Practical Holiness : Speech

How can you be holy with your speech?

General Principle: Christ's holiness was His conformity to the will of God — He always did what was pleasing to God. How then can do we do the same with our speech?

Have you thought, after a conversation, that you shouldn't have said certain things?

Have you ever realized after the fact that your comments hurt the person you were speaking with?

Have you ever been in a conversation with several people and wondered if (and how) you should contribute something positive? Or whether you should leave?

Consider these situations:

Telling jokes.

Talking with friends:

About each other.

About other people who aren’t present.

Prov 15:1-2

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly."

Prov 21:23

"He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity."

Prov 29:20

"Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him."

Matt 15:11

"Jesus called the crowd to him and said, 'Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.''"

2 Tim 2:16-17

"Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene..."

Eph 4:29-32

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

Eph 5:3-5

"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving."

Col 3:8-10

"But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."

Col 4:6

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

James 3:4-6, 9-12

"Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. ... 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."

Is your speech gentle or harsh?

Is it unwholesome or contrary to what you know about God?

Criticism:

Are you being encouraging or discouraging?

Are you building someone up or tearing them down?

Do you have a sufficient relationship that they would accept your critique?

Is it rumor or have you confirmed it with the person in question?

Would you want someone to say the same types of things about you if you weren’t there?

What is your motivation? Will the discussion benefit the person being spoken of?

Would it cause the person to whom you're speaking to lose esteem for the person in question?

Can you add something positive if they are tearing others down?

Should you leave the conversation?