Post by pitbull on Dec 12, 2005 9:17:41 GMT -5
The believer needs to guard his or her tongue and how the tongue is used. There are many sins that can be committed with the tongue [James 3:1-6; Matthew 12:36]. The following are some examples of those sins:
1. Lying [Proverbs 6:17; 25:18] – Honesty is still the best policy. We need to be known as people of our word. Jesus told us to let our “yes” mean “yes” and our “no” to mean “no”. [Matthew 5:37] Christians should be known for telling the truth always.
2. Flattery [Psalm 5:9; Proverbs 6:24] – Flattery is tell people what they want to hear and is a form of lying.
3. Proud speaking [Psalm 12:3-4; Proverbs 10:31; Isaiah 54:17] – Be careful of pride. It is the same sin that cause Lucifer to fall and it may cause you to fall by your own tongue.
4. Too much speaking [Ecclesiastes 5:3; Proverbs 12:13; 18:6-7] – Ever meet people who will talk for an hour and never say anything? Do you ever meet people who want to impress you with their vocabulary? They speak too much!
5. Swift talking [James 1:9; Proverbs 18:13] – Do you ever find yourself with your foot in your mouth? Do you ever feel like your mouth started talking before you engaged your brain? That is this sin.
6. Talebearing [Proverbs 18:8; Leviticus 19:16] – The Bible uses the term “talebearer” for someone who is a gossip. As this passage describes, gossip hurts. It creates wounds in individuals, in friendships, and in families. Sometimes those wounds take a lifetime to heal and sometimes they never heal. There is a general rule that we should follow: If we are not part of the problem or part of the solution, we don’t need to know the information. This would stop 99% of the gossip today if we would follow that simple rule.
7. Backbiting [Proverbs 25:23; 6:19; Romans 1:30] – Are you guilty of bad mouthing folks? Are you constantly starting some infighting? This sadly seems like a pastime for some.
8. Murmuring and complaining [Jude 16] – This was the sin that the Hebrews committed in the wilderness after the Exodus. Yet, we see this same sin in churches today. No matter how God blesses individuals and congregations, it seems that we always find someone who will complain or murmur. Nothing is ever good enough for that person. God says that this is a sin and that we should avoid it.
9. Cursing [Psalm 109:17-18; Romans 3:13-14; Ephesians 4:29] – This is the usage of crude and vulgar language. Most of the cussing that goes on today, fits in this category. God knew that we would pervert certain words and that this list would keep growing over time, that it why He makes such a blanket statement in Ephesians 4:29. He will not allow us to put Him in a box on this issue. We should avoid words and expressions that as Webster said are either “lacking in cultivation, perception, or taste: coarse” or “morally crude, undeveloped, or unregenerate: gross”. We need to raise the bar for the standards for our tongue. What is really sad is when adults use this type of language in front of children [even their own] and destroy some of the innocence of that child. That is sad.
10. Profanity and blasphemy [Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11; Leviticus 24:10-16; Matthew 5:33-37] – This is when you take the Lord’s name in vain. Webster says that it is “serving to debase or defile what is holy”. Most of the cussing done today does not actually fit the category of profanity. To use profanity, it means that you actually must use something holy [i.e. God’s name] in a non-reverent means. It is that simple.
11. Hurting others [Proverbs 12:18; Colossians 4:6; Titus 2:8] – The tongue is a powerful weapon. You can hurt and wound people far worse with your words than with a knife or gun.
12. Remaining silent about Christ [Acts 1:8] – The saddest thing being done with the tongue today is being silent about Christ. It is impossible to be obedient to the commandment to be a soul winner and be silent at the same time. More Christians deny Christ by not saying anything than those that actually verbally renounce Him.
Now, what about you? Do you have your tongue under control? What you say will reflect what is on your heart. It will demonstrate to others how mature you are spiritually and how close your fellowship is with the Lord. If these sins are found in you, then you need to repent and get right. Surrender your tongue to the Lord now! Only He can tame it!
1. Lying [Proverbs 6:17; 25:18] – Honesty is still the best policy. We need to be known as people of our word. Jesus told us to let our “yes” mean “yes” and our “no” to mean “no”. [Matthew 5:37] Christians should be known for telling the truth always.
2. Flattery [Psalm 5:9; Proverbs 6:24] – Flattery is tell people what they want to hear and is a form of lying.
3. Proud speaking [Psalm 12:3-4; Proverbs 10:31; Isaiah 54:17] – Be careful of pride. It is the same sin that cause Lucifer to fall and it may cause you to fall by your own tongue.
4. Too much speaking [Ecclesiastes 5:3; Proverbs 12:13; 18:6-7] – Ever meet people who will talk for an hour and never say anything? Do you ever meet people who want to impress you with their vocabulary? They speak too much!
5. Swift talking [James 1:9; Proverbs 18:13] – Do you ever find yourself with your foot in your mouth? Do you ever feel like your mouth started talking before you engaged your brain? That is this sin.
6. Talebearing [Proverbs 18:8; Leviticus 19:16] – The Bible uses the term “talebearer” for someone who is a gossip. As this passage describes, gossip hurts. It creates wounds in individuals, in friendships, and in families. Sometimes those wounds take a lifetime to heal and sometimes they never heal. There is a general rule that we should follow: If we are not part of the problem or part of the solution, we don’t need to know the information. This would stop 99% of the gossip today if we would follow that simple rule.
7. Backbiting [Proverbs 25:23; 6:19; Romans 1:30] – Are you guilty of bad mouthing folks? Are you constantly starting some infighting? This sadly seems like a pastime for some.
8. Murmuring and complaining [Jude 16] – This was the sin that the Hebrews committed in the wilderness after the Exodus. Yet, we see this same sin in churches today. No matter how God blesses individuals and congregations, it seems that we always find someone who will complain or murmur. Nothing is ever good enough for that person. God says that this is a sin and that we should avoid it.
9. Cursing [Psalm 109:17-18; Romans 3:13-14; Ephesians 4:29] – This is the usage of crude and vulgar language. Most of the cussing that goes on today, fits in this category. God knew that we would pervert certain words and that this list would keep growing over time, that it why He makes such a blanket statement in Ephesians 4:29. He will not allow us to put Him in a box on this issue. We should avoid words and expressions that as Webster said are either “lacking in cultivation, perception, or taste: coarse” or “morally crude, undeveloped, or unregenerate: gross”. We need to raise the bar for the standards for our tongue. What is really sad is when adults use this type of language in front of children [even their own] and destroy some of the innocence of that child. That is sad.
10. Profanity and blasphemy [Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11; Leviticus 24:10-16; Matthew 5:33-37] – This is when you take the Lord’s name in vain. Webster says that it is “serving to debase or defile what is holy”. Most of the cussing done today does not actually fit the category of profanity. To use profanity, it means that you actually must use something holy [i.e. God’s name] in a non-reverent means. It is that simple.
11. Hurting others [Proverbs 12:18; Colossians 4:6; Titus 2:8] – The tongue is a powerful weapon. You can hurt and wound people far worse with your words than with a knife or gun.
12. Remaining silent about Christ [Acts 1:8] – The saddest thing being done with the tongue today is being silent about Christ. It is impossible to be obedient to the commandment to be a soul winner and be silent at the same time. More Christians deny Christ by not saying anything than those that actually verbally renounce Him.
Now, what about you? Do you have your tongue under control? What you say will reflect what is on your heart. It will demonstrate to others how mature you are spiritually and how close your fellowship is with the Lord. If these sins are found in you, then you need to repent and get right. Surrender your tongue to the Lord now! Only He can tame it!