanded that the guilty man be stoned to death!

So it’s obvious that we must never blaspheme God’s name or misuse it under any circumstances. Using “God,” “Lord,” or “Jesus Christ” as an exclamation or curse word is a terrible thing.

Yet there are other ways in which someone may misuse or lightly esteem His name. Ways which most people, even many Christians, simply don’t think about.

As any proper dictionary will tell you, “Gosh” and “Golly” are euphemisms for God; “Gee” and “Geez” are euphemisms for Jesus Christ. As such, they’re inherently disrespectful.

We’d all do well to heed the instruction of Jam. 5:12: “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No,’ lest you fall into judgment.”

Cursing

So what about cursing, or cussing, provided that we don’t use filthy language or misuse God’s name? Many folks use exclamations and expletives of various sorts to express displeasure. It’s also common to curse at or insult others who displease us.

Yeshua/Jesus warned us to be very careful: “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Mat. 5:22).

Now, there’s a time and place for righteous anger and angry words, but again, one needs to be careful. We must not speak foolishly, but think before speaking. “Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few” (Eccl. 5:2).

Nehemiah wrote of a confrontation he had with some sinful Jews who’d married idolaters: “So I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God…” (Neh. 13:25). Likewise, both Jesus Christ and John the Baptist frequently described the Jewish leaders as hypocrites, snakes, vipers, liars, children of Satan, and other such things. The apostle Paul addressed a sorcerer as a “son of the devil” and “enemy of all righteousness” (Acts 13:10).

On the other hand, King David’s wife Michal insulted and degraded her husband for the way he expressed himself in worshiping God: “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” (2 Sam. 6:20). For her sinful words and apparent lack of repentance, God didn’t let her go unpunished: “Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death” (2 Sam. 6:23).

Jam. 1:19-20 gives us these guidelines for expressing anger without sinning: “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

The Weight of Words

Words are power. Remember Yeshua’s words that we read at the beginning: “By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mat. 12:37).

Words program minds just as surely as they program computers. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so hard for us to break certain speech patterns and habits, such as using profanity. It wouldn’t be so easy for us to fall back into the habit of using profane or vulgar words.

As thoughts lead to words, so words also lead to thoughts. Unclean and polluted words lead to unclean and polluted minds, just as sewage pollutes clean water. Perversion of language leads to the perversion of society. Why do you think wicked men began to use the word “gay” instead of “sodomite” or “homosexual,” if not to make that particular abomination more acceptable to society?

Over and over again, God’s Word tells us to be careful with our words. To think about what we say before we say it.

“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Prov. 10:19).

“Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive” (Prov. 17:28).

“The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD” (Prov. 16:1).

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Col. 4:6).

And when Jesus Christ returns, one of His actions will to purge the uncleanness from our speech: “For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one accord” (Zeph. 3:9).

So when we think about the words we use and the things we say, here are some things for us to consider.

If Jesus Christ wouldn’t say certain things or use certain words, then we shouldn’t either. If there are words, jokes, or other things we wouldn’t say in Yeshua’s presence, then we shouldn’t say those things at any time. Remember, if we have His Spirit, then He’s always present with us!

Do our words glorify God? Do they represent His character and way of life? Or do they represent our carnal human nature?

Remember, as God’s people, we represent Him and we will give account for the way we do so!