Hey!
Is it a sin to swear, to cuss, to use vulgar words, profanity? Is it a sin?
These are some of the questions that I got from you guys here on the channel.
And so in this video, I’m going to answer this question right away,
by looking at what the Bible teaches us about using obscene, foul, offensive language.
Let's get to it.
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I’m Daniel and welcome to DLM Christian lifestyle.
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Now, is it a sin to use foul language, to cuss, “vloek”.
In my language Afrikaans, we say "vloek woorde".
Now, when I was young, me, all my friends, our culture, we were young,
when we would use bad language, we would get hiding straight away.
And some parents would tell their kids, ‘Hey, I’m going to wash your mouth out with soap’,
but these days, it is different.
Swearing, using bad foul language, it lost its sting. It became normal and even young kids today,
they swear like sailors.
In our society, we use more vulgar language, because we became more vulgar,
but it's sad, isn't it?
When vulgar becomes the new normal.
But how do we as imperfect human beings, know what is right and what is wrong?
We have to look at what God, who is perfect, says about what is right and what is wrong.
So let's take a look at what God says about profanity.
Jesus says in Matthew 12:36, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for
every careless word they speak, For by your words you'll be justified,
and by your words, you will be condemned.”
So you'll give account for every careless word that you speak.
It's not just talking here about swearing, but about every careless word that you speak.
Now, you need to know that if you act through the Holy Spirit, you will not speak carelessly.
Now, some people say I can't control myself.
I just speak before I even think, but I want you to listen very carefully to me.
Don't make excuses or lie to yourself, because if you are a real reborn Christian
you have God's Spirit in you, and one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is self-control.
Galatians 5:22 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
If you act through your own nature, you will struggle to have self-control,
but when you choose to act through the Holy Spirit, then you will always have self-control.
The decision is yours.
Ephesians 5:4 says, “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place,
but instead, let there be thanksgiving.”
This verse speaks for itself.
You know the culture that I come from as an Afrikaner,
there's one thing you need to know about us, we love our barbecues.
We call it a 'Braai', and most of us say, that we are godly people, that we love God.
And we were once a very godly nation, but now a lot of us drink like crazy, we curse like crazy,
and then when the food is ready from the barbecue, we take our hats off to pray to God.
It doesn't add up.
That is only dead religion, and it means nothing.
James 1:6 says, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart,
this person's religion is worthless.”
If you are a true Christian, then you are the light of the world, and you should shine your light.
Be an example in your deeds, but also in your words.
So how is it possible that you can say you're a Christian,
but at the same time, you use the same tongue, the same mouth to swear and curse,
and use obscene and foul language, and then also worship God.
James 3:10 says, “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”
Yes, we are in this sinful, temporary, fallen world, but we are not part of the world.
We are set apart.
We have to live Holy because God is Holy.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
So we have to live Holy within God's will, and you know it's not just when we look at swearing,
or foul words, it's not just that.
It's what we say to people, the situation, and how we say it to them.
Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths,
but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Do you build people up as it fits the occasion?
Is it grace for them to hear you speak?
Now, it doesn't say that you have to sugarcoat things, but speak the truth in love,
and sometimes you may need to say things that people's sinful natures do not want to hear,
but you have to do it because of God's word.
It's not always easy, but you have to discern.
You have to let the Holy Spirit lead you, guide you to know what, when, and how to talk to people.
Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
Now, of course, there might be times where this will be very tough,
and you might not know what to answer people.
I always ask myself this question.
What would Jesus say to this person right now?
Then it's like a switch that just flips.
Because then it calms me down,
And it's easier for me to know exactly what the Holy Spirit wants me to do.
And our aim is always to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and to be like Him.
1 Peter 2:21 says, “For to this you have been called because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps.”
I want to be honest with you.
When I was younger, I used to swear a lot, but then when I became a child of God,
the Holy Spirit convicted me because I was not living a Holy life.
So it was convicting me of my foul language,
and I knew Jesus would never say the things that I was saying.
1 Peter 1:15 says, “But as He who called you is Holy, you also be Holy in all your conduct.”
So ask yourself next time when you say something, ask yourself, would Jesus say this?
It's a good test and you know we as a society,
we usually talk about physical abuse, that's wrong, and it's good because we should talk about it.
But what about verbal abuse?
Words.
Words cut right into the heart, and it can cause more damage than physical abuse.
Your tongue is very, very powerful, and you need to be careful.
Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.”
You need to remember that your tongue shows people your heart,
because a tree is known by its fruit.
Jesus says in Matthew 12:33, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good;
or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers!
How can you speak good, when you are evil?
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good,
and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
What does your heart really look like and be honest with yourself?
Take a deep look inside and ask yourself, how do you really speak to people?
Proverbs 10:31 says, “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.
Your time here on earth is short, so use your time the right way.
And if you are a new Christian and you struggle with your tongue, then ask God to help you.
Be like David who said in Psalm 141:3, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips!”
Choose your words carefully.
Speak with wisdom, and when you speak, use it just to glorify God, to honor Him.
And always remember, it doesn't matter where you come from, what you've done,
God loves you, and I love you too.
I’ll see you in the next video.
Bye!