I remember meeting with a friend who I hadn’t seen in years, and she asked me whether I was one of those Christians who didn’t believe in cursing/swearing/cussing/profanity. She had been exploring her faith and had settled on Christianity, but she made it very clear that there were certain things she believed in and other things she didn’t. One of those things was cussing—she believed that we (as humans) give words meaning and power, and without us giving a word meaning or power, the word itself would be meaningless. Therefore, she felt justified to say whatever explicit words she wanted to say.
I remember another time when my husband and I went to the taping of a popular game show. The host, a popular self-proclaimed Christian, asked the audience if anyone didn’t use profanity. He was shocked when my husband and I raised our hands. He then went on to justify why he used profanity, and how he was still a “good Christian”.
Both of these situations shocked me. It wasn’t that I was shocked that these people were using profanity…
I was shocked that neither person actually referred to the Scriptures and Biblically explained why they believed that cursing is okay as a Christian. Instead, they justified themselves based off their own feelings and intellect, rather than allowing God’s Word to actually be their standards (because if they had looked into the Bible, they’d realize that the Scriptures do not support Christians using profanity).
Here’s the thing—we can’t pick and choose what we want to believe in the Bible and what we’re willing to obey. The Bible isn’t a buffet line where you can get a little bit of pasta, some fried chicken, and hold off on the mixed vegetables. It’s not even a made to order restaurant. You either take everything or you don’t.
As someone who used to curse worse than a sailor before being a Christian, I thought it’d be a good idea to actually do a Bible study on why you shouldn’t curse as a Christian. It seems to be an issue that people are actually curious about. Let’s not look at man made reasons why we shouldn’t—let’s actually get our conviction from the Bible.
So grab your Bible and notebook, and let’s dig into what the Bible has to say! Here are 5 reasons why you should not curse as a Christian:
1. The Bible Specifically Says Not to Let Any Unwholesome Talk Come Out of Your Mouth (Ephesians 4:29)
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.
EPHESIANS 4:29
It can’t get any clearer than this!!
The Bible makes it very clear that we shouldn’t let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths. What exactly is “unwholesome talk”?
The original Greek word for unwholesome is sapros. It is defined as:
- rotten, putrefied
- corrupted by age and no longer fit for use, worn out
- of poor quality, bad, unfit for use, worthless
Woah!
So having “unwholesome talk” is talk that is rotten, bad, worthless, and corrupted. It’s gossiping about someone behind their back or speaking ill about someone. It’s being unloving in your speech towards someone (e.g. being critical or harsh) and tearing them down. It’s coarse joking with someone or speaking sarcastically to them with the purpose of hurting their feelings.
Unwholesome talk is using profanity (cussing).
The definition of profanity is treating something sacred with abuse, irreverence, or contempt. It’s to debase something or someone by a wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use. That sounds an awfully lot like the original Greek word for unwholesome!
So the Bible makes it very clear that as Christians, we should not be using profanity. We should not be using any type of speech that is unwholesome.
2. We Can’t Praise God and Curse (James 3:9-12)
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
James 3:9-12
For clarity, when cursing is mentioned here in the Scriptures, it’s referring to cursing a person—i.e. wishing harm or injury to someone.
So does this Scripture specifically say that you shouldn’t curse (as in, use profanity)? No.
But the overall message still applies to using profanity—we can’t praise God one minute and then have all this unwholesome talk the next (see Ephesians 4:29 above, which pairs so well with this Scripture)! We can’t say “Amen” or “Hallelujah” one minute and then some censored words later on in the day.
When it comes to our speech, we have to watch what we say. We have to actually watch our life and doctrine (1 Timothy 4:16) if we are going to call ourselves Christians. We need to set the example in our speech (1 Timothy 4:12).
3. What We Say Shows Where Our Heart Is (Luke 6: 43-45)
43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
I absolutely love this Scripture! What we say can tell a lot about where our heart is at.
If we have a heart of gratitude, love, compassion, gentleness, or patience, it will show through our words. If we have a heart of anger, bitterness, hatred, or envy, that will also show through our words.
So what type of heart do you think is shown from someone who uses a lot of profanity? Back in my B.C. days (as in, my life Before Christ!), I used a lot of profanity to express my anger or hatred about something or someone. I also cussed because I thought it gave me an edge and I wanted to be accepted by my friends who cussed all the time too—I didn’t want to be seen as this “goody two shoes”. Eventually, cussing became second nature for me and just as much a part of my vocabulary as when people use the word “like” or “um”. I lacked self control in my speech.
If you use a lot of profanity, then it’s time to do a heart check. Work on the emotions and feelings (e.g. bitterness, envy, hatred, anger, etc.) that are causing you to harden your heart towards God and others.
4. Jesus Wants Us to Have the Heart of a Child In Order to Enter the Kingdom (Matthew 18:3-4)
3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3-4
Most of us are probably familiar with this Scripture—we need to have a humble, teachable heart like that of a child in order to enter into God’s kingdom. So what does this have to do with using profanity?
Well, what would you do if you heard a three year old cussing? Would you be shocked? Alarmed? Would you wonder what type of parents they have?
I personally would wonder all of the above! I would be very shocked and alarmed, and I would totally question the lifestyle of their parents!
Hearing a young child use profanity is cringeworthy… There’s an innocence and purity about little kids, so hearing them say something vulgar just taints that image.
If Jesus calls us to have the heart of a child, then we should have the heart of a child. So if there are things that you wouldn’t say in front of a child or you would be shocked to hear a child say, then that means that you shouldn’t be saying them. Period.
5. What We Say Can Affect Where We Spend Eternity (James 3:6)
6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
JAMES 3:6
Having lived in Northern California for the past few years, I can say I know a little thing or two about fires running wild!
With the last wave of fires we had, it was so bad that the sky turned orange and it felt like night was among us for an entire day.
I’m not sure how all the fires started, but I did hear that one started from a pyrotechnic that was used at a gender reveal party. Can you imagine? One spark of fire lead to thousands of acres burning and people having to evacuate their homes?!
When I think about the tongue (as in, what we say), it really is a fire. One word, although it may seem minor, can completely spark an entire “forest fire” (i.e. conflict, strife, trouble, etc.). There have totally been times where I’ve said the wrong thing and it may have hurt someone’s feelings or it had outcomes I did not intend to produce…
This Scripture in James 3:6 makes it pretty care that we need to pay careful attention to what we say! Just as our actions can determine where we spend eternity, so can what we say…
So, can you really still cuss as a Christian? According the Scriptures, no, you can’t cuss/swear and call yourself a Christian at the same time. Unfortunately, not everyone has this conviction nor does everyone believe it. But hopefully you can see through the Scriptures why you shouldn’t be using profanity as a Christian, and you can truly take God’s word and direction to heart!
