The Little Foxes That Spoil the Vine - Part 5
EPHESIANS
4:29—DON’T LET UNWHOLESOME WORDS EXIT YOUR MOUTH
Most likely when you read the title
of the lesson about sinful speech, your mind probably went immediately to a
couple of categories. Cursing would
probably top the list and then it would be followed by gossip because this is
perhaps the only categories we may have thought of.
The passage from Ephesians 4:29
actually covers a much broader category than just cursing and gossip.
A Greek Word
Study
When we look at the Greek word “corrupt” it opens up some
insight into what further describes for us the little fox of sinful
speech. It is from the word σαπρός (sapros)
which means rotten or worthless both literally and morally. Thayer’s
Greek Lexicon defines the word as rotten, putrefied; corrupted by one
and no longer fit for use, worn out; and of poor quality, bad, unfit for use,
worthless. The word also could give the
indication of rotten fruit, vegetables and spoiled food that has been left out
too long. All of these, if ingested can
cause a serious illness to occur. The
same holds true for the condition of our soul!
To
further give indication as to the whole of this word we can look at the Greek
root words to get an even clearer picture.
It comes from the root word πονηρός (ponēros)
which means hurtful,
evil (properly in effect or
influence). Figuratively it can mean calamitous; ill, that is, diseased;
especially morally culpable. It is speech that is derelict, vicious,
and filled with mischief, malice, or guilt. It is literally speech of
the devil or of sinners. Other descriptions would be bad, evil,
grievous, harm, lewd, malicious, and wicked.
This kind of speech is to be removed from our vocabulary. There are kinds of speech that fall into this
category of sinful speech.
Gossip, Talebearing, & Slander
Gossip
is probably the most common kind of wrong speech that immediately comes to
mind. It is defined as idle talk or
rumor about the personal or private affairs of others. David Bernard in his book, In Search of Holiness, 25th
Anniversary Edition, Revised and Updated, writes:
Gossip
is a vicious sin. It is Satan’s primary
tool for destroying the church from within.
It can destroy confidence in people, harm the innocent, and hinder the
repentant. It splits churches,
discourages saints, and disillusions new converts. The Bible teaches us to speak evil of no one,
especially our brothers and sisters in the Lord (Titus 3:2; James 4:11).
The
danger about gossip is that it is empowering to us which caters to a sense of
self-exaltation. The person who is “in
the know” can actually rationalize their own shortcomings by embellishing the
struggles of another. The trap of gossip
is that it can furnish a sense of self-righteousness. Be careful that gossip does not take on the
form of a prayer request. If you come
into contact with negative information about someone it is best to keep it to
yourself and spend time in private prayer about. Furthermore, always consider that there are
two sides to every rumor that goes around.
Gossip
by the very nature of its activity opens one up to another failure called
talebearing. A talebearer is a person
who actively spreads gossip or secrets about another that damages their
reputation by causing them trouble or harm.
Leviticus
19:16 KJV Thou shalt not go up and
down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against
the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.
Proverbs
11:13 KJV A talebearer revealeth
secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
Proverbs
20:19 KJV He that goeth about as
a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth
with his lips.
Ezekiel
22:9 KJV In thee are men that carry
tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of
thee they commit lewdness.
Talebearing
can actually devolve into slander. Slander
is the act of defaming one’s character by using false and malicious statements
that causes misrepresentation to take place.
Some might raise the objection and say that the information is true. Understand that a slanderers tongue wounds
people in such a way that even a physician can heal them because of the
damaging words that have been uttered.
Sometimes slander can take place because of silence.
Slander
can take place in the church when a man who is known to give financially being
accused of doing it for false motives.
It can take place when we give a prudent man the label of being miserly
or selfish. Slander is accusing a man
who is very actively involved in a church as having a spirit of
pre-eminence. There are times that men
who are known as being spiritual and godly men slandered as hypocrites.
Slander
is often used in the job market to help people to climb the ladder for
promotions and other advantages over others.
This has become quite commonplace and accepted in the business world and
is often looked upon as being assertive and self-motivated. The problem is that there is a damaged litter
of people left in the wake of this kind of behavior. The sad thing is that this behavior is
sometimes seen to take place among the church especially in political
positions.
However,
we have to take Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 4:29 and work toward allowing
our speech to be wholesome and productive.
We should constantly seek places where that our own words are used for
the edification and encouragement of other believers who are seeking to go to
heaven.
Lying
Another little fox of sinful speech is that of
lying. Lying is a false statement made
with the deliberate intent to deceive.
It is a falsehood that is inaccurate.
A lie is told with the obvious intent of making an impression that
otherwise would not be made it the truth were told. Consider Proverbs 6:16-19 for what God
considers to be an abomination:
It is clear to notice that three of the things that God considers
as an abomination has to do with the work of the tongue. A lying tongue (v. 17), a false witness (v.
19), and one who sows discord has to work with his tongue (v. 19). We should constantly seek to be truthful!
Jesus stated that the devil was the father of lies (John
8:44). The first sin was caused by the
deceptive lies of the devil to Eve in Genesis 3. He accused Job’s motives for serving the Lrod
(Job 1:9-10; 2:4-5). He expressed false
hopes and promises to Jesus during the temptation (Matt. 4:8-9; Luke
4:6-7). Because of these attachments to
the devil it should motivate us to do everything possible to note fall into the
trap of lying.
Throughout the Bible there are multiple examples of
lying:
- Adam and Eve—Gen. 3:12-13
- Cain—Gen. 4:9
- Abraham—Gen. 12:11-19; 20:2
- Sarah—Gen. 18:15; 20:5; 20:16
- Isaac—Gen. 26:7-10; 27:6-24; 27:46
- Jacob's sons—Gen. 34
- Joseph's brothers—Gen. 37
- Potiphar's wife—Gen. 39:14-17
- Pharaoh—Ex. 7-12
- Aaron—Ex. 32:1-24
- Saul—1 Sam. 15:1-26; 22:11-16
- David—1 Sam. 21:1-15; 27:8-12; 2 Sam. 15:34-37
- The old prophet of Bethel—1 Kings 13:11-22
- Jeroboam's wife—1 Kings 14:5-7
These are
just a few of the examples of lying in the Bible and with each of them, there
invariably were challenging circumstances that had to be dealt with because of
it. The Bible has some admonitions for
us to tell the truth.
Colossians
3:9 KJV Lie not one to another,
seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Ephesians
4:25 KJV Wherefore putting away
lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of
another.
Ephesians
4:15 KJV But speaking the truth in
love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even
Christ:
Proverbs
8:7 KJV For my mouth shall speak
truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
Proverbs
12:17 KJV He that speaketh
truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.
Zechariah
8:16 KJV These are the things
that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the
judgment of truth and peace in your gates:
Filthy
Communication
Colossians
3:8 KJV But now ye also put off all
these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
This
section ought to cause all of our souls to literally ache! Paul was telling the new converts in Colossae
to get rid of their filthy speech.
Various translations note this word to be dirty talk, filthy talk,
abusive speech, filthy language, and other similar expressions. One commentator (Lightfoot) said this word
could be translated as “foul-mouthed abuse.”
This
sinful speech can fit into the category of coarse jesting, bathroom “humor,”
dirty jokes, and speech given to sexual innuendo. We should be very uncomfortable when we get
around this kind of communication no matter what environment that it may be
in.
John
MacArthur in his commentary on Ephesians (pp. 200-201) has this to say:
.
. . They should never be guilty of filthiness and silly talk, or coarse
jesting. Filthiness has to do with
general obscenity, any talk that is degrading and disgraceful. It comes from the same Greek root as
“disgraceful” in verse 12 where Paul says that such vile things should not even
be mentioned, much less participated in, and is related to the term in
Colossians 3:8 meaning “dirty speech.”
.
. . Coarse jesting, on the other hand, refers to talk that is more pointed and
determined. It carries the idea of
quickly turning something that is said or done—no matter how innocent—into that
which is obscene or suggestive. It is
the filthy talk of a person who uses every word and circumstance to display his
immoral wit. It is the stock-in-trade of
the clever talk-show host who is never at a loss for sexual innuendo. But the low obscenity of silly talk and the
“high” obscenity of coarse jesting come from the same kind of heart, the heart
given over to moral filthiness.
In
light of such clear teaching of God’s Word, it is strange that so many
Christians not only discuss but laugh and joke with impunity about almost every
form of sexual intimacy, corruption, and perversion. But God’s standard is clear: there must be no filthiness or silly talk, or
coarse jesting which is not fitting.
This
is particularly grievous behavior when we are in mixed company.
Miscellaneous
Forms of Speech to Consider
Obviously there are multiple other
forms of speech that we can allow to creep into our lives that can cripple our
testimony for the Lord and open us up to the influence of the enemy. We should be ever vigilant to ask the Lord to
put a guard over our mouth (Psalm 141:3-4).
A
listing for consideration for what we need to watch for:
- Critical Speech—Negative comments about people that do not need to be said.
- Cursing & Swearing
- Taking the Lord’s Name in Vain
- Slang Words
- Reviling—Angry and abusive language patterns.
- Hasty Speech—Speaking and giving a judgment before all of the details of a matter is known.
- Vain/Proud Speech—Concerned with the state of life one may enjoy.
- Boasting
- Flattery—Insincere praise or accolades given to someone for ulterior means.
- Murmuring/Complaining
- Scoffing or Scornful
To Be Continued. . .
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