CUSSING/SIN

So my good friend David and I had this conversation earlier today about cussing while I was at work. We both gave each other our theories about cussing, and how it relates to our walks with Christ. With mine, of course, I said that I don’t think it is bad to cuss, because the bible doesn’t literally say not to cuss, and the only reason most Christians believe it’s bad to cuss is because of the fact that the entire world has said that cussing is a bad thing to say in the first place. I continued to say that if you are not using cuss words in a way that is negative then you should be good.(OO how ignorant I was to God's will.) Well when I got home from work tonight, I asked one of my other friends, Josh, where in the bible does it literally say not to cuss, because I remember him mentioning it to me in the past.

He led me to the verse James 3:9-12 which states: “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

This verse does not state that we should not cuss; it merely states that we should not curse. Both praise and cursing can NOT come from the same mouth if we are trying to praise and please our Lord. Although this verse states not to “cuss” it says not to curse. The bible states that if we hate someone, then we have sinned. So, just as we cuss out loud or even in our hearts, we have sinned because it was not used in a way to glorify God. Leviticus 19:17 states, “Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.” If the bible says it’s a sin, it is merely a sin. If God asks us not to do something and we do it, it is simply a sin- just like getting wasted and killing someone is of equal sin in God’s eyes.

After having these conversations with two of my friends tonight, I decided to do some research on the topic of sin and cussing. God shows how serious He is about not sinning by stating the following: “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell,” Matthew 5:29. As my friend Josh said, “this is God’s way of expressing to us how important it is for us not to sin.”

So to conclude, I just want to set my new theory on this topic, that is – as followers of Jesus, we should not cuss, because it does not glorify God. To be more in depth, as followers how can we attract non-believers if we are cussing? In others’ eyes, if followers of Jesus cuss, we are being hypocritical in the fact that we claim to follow God, yet we are not glorifying God as we say we do with our tongues. Just as 1 John 1:6 says, “If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” Our lifestyles should obviously be used to glorify God. Like I said above, if we don’t express a lifestyle that exemplifies God, then we will not attract any one who attempts to learn about God; We will only push them further away. Matthew 5:16 states, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Keep this quote in mind as well: "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." -Brennan Manning