Imagine for a moment, if by some bit of magic, with every word you spoke today either something pleasant or something vile would come out of your mouth, depending on the type of words you spoke. Good words would bring forth perhaps a beautiful bouquet of flowers, or an art masterpiece, or maybe a delicious, gourmet meal prepared by a master chef. On the other hand, if our words were less than pleasant, out would come rotted food, or something putrid that gave off a noxious odor. How would we choose to speak? In our Scripture passage for today, among instructions that St. Paul gave about how a believer lives, we see some specific attention given to our words. Let’s take a look.
As we jump right into our Scripture, Paul admonishes us to stop lying, but instead tell the truth to each other (vs. 25). Some people may not think that lying is such a big deal, but lies can definitely hurt others, and thus would be something rotten coming out of our mouth. Christians cannot be fit instruments for the Lord if we are not truthful. We are to strive, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to become more like Jesus, who is Truth (John 14:6). Thus, we should always be speaking the truth to others.
Verse 26 is a quote from Psalm 4:4. This is talking about righteous anger against sin and evil, not when we so frequently get angry and lose our temper. Even righteous anger, however, can turn to bitterness, and should be set aside at the end of each day, otherwise it can become hostile. If we do slip into anger, animosity, or resentment against someone else, we should always do whatever we can to mend the relationship within the day. The longer we take, the harder it gets, and the more likely it is for the relationship to become estranged. If we nurse our anger, we will give Satan an opportunity to divide us. Don’t let the day end without trying to mend relationships.
Actions such as lying and getting angry can give Satan a foothold into our life and our behavior (vs. 27). That is not something we want to do, as the more place we give him in our life, the less place there is for the Lord. However, when our faith is properly placed in the Lord Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for us, we won’t be as likely to give the devil any place. Paul continues on to instruct us to work in order to provide for our needs, rather than stealing and taking from others (vs. 28). Christlikeness should give us high moral standards.
Now we come to an important verse, verse 29. Exactly what kind of words proceed out of our mouth? Are they corrupt or good? The Greek word used in this verse is “sapros”, which means corrupt, rotten, or putrefied. That is not something one would want issuing forth out of their mouth! Foul language should never pass a Christian’s lips. Instead, our speech should be encouraging and uplifting. Does what we say build up or tear others down? We should speak with grace, having Jesus as our standard. Speaking evil or worthless words is repugnant to the Holy Spirit (vs. 30). God is grieved when we do not change the old ways of sin that we used to follow to that of righteousness. The Holy Spirit in us is a seal or guarantee that we belong to God.
Paul continues on with some other examples of behavior and speech that should not be found in a Christian who seeks to follow the Lord (vs. 31). One is bitterness, which is smoldering resentment. It is a bitter toxin that we prepare for someone else, but then drink ourselves. A bitter spirit is like cancer, which penetrates every part of our life. Wrath is like rage, and anger is an internal, deep hostility. Clamor is an outcry of strife that is out of control. Evil speaking is slander, and malice is evil, the root of all vices.
The Apostle then admonishes us to show kindness, compassion, love, and especially forgiveness to others (vs. 32). Those who have been forgiven so much by God should forgive the relatively small offenses against them by others. Paul encourages us to imitate the Lord Jesus, which is sanctification, growing in the likeness to the Lord (vs. 1-2). Just as a child imitates his father, so we are to imitate our Heavenly Father. We should reproduce the godliness we see as modeled by Jesus, and ordering our behavior within the sphere of love.
In closing, we need to know that it is not enough to just stop doing wrong things when we get saved. We need to begin doing the right things, and one major thing is by guarding what we say. Let’s make sure that our words bring forth something beautiful, good, and pleasing to the Lord.
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