Before we get into what the Bible says, let's first contemplate filthy language.
Sometimes "filthy" words are benign nouns or adjectives. As my children pointed out early on "ass" is in the Bible as is "piss'. Both are mere descriptions of physical things. Why then is it off-color to call people "asses" and refer to posteriors in such a fashion? Why is it off-color to talk about "pissing"! It's all in the context of things!
"Context" is basically using words to clarify surrounding thoughts. We use words to aid others in understanding what we are trying to say. For instance, let's look at "ass". In context it aids in clarifying the animal on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Since the people were expecting a general, king or great leader, it was expected that any riding which Jesus would do, would be on a majestic white horse. The Jews missed the point and Jesus made the point for them! He rode a lowly ass into town.
Zechariah 9:9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."Jews paid little head to their prophet's vision. They had read this, knew this and should have expected it to be, but they didn't believe it! Why? Because they had little faith and their own idea of royalty was totally different than what God's is.
It is appropriate to say Jesus rode into Jerusalem "on an ass". It's the same as saying "on a donkey". In fact "ass" is nearly obsolete now as a term for "donkey" Why? Because of it's use as slang. Today, a better meaning is "an obstinate or stupid person" or "one's buttocks".
It's not wrong to call a "donkey" an "ass", but because of the negative impact words can have, calling a person "an ass" means that they are either stubborn, foolish or stupid (or like their own buttocks)! It is acceptable if they are to call people "stubborn". That is an acceptable use of the word "ass". However, calling anyone "stupid" isn't the righteous thing to call anybody. It's as if one is saying "you fool"!
Matthew 5:22c "...whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."Why is that so? Because God commands us to "love our neighbors" meaning our fellow earth-dwellers, that's why! By calling people stupid, fool or asses, we minimize their value and they are of great value in the eyes of the Lord!
But some refer to their own posterior as "ass"! Is that okay? It would appear that "buttocks" are referred to as "asses' because people sit on both. That's not complicated. However, calling people an "ass" is much like calling them a "rear end", butt or other derogatory term for stupidity.
There are technical terms for body parts and some of those technical terms have been shortened. As long as one uses such words as they are have traditionally been defined, it would be appropriate. Referring to the rear end as buttocks, glutes, posterior, behind, etc. is proper grammar. Referring to people using the same words is inappropriate and offensive. Hence, even benign words can be made cancerous by using them out of context!
Because society has accepted the redefinition of words doesn't make them less filthy. For instance, "ass" according to modern dictionaries, are also the buttocks. However, "ass" is still off-color because people have made them so by misappropriating what they mean! They have used words out of context so long that now they are acceptable terms (for the world) in their new context!
Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."We are not to do as the world does! When in Rome we are not to do as the Romans do? We're not to leave our secrets in Las Vegas. We are to be a peculiar people in that we're set apart form the world!
1 Peter 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light..."Can you hear it now? "You ass! You're an idiot." This comes from the mouth of those who claim to be Christians and are "Royal Priests". Is love shown by using such words? Would a genuine priest of Jesus Christ call fellow human beings who they are to love "stupid asses"? You can answer that because it should be intuitively obvious!
Filthy language is the second-hand smoke of all vocabularies. What I mean by that is when you exhale such exclamations there are bystanders who not only don't want to hear it, but it also hinders there worship!
We are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. However, others, and often our own mouths, have contaminated that sacrifice! When I worked in an office deluged with filthy talk, I would go to church to praise and pray to my Creator and second-hand filth would waft through my brain! Before I could pray or praise, I had to first ask God to remove the filth from my mind! How could I pray for Mrs. Jones' cancer to be cured if my mind was on the licentiousness? My exhuming the foul from demonic graves while uttering epithets was the filthy lucre which prevented Mrs. Jones from being exorcised of her malignancy.
The use of filthy language on the part of a Christian can be a stumbling block for others and even cause others to question our devotion to God who asks for our obedience.
Colossians 3:8 "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth."Wait a MINUTE! This is not one of THE Ten Commandments, is it? They are as good as the commandments because we're not showing any love for God nor our neighbor when we use filthy communication! It's trash talk and God doesn't want to hear himself nor his people trashed!
My last habitual use of any filthy lucre (1 Timothy 3:3 calls it that) was when I was in my early twenties. I called a bad driver a "S.O.B." and I didn't use an acronym! My young son was with me and he gave me such a disappointed look that I was whipped by God. Not only did my hateful tone scare him, but a phrase with which he was unfamiliar upset him. I vowed to quit using filthy language right then and there! Guess what? It's been easy because they Lord convicted me that it's wrong!
I examined myself:
- Do I want to disappoint God?
- Do I want to teach my son garbage?
- Do I want to lose my children's respect?
- Do I want a lousy offensive vocabulary?
- Do I want to hurt others or even offend them?
- Do I want to be righteous and be able to talk to God and have him listen?
All these questions are "no", but he last one! God listens to those who come to him meekly, sincerely and with love. Using S.O.B. didn't really encourage God to commune with me, unless I was asking him to forgive me!
There is one big question which remained to be answered: "If I can't even tame my mouth, where is my heart?"
Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."We're not to use any "corrupt communication" because it lacks grace and does not build up! As such, it tears down and tramples the hearers under foot! In other words, if I can't tame my tongue, it being the mouthpiece of my heart, how can I love God and others? It was obvious to me that I was spending no time encouraging others because I was too busy hating them! We have an obligation to God: We're to love him and other people. If we don't then we deserve what we'll get: hell fire!
There are many types of filthy talk. Some of it may be sexual, excremental, condemning, disrespectful, hateful, prideful and belligerent among many other types. However you misuse our language to denigrate, it is wrong, wrong, wrong! Not only that, it is ignorant, ignorant, ignorant because people who use such terms must have a very limited vocabulary, not to mention a total disrespect for those who don't want to hear it!
Practice helps! It's best not even to use slang as a substitute because more important than the word, is the thought behind it! Saying "Aw, crap!" isn't filthy in itself, but it's an insult to John Crapper's name (inventor of the commode) and it is also off-color. Just let you "yes's" be "yes's" and your "no's" "no"! Face it "Aw, crap!" doesn't convey positive pictures in the mind, edify others nor encourage.
Develop words which display true feelings without the negativity and offensiveness, not only to others, but to God. When I'm excited I don't use "OMG" nor it's full meaning. I just say "Wow!" or if I'm surprised "Yipes, stripes!" The same message of surprise or excitement is achieved using less negative phrases. With practice, it's easy and all of a sudden, you'll have a vocabulary!
Never think in terms of what the preacher might think, what your mother might think nor what I may think. Think in terms of what God demands! What is offensive to him and how he would have you speak!
Can you imagine Jesus saying "Aw, crap!"? You know that he wouldn't because that's filthy lucre! Guess what? We're to be like him! It's not easy at times, but we get credit for trying to please him. It may be something small in heaven or maybe a special crown, but we will be rewarded if we obey!
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