For quite some time I have been wanting to write a post about words, about the language that we use. It never seemed like such a hot topic to me, but lately I have met several people who, even though they are professing Christians, don't seem to have a problem using different forms of profanity.
Growing up, that was never an issue, those were bad words. And even when I went through a time when I used those words (sorry mom), I never tried to support their usage: I knew they were wrong and out of place for a Christian. In fact, when I finally decided to put my full faith in Christ, that was one of the first things to go in my pursuit of godliness.
Now, I have always considered myself an open-minded person, so each time someone has come along in my life and has questioned my beliefs, I have always tried to reconsider whether or not these beliefs were biblical or personal. I have found some to be personal and some to be biblical, and have been man enough to admit when I have been wrong.
But it seems like more and more the people that I know are chalking too much up to personal preference. Suddenly the Bible doesn't have anything to say at all, it is all preference.
Well. That's wrong.
The Bible does have something to say about language. It does have something to say about the words that we use. If you don't believe me, check out Ephesians 5. Do a word search. Study a topic. You don't have to be a Biblical seminarian to read the word of God and understand it. All you need is the Holy Spirit living and dwelling in your heart.
But here is the problem that I see: Laziness and Pride.
Laziness. There are way too many lazy Christians out there. I say that because I have struggled greatly in my life with laziness. I can also say that because it is true. There are way too many out there who are depending on their pastors and teachers to find all of the truth to live their lives by.
Also, if there is a topic that they are unsure about do they seek to "find out what pleases the Lord" (Eph 5:10)? Of course not. They begin formulating and hypothesizing based on their own understanding of the topics.
Pride. I see this as a problem as well. When you go to yourself for the answers to problems, you will inevitably develop a deep sense of pride in yourself.
To be honest, I see this all of the time in the blog world. Oh, you can find all sorts of blogs out there with self-proclaimed spiritual gurus, who are so enlightened that even the mention of the Biblical truth is met with mocking and ridicule. You leave these blogs as if they just patted you on the head and said, "you poor dear soul... we know that you haven't been as enlightened as we have. We will pray for you."
Frankly it is infuriating. Believing that the Bible is absolutely true does not make me hard headed or obtuse. As a mathematician by trade, I believe in absolute truth. And if I have found it, that doesn't make me crazy.
If you would like to read another's opinions on this topic of language, and probably a better put together writing on this topic, the check this out: What the @*&#...? A Christian Critique of Swearing
Growing up, that was never an issue, those were bad words. And even when I went through a time when I used those words (sorry mom), I never tried to support their usage: I knew they were wrong and out of place for a Christian. In fact, when I finally decided to put my full faith in Christ, that was one of the first things to go in my pursuit of godliness.
Now, I have always considered myself an open-minded person, so each time someone has come along in my life and has questioned my beliefs, I have always tried to reconsider whether or not these beliefs were biblical or personal. I have found some to be personal and some to be biblical, and have been man enough to admit when I have been wrong.
But it seems like more and more the people that I know are chalking too much up to personal preference. Suddenly the Bible doesn't have anything to say at all, it is all preference.
Well. That's wrong.
The Bible does have something to say about language. It does have something to say about the words that we use. If you don't believe me, check out Ephesians 5. Do a word search. Study a topic. You don't have to be a Biblical seminarian to read the word of God and understand it. All you need is the Holy Spirit living and dwelling in your heart.
But here is the problem that I see: Laziness and Pride.
Laziness. There are way too many lazy Christians out there. I say that because I have struggled greatly in my life with laziness. I can also say that because it is true. There are way too many out there who are depending on their pastors and teachers to find all of the truth to live their lives by.
Also, if there is a topic that they are unsure about do they seek to "find out what pleases the Lord" (Eph 5:10)? Of course not. They begin formulating and hypothesizing based on their own understanding of the topics.
Pride. I see this as a problem as well. When you go to yourself for the answers to problems, you will inevitably develop a deep sense of pride in yourself.
To be honest, I see this all of the time in the blog world. Oh, you can find all sorts of blogs out there with self-proclaimed spiritual gurus, who are so enlightened that even the mention of the Biblical truth is met with mocking and ridicule. You leave these blogs as if they just patted you on the head and said, "you poor dear soul... we know that you haven't been as enlightened as we have. We will pray for you."
Frankly it is infuriating. Believing that the Bible is absolutely true does not make me hard headed or obtuse. As a mathematician by trade, I believe in absolute truth. And if I have found it, that doesn't make me crazy.
If you would like to read another's opinions on this topic of language, and probably a better put together writing on this topic, the check this out: What the @*&#...? A Christian Critique of Swearing
wow, its good to read that. i like those kinds of posts. the ones that seem to be (in my mind) "bible class format"
ReplyDeleteone thing that struck me was how you defined a lazy cristian as "someone who has thier pastors and teachers find the answers for them"
Very good points! My 90 year old grandmother was a little more pragmatic and always used to tell me "people use bad words when their vocabulary is limited and they don't know how to adequately express themselves".
ReplyDeleteAmen, Matt. I have thought this for quite some time. This is a breath of fresh air. Brit, GWG and may God bless you :) DH
ReplyDelete