The Use of Words
Always, the ultimate goal is to honor God. It is not my intention to be a condemning brother; God offers immense freedom to His children—the realm of words is included. It is my intention to draw ever closer to that which would honor Him. Therefore, I invite you into an examination of His Word below.
Summarily, “you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”
Later in Matthew, it is written,
God’s Name
I must preface. Using God’s names in vain is not up for debate.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)Saying, “Oh my God!” when you are surprised is taking God’s name in vain. Saying, “Jesus Christ!” when you are frustrated is taking God’s name in vain. Saying, “Thank God!” when something positive yet trivial happens is risky business, but I can only recommend you reflect soberly about your use of the phrase.
Summarily, “you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”
Curses
He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him! (Psalm 109:17)
The Psalmist is writing about how he has been oppressed by “wicked and deceitful mouths” (verse 2). The psalmist goes on to ask that God bring vengeance upon the aforementioned—specifically that their own curses be brought upon them.
These days, we don’t take curses very seriously; “That’s just Harry Potter stuff” we might say. The Western world likes to think that we’ve moved beyond the fairytales of curses and demons. As surely as God exists, angels exist. As surely as angels exist, demons exist; they simply hide themselves very well. Curses were real in the past; I safely assume that they are real in the present. Expletives are generally called “curse words.” (More accurately, they’re almost never called “expletives.”)
All of this leads to the suspicion that curse words are associated with wicked and deceitful mouths and that wicked and deceitful mouths are in danger of having their own curses fall upon them.
These days, we don’t take curses very seriously; “That’s just Harry Potter stuff” we might say. The Western world likes to think that we’ve moved beyond the fairytales of curses and demons. As surely as God exists, angels exist. As surely as angels exist, demons exist; they simply hide themselves very well. Curses were real in the past; I safely assume that they are real in the present. Expletives are generally called “curse words.” (More accurately, they’re almost never called “expletives.”)
All of this leads to the suspicion that curse words are associated with wicked and deceitful mouths and that wicked and deceitful mouths are in danger of having their own curses fall upon them.
Oaths
I don’t think a distinction is commonly made between “curse words” and “swear words.” However, note the prefixes curse and swear.- Curse: a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something.
- Swear: make a solemn statement or promise undertaking to do something or affirming that something is the case.
In our day and age, we consider expletives as one and the same with cursing and swearing. Relying on curses doesn’t bode well. Relying on swearing doesn’t bode well either. Ecclesiastes talks about the danger of making empty vows (oaths/swearing):
It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. … For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear. (5:5,7)
Back in the day, a swear was a solemn statement. Nowadays, a swear is at best merely vanity. Vanity doesn’t bode well.
Careless Words
Even if we veer away from proper curse/swear words, our words must still be used solemnly. Matthew 12:36 says, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.” This starkly moves beyond specific words or specific categories of words and simply condemns careless words.Later in Matthew, it is written,
It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person. … What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. (15:11,18-19)This does not address the specific words that come from the mouth, but it does warn against the inclination of the mouth to speak evil—another reason to bridle the mouth that much more severely.
Crude or Obscene
Even after we have escaped curse, swear, and careless words, we must still choose good words over baser words.Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. (Ephesians 5:4)
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. (Colossians 3:8)
It is by no means my place to say definitively what qualifies as filthy, foolish, crude, or obscene, but I once again invite you into a sober judgment of your own words. Obviously, it is a battle. It is work to bend against the collective forces of this planet, but we must use our words soberly and righteously. If you believe you use your words judiciously, search God’s Word, search your heart, and be at peace. If you wish to do things your own way, remember:
When dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.
1) What does it mean to take something in vain?
in vain
2) If the intention of the meaning behind these utterances matter, is it possible that exclaiming "Oh my God" may not be taking God's name in vain?
Of course it is possible. However, "Oh, my God," grammatically supposes something will come after: beckoning Him to intervene, ascribing to Him one or more of His traits, or something else that is actually communicative.
Leaving an exclamation at “Oh my god!” is more vain than Stewie pestering Lois (if you have seen the episode), for Stewie is speaking directly to her, he greets her with “Hi!” at the end, and he intended the whole interaction to be a joke on Lois: in sum, direct communication with Lois.
3) The meaning of words evolve over time. For instance, the word 'gay' used to mean something positive and happy. It then became a pejorative term used to denote someone who is homosexual or odd. It is now in a transition to something different than the other two meanings. What is the likelihood of these crude, obscene, or swear words transitioning into something positive or simply descriptive (e.g. "I had a crappy day.")?
Indeed, words change and evolve. Assuming that the speaker is not using any of God’s names in vain, assuming that the speaker is not a lover of proper curses, assuming the speaker is not making an empty oath, assuming the speaker acknowledges that an account will be made of their careless words (for example, I cannot imagine there will be any negative consequences for using the word “red” carelessly to describe a yellow object), and assuming that the speaker is not using words that he assumes in his heart to be obscene, his freedom is uninterrupted.
I must note, however, that, though many words have become commonplace, I insist that they are not yet free of obscene denotations. Many times, we try to pretend that certain words are newly harmless.
Here are a few good ways to test the innate obscenity of a word:
Obviously, these are not foolproof. It would not be appropriate for a child repeatedly to say, “vagina” — despite the harmlessness of the word itself. However, this would be cause for a discussion and not cause for a reprimand — unless the child is purposefully using the word to offend someone.
My main point is to invite people to reflect on their words toward the end of honoring God and His children. I get the impression that most Christians do not reflect much about their words. I fear that most Christians are more concerned about speaking however they please rather than honoring God with their words.
Afterthoughts
A friend of mine read this small article and had a few questions that I thought should be listed.1) What does it mean to take something in vain?
in vain
- without effect or avail; to no purpose
- in an improper or irreverent manner
2) If the intention of the meaning behind these utterances matter, is it possible that exclaiming "Oh my God" may not be taking God's name in vain?
Of course it is possible. However, "Oh, my God," grammatically supposes something will come after: beckoning Him to intervene, ascribing to Him one or more of His traits, or something else that is actually communicative.
Leaving an exclamation at “Oh my god!” is more vain than Stewie pestering Lois (if you have seen the episode), for Stewie is speaking directly to her, he greets her with “Hi!” at the end, and he intended the whole interaction to be a joke on Lois: in sum, direct communication with Lois.
3) The meaning of words evolve over time. For instance, the word 'gay' used to mean something positive and happy. It then became a pejorative term used to denote someone who is homosexual or odd. It is now in a transition to something different than the other two meanings. What is the likelihood of these crude, obscene, or swear words transitioning into something positive or simply descriptive (e.g. "I had a crappy day.")?
Indeed, words change and evolve. Assuming that the speaker is not using any of God’s names in vain, assuming that the speaker is not a lover of proper curses, assuming the speaker is not making an empty oath, assuming the speaker acknowledges that an account will be made of their careless words (for example, I cannot imagine there will be any negative consequences for using the word “red” carelessly to describe a yellow object), and assuming that the speaker is not using words that he assumes in his heart to be obscene, his freedom is uninterrupted.
I must note, however, that, though many words have become commonplace, I insist that they are not yet free of obscene denotations. Many times, we try to pretend that certain words are newly harmless.
Here are a few good ways to test the innate obscenity of a word:
- If a child should not say a word, it is probably obscene.
- If a word should not be said in the workplace, it is probably obscene.
- If the president should not say a certain word, it is probably obscene.
Obviously, these are not foolproof. It would not be appropriate for a child repeatedly to say, “vagina” — despite the harmlessness of the word itself. However, this would be cause for a discussion and not cause for a reprimand — unless the child is purposefully using the word to offend someone.
My main point is to invite people to reflect on their words toward the end of honoring God and His children. I get the impression that most Christians do not reflect much about their words. I fear that most Christians are more concerned about speaking however they please rather than honoring God with their words.
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