How To Communicate Biblically

     Art Linkletter made a career out the fact that "kids say the darndest things". In pure innocence, children have a way of saying what is on their mind, and it usually comes out quite cute or funny. What happens when those children grow up? Why isn't their speech as cute or as funny any more? Well, sometimes it is. Take for example these ads in the newspaper:

• "Illiterate, write today for help."
• An auto repair service advertised, "Try us once and you will never go anywhere again."
• "Dog for sale, eats anything and is fond of children."
• "Help Wanted: Man wanted to work in dynamite factory, must be willing to travel."
• "Three year old teacher needed for pre-school, experience preferred."
• "Wanted: Girl to assist magician in head cut off illusion- Blue Cross and salary."
• "Now is your chance to get your ears pierced and get an extra pair to take home too."
• A store advertised its "semi-annual" after Christmas sale
• A restaurant advertised for a "worker who is dependable, likes the food business and willing to get his hands dirty."
• A used car dealer advertised, "Why go elsewhere to be cheated? Come here first."
  
  

I guess some of the things that adults say do come out kind of cute and funny.

     While we may laugh at these faux pas, the fact of the matter is that what we say, whether it is verbally, or in print, has serious ramifications. James writes,

"Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: but the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith we bless God, even the Father; and therewith we curse men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth procedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be" (James 3:5-10).

The words that we speak have great power that can be used for good or for evil. It is vitally necessary that we understand how God would have us to speak.

     How serious is it that we speak that which God would have us to speak? The Lord Jesus answers this question in Matthew 12. There He says, "But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Now please don't misinterpret what the Lord says here, as many have. This is not a judgment that pertains to people who know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. There will not be a time when saved people will stand before the Lord to give account for words spoken. This is a judgment that pertains to unsaved people alone. The Bible is very clear. If you have trusted Jesus as your Savior you will not come into condemnation (John 5:24, Romans 8:1). However, the unsaved person will be judged for every idle word that they shall speak.

     Now what is truly interesting about this passage is the context in which it is said. Just previous to this statement is the statement that a good man (saved) will speak good things and an evil man (unsaved0 will speak evil things. What a person speaks, Jesus says, originates in their heart. If a person is speaking evil things, it indicates that their heart has problems. We conclude then, that the words we speak will identify us as to whether we are saved or not.

Therefore it is of utmost importance that we, as Christians, use speech that glorifies God which will identify us to the world as His children.

     I want to give you three characteristics of speech that glorifies God. The first characteristic is that our speech should be characterized by truth. Ephesians 4:25 makes this statement quite clearly:
"Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another."
Solomon had the same idea when he said, "For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips" (proverbs 8:7). Whether it is the New Testament saint, or the Old Testament saint, the saint was characterized by speaking that which is true

     The question is then, what is truth? This is the same question that Pilate asked of Jesus Christ. I have worked out a little definition from my studies, of what it truth.

Truth is that communication which in itself agrees with reality and which also expresses reality to the hearer.

Two significant aspects are found in this definition concerning truth, the first that it agrees with reality and the second that it expresses reality. If I were to say to you that I am the president of the United States, that would be a lie (and one that I am thankful for). I am not the president. That statement is not true because it does not agree with reality. But a truthful statement not only needs to agree with reality but accurately express reality to the hearer.

     In a court of law, witnesses are sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I wish the lawyers would need to take the same oath. Sometimes questions are put to the witnesses that will illicit a correct answer but only a partial answer. In allowing the witness to express only part of the truth, they try to create a mental image that is contrary to the truth. An example here might be this statement, "The Salina Bible Church is the biggest church in Salina, Pennsylvania." That is a true statement. In stating that though, you may have pictured in your mind a very big church of hundred or even thousands of people in attendance. What I did not tell you is that the Salina Bible Church is the only church in Salina, Pennsylvania. That may change your mental image somewhat. In stating what is agreeable to reality I tried to deceive you into thinking something that was not agreeable to reality. Genuine, truthful speech will not only agree with reality but also accurately express reality.

     It is necessary for the Christian to speak truth, for truth is found in the nature of God. Deuteronomy 32:4 says that God is truth; John 14:6 says that Jesus is truth, and in John 16:13 we find that the Spirit of God is also truth. All three persons of the Godhead are described as being truth. If the nature of God is truth, then the nature of His children should be characterized by truth. Proverbs 17:7 states that, "Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince." In a sense, Christians are princes. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. A prince is basically one who will inherit the authority and wealth of the King. One day, when Jesus returns, He will sit upon the throne of His father David and rule over His kingdom. As joint heirs with Christ, we will reign with Him. In a sense, we are princes, and as such, lying lips do not become us.

What are the ways in which speech can be altered in order to convey that which is not true? To answer that question, all we need do is to look at the speech of false teachers in Scripture. There we find 5 characteristics of their speech.

     The first, according to Ephesians 5:6 is that they use "vain" words. The word vain means empty or without substance. They speak words that are so uncertain in meaning or vague that no one understands the message they we are trying to communicate. Sometime this may come in the form of language that is so sophisticated or academic astute, that the hearer is incapable of understanding. Or someone may use slang or cultural terms that the listener is unfamiliar with in order to deceive. In either case, the communication does not communicate anything. It is not that it necessarily communicates lies. It just does not communicate clearly truth.

     The second characteristic is found in Colossians 2:4. There Paul says that no man should beguile us with "enticing" words. The Greek word which is translated "enticing" is "pithanologia". At the beginning of this word is the English word "python". A python is a snake that constricts mightily until is victim is crushed. The idea then, of this word is that of persistent persuasion. One way of persuading another to a position is that we simply repeat our message consistently until it is accepted as truth. This is the mindset of many today concerning the origins of the universe. We have heard over and over again that "Creation is faith, evolution is science." Phooey! While creation is a matter of faith, so is evolution. For something to be scientific, it must be capable of observation and measurement. No one has ever observed evolution. But because the lie has been repeated so many times, many accept it as truth.

     The third characteristic of false teachers is found in 2 Peter 2:18. There they are said to use great swelling words. These are words that are extravagant or exaggerated. It is the stereotypical fish story type of communication. Words that we need to be particularly careful in using are those words which signify the extreme. Words such as, "everyone", "always", "never", and the like are usually not accurate.

     Peter also states the fourth characteristic of false teachers when he wrote that they use feigned words (2 Peter 2:3). The word feigned comes from the Greek word "plastos" from which we get or English word plastic. Plastic is something that can be shaped or molded. Feigned words are words that are alluring or tempting. We often hear the expression that someone will say only what the person that they are speaking to wants to hear. Those are feigned words.

     The final characteristic is found in 1 Thessalonians 2:5 where Paul says that he did not use "flattering" words. Now there is nothing wrong in flattery by itself. People should be complimentary of others. Colossians 4:6 says that our speech should be always with grace, seasoned with salt. There is a right way and a wrong way to speak to people. But the idea here is to say something in order to make another think wrongly concerning some other matter. Parents always know when their children want something by the way that they speak. Somehow Moms and Dads become the greatest people on the earth when the child has a particular want.

     The second aspect of our speech is that it should be edifying. The word edify, in the New Testament, literally means to build a house, or to build up. This aspect is stated in Ephesians 4:29. While there are times when a person must say that which is condemnatory, or that which tears down, but ultimately that then becomes the basis of edification. For example, when a city renews its downtown, it may need to tear down some old buildings before it can build new ones. So it is in our speech. There may be times when we need to confront another who is in sin and use language which is condemnatory. But once the sin has been dealt with, we then need to build that one up in the faith.

     With this aspect of our speech, there are some things that we must eliminate. Proverbs 8:8 says that all our words are to be in righteousness, that there should be nothing perverse or froward in them. The word perverse means to distort while the word froward means to twist. Both words have basically the same meaning. Often, these words are used concerning another's character. They are used to defame. While the Bible says that there is none good, it does not say that no one is any good. None meet the standard of righteousness required to stand before the Lord. There is none that is perfectly or intrinsically good. However, even in the worst representatives of humanity, there have been cases of benevolence. We must be careful not to defame another.

     Ephesians 5:3-4 states two other types of speech that are not to the edification of others. There, Paul speaks of "foolish talking" and "jesting". Does this mean that we are never to joke, or to use "lightheartedness"? No, I do not think that this is a prohibition against joking and having "fun". The words "foolish talking" is the translation of the Greek word "morologia" from which we get the word moron. The word "jesting" has the idea of being coarse or abrasive, or insulting. A fitting example of jesting would be the use of ethnic slurs. These two words indicate the insult of another for something beyond the control.

     Colossians 3:8 gives us the last of the types of words that are not edifying. Paul indicates that blasphemy and filthy communication are to be put off by the believer. To blaspheme is to injure or slander the character of God. Blasphemous words are words that depreciate the holiness of God. For example, hell and damnation can be rightly spoken of in a theological context. But it is amazing how many people think they are qualified to use the words that are not theologians or involved in a theological discussion. For a person to wish that another should "go to hell" is simply and completely contrary to the heart of God Who sent His Son to die so that man might not need to go to hell. These words should never fall from the lips of a saved person! Filthy communication has the idea of being obscene. Of course that would include all the "four-letter" words, but it also includes a number of others. My heart grieves to hear some of the language being used by young people today. The Bart Simpsons and other popular cartoon characters have introduced a number of obscene statements that have been received as funny or normal speech. Statements like "Eat my shorts" and the like are disgusting and totally offensive to the nature of God. There is no room in the vocabulary of the Christian for such talk.

     The final aspect that governs our speech is that our speech should be necessary. Not everything that we would like to say should be said. According to Ecclesiastes 3:7, there is a time to speak and a time to keep quiet. The question that concerns us is how do we know what time it is?

     Someone has rightly said, "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people believe you are a fool, than to open it and prove it". Solomon put it this way in Proverbs 29:20

"Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him."

In giving answer to when we should speak, it becomes clear that we must first have had time to think about what we are to say. I have often said that if I could invent a string that would attach to the words that proceed from my mouth, so that when I utter one that I did not mean to say, I could retrieve it before it hit the ears of the listener, I would be a millionaire. Sometimes my lips are in drive when my brain is in neutral. Sometimes some words just slip out that I didn't mean to think to say. These are the times to be quiet. Another time to be quiet is when what we want to say is gossip. Proverbs 18:8 and 26:22 state that the words of a talebearer are as wounds. More than likely, the story which we have heard is not completely true and is probably far from being edifying. Nonetheless we can't wait to tell someone else. And if we experience some conviction about being gossips, we simply spiritualize the matter. "I need to share a prayer request about..." is what we say.

     Another time to be quiet is when we are tempted to do something that we can not fulfill. Proverbs 6:1-2 speaks of the dangers of becoming surety for another. This speaks specifically of becoming a co-signer to a loan but in a broader sense, it has the idea of making an agreement to do anything. This may range from doing something fun tomorrow, when you should be doing something else, to getting involved in business transactions without investigating the will of God. In any case, we agree to do something before considering it.

     Proverbs 23:9 states that another time to be quiet is when we are speaking to a fool. A fool is one who will not understand what you say, not because they are not intelligent enough to do so, but simply that they are unwilling to do something other than the way they wish. As the saying goes concerning the fool, "Their mind is made up; don't confuse them with the facts". Someone has rightly said, "A word to the wise is sufficient, but a thousand words to the fool is not enough". When speaking to a fool, ask yourself this question, "Am I wasting my breath?”

     Not only do we need to know when we should speak, but we also need to know what we should say. Proverbs 10:19 says, "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise." In essence, say what you need to say, and no more. Proverbs 17:27 adds that a man who has knowledge spares his words. It is necessary to think about what we want to say and to look for the right words to convey the meaning exactly. Be careful how many times you need to use this phrase: "What I mean by that is..." Certainly there are times when you need to further clarify what you have said, or to give an illustration so that the meaning becomes clear. But if we first think about what we want to say, generally we will be able to state it in a few words.

     Finally, according to Matthew 5:37 our communication should be reinforced by our character so that when making a declaration about something, we can do so in a few words. There should be no need to defend why you say something or on what authority you make pronouncements. Christians should be of such a reputable character that their word is as good as gold.

     When your speech is characterized by these three qualities: truthfulness, that which edifies, and that which is necessary, you will display the attributes of God before others. Others will know that you belong to God. But when your speech is contrary to these three qualities, then it might be said of you that which was said of Peter, "...thy speech betrayeth thee..." (Matthew 26:73).