Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)
Stars don't talk; God does.
I recognize this statement is obvious and sounds simplistic, but have you ever taken time to feel its weight and reach? The opening pages of Scripture present us with the One who speaks light into existence and by speech separates it from darkness. We are shown in full color the One who with authority speaks into existence land and water boundaries and communicates each creature's purpose. All these good things, though, pale in comparison to what happens next. God gives man the privilege of imaging him, not the least including a dynamic faculty of speech. With authority, Adam gives names to every living creature--livestock, birds and beast. With his vocal gift, Adam participates in and enjoys God's good work. The design and utility of speech to this point are without any admixture of adverse purpose.
Enter the Fall.
"Where are you?" asks God, in seeking out Adam after he and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit. Far from responding with immediacy, as when naming creatures, Adam verbalizes fear--that which is not good. This snowballs into shifting blame: the woman is at fault; the serpent is the culprit. Speech has never been the same. Instead of pure blessing, the Lord now communicates correction and man utilizes his God-given faculty for the purposes of his self-seeking heart. Consider Cain. His raging heart against Abel's acceptance has been stirring rebellious hearts for generations.
In Paul's address to the Ephesians, he calls those who have repented of their sin and expressed faith in Christ to live a new kind of life--one that abandons futility of mind and adopts the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:17-24). This is a worthy calling (Eph 4:1), a unity-protecting calling (Eph 4:3), a humble, gentle, and patient calling (Eph 4:2).
Perhaps you would agree with me that we, in varying degrees, tend toward veering off-course with our speech. Perhaps James' statement hits home closer than we like: With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God (Jas 3:9).
Corrupting talk, or unwholesome talk as rendered in the NIV, speaks of that which is poor in quality or unfit for use. Matthew uses the exact term four times in describing rotten fruit (figuratively speaking of the rotten outcomes produced by unregenerate men [Matt 7:17-18; 12:33]) and putrid fish to be discarded (figuratively speaking of wicked man's ultimate separation from God at the end of the age [Matt 13:48]). In using the root of the word, James speaks of the rich man's riches that have rotted (Jas 5:2). Corrosive, depraved, useless, and destructive are simply a handful of words to describe the potency of how far speech has fallen since the Fall in Genesis 3.
In an effort to help us with this issue, I'd like us to consider two points of observation and one point of implication from Ephesians 4:29 and the larger context of what Scripture conveys about speech.
Observation #1: Words are weapons.
There is nothing idle about our speech. Just as our hearts (i.e. our innermost self, the core of our humanness) are constantly processing life and attributing value, formulating commitments, and expressing delight or dismay, so our voices follow suit. Paul tells us wholesome speech is fit for edifying others--it's what it does. It suits occasions and gives grace. Contrastingly, putrid words demolish unity. Though the ESV uses "corrupting" in a way that conveys action--which is what foul speech leads to--the term is actually an adjective. The quality of speech is in view. Notice where such communication comes from: the mouth. This is our launch back to Matthew's world: For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matt 12:34b). The "out of" in Ephesians 4:29 is a mirror to what Jesus speaks concerning the heart. What occupies the thoughts of our hearts--that's abundance--the mouth serves to express outwardly. Good treasure in the heart leads to edifying speech. The converse is also true. But are words really of great consequence to the building up and tearing down of others? Absolutely! Consider these brief snippets from Proverbs:
Proverbs 12:18 - There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 15:1 - A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:2 - The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
Proverbs 18:4 - The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
Proverbs 18:7 - A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
The list could go on and on... The Fall enabled and even encouraged the wielding of words as weapons for attempts to preserve self and make others suffer. The choice is ours, for death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits (Prov 18:21).
Observation #2: Words are warnings.
The link between words and the spiritual posture of our hearts is unbreakable. Therefore, when our words are sour they serve as a warning that our hearts are souring. It is a kind ministry of the Spirit to grant sensitivity to our oft-drifting and dulling hearts. This warning indicates that something has gone awry in guarding them: Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you (Prov 4:23-24). Something in our hearts, as Paul commands in Romans, has not fully been renewed (Rom 12:1-2). When our speech issues an error message, we must view ourselves as standing at a critical crossroads. Will we give in to slander (Eph 4:31) or embrace the long-suffering of Jesus? Will we engage foolish talk and crude joking (Eph 5:4)? Will we seek unity and give grace or take a step toward the supremacy of self (Eph 4:29)?
Many nuances exist, but there are at least two foundational questions we need to engage when the "check engine" light flashes:
1. What am I aiming to get by way of saying (or wanting to say) ______________?
2. What am I saying (or wanting to say) due to the fear of losing ____________?
The crossroads moment, my friends, is an opportunity to shut down life for a minute and pray:
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps 139:23-24)
Implication: Unwholesome words require a welcoming back home.
For Paul to sway his beloved saints toward a unified way of living, it is likely some drifting had already taken place. He clearly communicates that there is a brand of life belonging to an unbeliever and one belonging to the new creation in Christ. Erring, then, necessitates corrective measures--a continual "putting off" of the old self and the "putting on" of the new. We can call these repentance and faithful obedience. The apostle knew well this lifestyle and the need to propagate it to his audience. Recognize sin and confess it, writes John, and God in Christ will prove himself faithful and just to cleanse and restore (1 Jn 1:8-9). This is certainly a holy welcoming of sorts. And recognizing the war believers experience between flesh and Spirit (see Gal 5:16-26), John provides a great measure of comfort--a reason to boldly and humbly return to the sanctifying course abandoned:
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins...
I confess, there are too many occasions in which my speech has been wielded as a weapon. I have defiled God's good gift of communication and aimed for the detriment of others. I have ignored the warnings. The motivations were many and varied, but I stood guilty of veering toward self and not the Savior. In fact, I've done this in a personal way as well as a corporate way--wanting to draw others into the verbal tearing down of someone else. Whether local or far-reaching, hearts are dulled and unity is marred.
Am I the only guilty one?
Am I the only one growing through this by the all-sufficient grace of God?
I am so grateful for the Lord's abundant mercy and his calling drifting saints to come back home--Christ has already paid it all!
May you--may we--live daily from hearts that treasure Christ, with words of grace upon our lips.
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