Christians need to be especially careful that what they say does not cause people who are not Christians to disparage Christianity.  In this article, we will consider the following basic matters with regard to the significance of what Christians say:

  • Taking God’s name in vain
  • Profane or obscene language
  • Coarse jesting
  • Speaking unkindly about other people

[Note:  We do not discuss lying in this article.  For a discussion regarding lying, click on the title of our article entitled “Is It Ever Alright to Tell a Lie?”]

Taking God’s Name in Vain

In our discussion about taking the name of God in vain, including using of profanity with regard to God’s name, our primary focus will be on what the Bible says.  [Note:  When we quote Scripture in this article, we use the wording in the New King James Version of the Bible, except when we are quoting a source that uses a different translation.]

The Third of the Ten Commandments given by God states, “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” (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11).  The term “vain” is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “having no real value.”  Therefore, a person who uses God’s name in vain is treating it as if it is not holy.

Likewise, several scriptures in Leviticus – including 18:21, 19:12, and 22:32 – provide instruction to not profane the name of God.  Webster’s Dictionary defines the term “profane” as treating someone or something with “abuse, irreverence, or contempt.”  Thus, profaning the name of God is similar to taking His name in vain.

The foregoing scriptures suggest that, if we do not want to be guilty of not having proper respect for God’s name, we need to treat His name with great reverence in every situation.  Certainly, we should avoid using God’s name as part of a curse word, but also we should be careful to avoid using His name flippantly, such as when we use an expression such as “Oh, my God!” to verbalize our reaction to some circumstance.  Even telling jokes that mention God may be inappropriate, since such jokes tend to treat the name of God flippantly.

Profane or Obscene Language

Language that is either profane or obscene, even if it does not mention God, is also inconsistent with biblical teaching and, therefore, it is sinful.  Colossians 3:8 instructs Christians to rid themselves of “filthy language out of your mouth.”  And, Ephesians 4:29 tells Christians to “let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.”

According to Strong’s Concordance, “corrupt communication” can be defined as “defiling speech.”  Such speech involves saying things that contaminate, or make impure, the person who is speaking, whereas I Peter 1:15-16 and other New Testament scriptures teach that Christians should be holy.

Furthermore, the effect on people who hear language that is profane or obscene spoken by other people, especially those who profess to be Christians, needs to be seriously considered.  Such language is offensive to many people.  As a result, respect for people who use such language may be greatly diminished, if not entirely lost.  Furthermore, if someone who professes to be a Christian often uses profane or obscene language, that person’s ability to favorably influence other people about Christianity is likely to be severely impaired, because the language of true Christians, unlike that of non-Christians, is generally expected to be “clean” (i.e., not corrupted by profanity or obscenity).

Coarse Jesting

Ephesians 5:4 admonishes Christians to avoid “coarse joking,” which is “not fitting” (i.e., inappropriate).  The Wycliffe Bible Commentary indicates that coarse joking is vulgar jesting, which is  a form of obscene language.  And, Webster’s Dictionary defines the term obscene as “offensive to . . . prevailing notions of modesty or decency; lewd.”  Thus, this scripture indicates that the telling “off color” (or “dirty”) jokes and stories should be avoided.

Unger’s Bible Dictionary uses the terms scurrility and ribaldry to explain the meaning of “coarse jesting.”  According to Webster, scurrility refers to the use of abusive language or to “an offensively rude or abusive remark.”  Ribaldry is characterized by Webster as language or humor that is crude, offensive, or indecent.  This includes telling “off color” (or “dirty”) jokes and stories.

With specific regard to Ephesians 5:4, Henry says that the context seems to indicate that this scripture pertains to “filthy and obscene” discourse.  Likewise, Wycliffe  states, “In the Greek [these words] connote the sort of jesting that is vulgar and unclean.”

Billy Graham states on page 109 of his book entitled The Secret of Happiness, “The Scripture warns about evil communications that corrupt good manners.  Off-color jokes and dirty stories have no place in the Christian life.”

Speaking Unkindly about Other People

Many people use derogatory terminology in reference to other people.  Ephesians 4:31 states that “evil speaking,” which includes derogatory comments, is one of the behaviors that should not be part of a Christian’s lifestyle.  Likewise, Titus 3:2 provides the instruction “to speak evil of no one.”  The NIV Bible uses the term slander in its translation of both scriptures.

Furthermore, even inconsiderate words are inappropriate.  In Matthew 12:36, Jesus Christ declares, “I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”  Strong’s Concordance of the Bible notes that idle words are thoughtless words.  And, Webster’s Dictionary defines “thoughtless” as “lacking concern for others.”  In other words, we need to be careful to avoid speaking even inadvertently negative words about other people.

Colossians 4:6a focuses on demonstrating positive behavior in our speaking.  This scripture says, “Let your speech always be with grace. . . .”  (The term grace in this scripture can be defined as thoughtfulness towards other people.)  Therefore, we should speak kindly, not unkindly, about other people.

But, didn’t Jesus Christ call some people fools?

Despite the fact that Jesus strongly cautioned those whom He was teaching not to call other people fools (Matthew 5:22), He called the scribes and Pharisees whom He encountered “fools” (Matthew 23:15-17).  Similarly, the apostle Paul referred to the Galatians as “foolish” (Galatians 3:1). These latter two scriptures seem to suggest that it is not always wrong to call other people fools.

Norman Geisler, Ph.D., and Thomas Howe, M.A., allege on page 357 of their book entitled When Critics Ask,

[The term “fool”] is used in the context of someone who is “angry” with his brother [not necessarily just an actual brother], indicating a hatred.  Neither Jesus nor Paul harbored hatred toward those to whom they applied the term.  Thus, their use of the term “fool” does not violate Jesus’ prohibition against calling others a fool.

[T]echnically speaking, Jesus only commanded that a “brother” . . . not be called a “fool,” not an unbeliever.  In fact the scriptural description of a fool is one who “has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Ps. 14:1).  In view of this, one can see the seriousness of calling a brother a fool; it is tantamount to calling him an unbeliever.  Hence, when He who “knew what was in man” [i.e., Jesus Christ] . . . called unbelievers “fools,” it was a most appropriate description of what they really were.

Although any form of unkind language about other people is inappropriate, this does not mean that the actions of other people should not be criticized, provided that such criticism is done in a manner that is consistent with biblical teaching, which advocates virtues such as love, kindness, and gentleness.

Conclusions

Language that is either profane or obscene is inconsistent with biblical teaching and, therefore, it should be regarded as sinful, regardless of whether or not such language is used in reference to God.  And, it is wrong to use coarse jesting,.  In addition, any form of unkind language about other people is contrary to biblical teaching regarding how Christians should conduct themselves.

Billy Graham asserts on page 111 of his book entitled The Secret of Happiness, “Cursing, telling smutty stories, smearing the good name of another, and referring irreverently to God and the Scriptures may be considered as coming under the expression corrupt speech.  Our speech is to be clean, pure, and wholesome.”

Christians, in particular, need to consider James 1:26, which states, “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.”

In this regard, Wycliffe Bible Commentary says that the word religious refers to “attendance at worship services and to other observances of religion, such as prayer, almsgiving, and fasting.”  Wycliffe goes on to say, “A man who is scrupulous in these observances but fails to control his speech in everyday life deceives himself, and his religion is vain. . . .”

In reference to the same scripture, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible provides his perspective regarding the terms vain (or useless) religion and not bridling the tongue.  According to Henry, “In a vain religion there is much censuring, reviling, and detracting of others.  The not bridling the tongue here is chiefly meant of not abstaining from these evils of the tongue.”

So, it is worth considering the words of the psalmist (probably David) who wrote the 19th Psalm.  He states in Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.”  How pleased God would be if each of us desired to honor Him through all the words that we speak!