Anonynous writes…

Hello Beloved by Him. This is the same person who posted here not too long ago and had someone else answer her question. Anyway, there is one thing that I’m confused at the moment. Can a Pastor at a church say word that happens to be unkind such as the word “stupid” and even calling someone “stupid?” The reason why I asked was because my Pastor at the church I attend said some Biblical character was an “idiot” and I was not too surprised, but at the same time, I was a little appalled by this. However, I did read a portion of the Bible that mentioned that we need to be careful with what we need to say, but I’m still uncertain if Christians like me are allowed to say words like “stupid” or any other word pertaining to that. I’d like to know your opinion on this and how God views it as well.

Beloved By Him replies…

Dear Sister, This is an excellent question! I’m glad to see that your spirit is so sensitive, and that you want to honor God in this area of your life. So many times, we (even Christians) let things come out of our mouths that are not edifying, but Jesus said that every idle word we utter, we will have to account for, and that by our words we will be either justified or condemned (Matt. 12:36-37).

It’s a good thing that as Christians we know we will not be eternally judged by God for the sins of our mouths, because we’ve been forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ; however, as you’ve felt in your spirit, it’s still vitally important that we monitor what we say, because “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” and “a tree is known by its fruit.” It’s easy to see the hidden sins of the heart just by listening to what people say in simple conversation (Matt. 15:18-20). For example, I was recently convicted of some hidden hatred in my heart, because even though I thought I was doing okay in this situation, in truth, I was still angry, and it came out of my mouth just like Proverbs 26:26 said it would. Thankfully, God was gracious and didn’t allow my sin to corrupt a great many people, but just knowing that I had misrepresented God’s love and character to two or three people was bad enough. I learned that we really need to be honest about the state of our hearts, because our mouths are going to spit out the truth sooner or later.

Ephesians 4:29-30 says, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Our words need to build up, not tear down, and definitely not offend the Holy Spirit Who lives in us. We also don’t want to confuse the non-believers who may hear us and think, “Why is a Christian talking like that?” We especially need to be sure that we are accurately reflecting God’s heart to the unsaved (Col 4:5-6).

Ultimately, our hearts should be focused on whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8). Searching out the best in others will bring good things out of our mouths. Regarding your question, maybe the word “idiot” wasn’t the best choice of words, but the intent was probably to point out the foolishness of the behavior, just as we have all been foolish before God in the light of His love, wisdom, and grace. Sometimes, when we receive a word from God through His imperfect messengers (like me), maybe we need to take the valuable part out and let the rest go, understanding the heart behind the message (Jer. 15:19). In the meantime, let’s take heed to ourselves, leave the judgment to God, and commit to loving one another despite our imperfections.

Love in Christ Jesus,

Beloved by Him

Popularity: 3% [?]