What’s So Bad about Cussing?
by David K. Bernard
Podcast recording (no venue stated in the delivered transcript)
Kind: teaching
Scripture: James 3:10, Ephesians 4:29-32, Ephesians 5:3-4, Ephesians 5:12, Matthew 12:36-37, Matthew 5:22

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/david-k-bernard--whats-so-bad-about-cussing
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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what's the problem actually the Bible has a lot to say about our words and our speech before I get into the scripture let's just talk about what we mean by cursing because we could mean several different things of course the uh the the English word cursing would literally mean pronounce a curse on someone and the Bible does speak of that as wrong now the typical cuss words that people use in English and most other languages they could fall in SE several categories so first of all talking about hell talking about damnation and the danger there is if you mean them literally as they originally intended you are cursed people which is a direct contradiction of the word of God if you don't really mean that but you're just throwing in those words you're trivializing what is something very important so these you know the word hell the word damn those are scriptural words with real meanings when we throw them into sentences for exaggeration or emphasis we're really trivializing them because if we don't if we mean them literally we're cursing people if we don't mean them literally we're making fun we're joking we're cavalierly treating some the the fact that we're going to have an eternal Destiny um and so that is the danger there that we that we cause people not to take Biblical teaching seriously other terms relate to sexual functions or bodily functions and so maybe some of those are just crude but uh when it comes to and the Bible does talk about having wholesome speech so maybe some words are not sinful but they're crude and would be a violation but those that relate to sexuality again I would make the same comment in the Bible sex is between a man and a woman it's really designed by God it's meant to be treated as sacred and solemn and private and so again to use these terms if we mean them literally then we're trivializing denouncing God's plan if we don't mean them literally then again we're trivializing uh something that's meant to be sacred and we're making it profane now then some uh curse words have to do with taking the name of the Lord in vain which is a violation of one of the Ten Commandments which I believe is moral law which is applicable today but using uh the the word God or Jesus Christ or some other terms of deity uh uh in when you're not you when you're not praying when you're not exclaiming to God you know sometimes we in a moment of Crisis or startled we may call on God or Lord or or Jesus and mean it but if we don't mean it again we're taking God's name in vain we're trivializing it and we're trying to and all these cases we're trying to teach our children our youth our converts that certain things are sacred that certain things are scriptural that certain things are doctrinal that God is Holy and to be treated with extreme reverence and worship and so when we use these various terms contrary to that we're tearing down what we believe and by our words and our actions we're communicating to people that are following us that we don't mean these things and I think it is interesting that in American culture even though we're mostly post-christian we don't curse by using Muhammad's name or Buddha's name or Socrates name because they have no power they they don't mean anything to us other than historical figures but by taking the name of Jesus Christ in vain it's kind of in a perverse way testifying the devil really thinks that name has power that's why he's trying to trivialize it and think of it this way when we trivialize the sacred names used for God in titles and and the terms used for important doctrines then in a time of Crisis you go to pray for your child and you say in the name of Jesus Christ how is that child going to have faith in the power of the name of Jesus when we've treated it casually and trashed it basically in our conversation or even calling out oh Lord uh when when we don't really mean him as the Lord Of Our Lives now this is not just my thought this is scripture uh the entire book of James or at least chapter 3 specifically talks about uh wholesome speech but here let me just give you a couple of examples or one example in James James 3:10 out of the same mouth prede blessing and cursing my brethren these things ought not to be so so the same way we worship God uh and we use all those terms with serious biblical intention the names of God referring to the relation between husband and wife refer referring to um you know Eternal judgment if we're going to use those in a sacred or biblical way we shouldn't turn around and use them as a form of cursing or derogatory way so that's an example uh there there's a scriptural teaching there also we find in Ephesians chapter 5 I'd like to read several passages there Ephesians 4 uh 29 let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth but what is good for for necessary edification that it may impart grace to the hearers that pretty much covers all these different forms we've been using uh and then uh verse I'll continue and do not grieve the holy spirit of God so by this kind of talk we grieve the spirit of God that's in Us by whom you were sealed to the day of redemption let all bitterness wrath anger clamor evil speaking be put away from you with all malice be kind to one another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you going down to now chapter 5:3 but fornication all in cleanness or Covetous let it not even be named among you as fitting as is fitting for Saints those are these various terms for um sexuality and bodily functions and then it says in verse four neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor coarse jesting which are not fitting but rather giving of thanks for so even using these terms uh that are considered filthy or degrading uh terms that are considered foolish coarse jesting so sexual connotations which sometimes off-color comments and jokes um that's not fitting he says verse 12 for it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret now if you think maybe well you know that's a little too strict but let's go back to Jesus uh The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5 um and uh let's go back to um well uh I've got here chapter 12 I'll go back to verse chapter 5 in a minute uh Matthew 12:36 but I say to you these are the words of Jesus that for Every Idle Word men may speak they will give account of it in the day of judgment for by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned now I don't know how we Define Idle Word I'm not saying Every Idle Word is a sin but Jesus did say Every Idle Word you're going to have to give account for and if your speech is filled with Idle Words useless vain or irreverent words well you know the true person is going to be revealed by your words and so judgment is going to reveal what kind of person you are and the evidence is going to be to a great extent your speech now going back to the sermon on the m uh Matthew 5:22 but I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Judgment whoever says to his brother rqa that um and that was a uh a word there in Aramaic that was um apparently was known to be inappropriate um meaning someone empty-headed shall be in danger of the council but whoever says you fool shall be in danger of Hellfire now someone when I say that's pretty strict but I think what he's referring to there is more than just someone who is um you know mentally slow it's really moral um a moral term as in the Psalms the fool has said in his heart there is no God so Jesus is trying to impress upon us the importance of our speech even to call someone by hateful name implying that they're morally depraved you know that itself is inappropriate you'll be in danger of God God's judgment if you curse people in this way or speak hatefully or evily of people in this way well you know all of these statements really when you study them the more you study them uh the more you realize how important our speech should be um also in Colossians talks about our speech to be gracious season with salt so it you know what just like food should taste good bring out the proper taste or maybe the preservative qualities of salt as well our speech should be wholesome should be gracious uh should uh seek to be platal and so even though I know there's a trend sometimes of preachers trying to be relevant and use crude or harsh or even evil words I don't think you have to be untrue to who you are I think to be authentic doesn't mean to fake it it means to be who you are so if I'm preaching to someone of another ethnicity I don't have to try to copy their slang I have to be authentically who I am if I'm preaching to Sinners yes I have to speak in terms I understand but I don't have to use the kind of degrading terms that they use because then I'm kind of adopting their philosophy I need to have sound speech the Bible says that cannot be condemned