The Sinfulness of the Tongue: Talking To People Rather Than Talking About Them
Ephesians
5:4 (ESV) says, “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking,
which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” How often
do we get involved with the proliferation of rumor? How often do we get news
about a friend from another friend or group of friends whenever there is a
reunion? How often do you talk of someone who doesn’t have an opportunity to
lay down the facts about her life? How many hearts have been broken because of
your careless divulgence of stories you should have kept in your heart? How
many lives have been destroyed because their life has become an open book
because you exposed their story for others to feast? How many people have left
the church because they see the Christians there as no more than the
chitchatting old ladies in the sari-sari store? Do we tend
to go directly to the person to know him and what’s happening in his life? Or
do we tend to go to the grapevine to know the latest about her? I would
often experience awkwardness whenever I’m in a group of friends and they seem
to be updated with the latest news about our other friends. There are times, I
think, that I’m always the last to know. I’m always surprised whenever I would
hear that a certain friend will be married in a few months time or realizing
that two of my fiends already broke up without knowing that they become a
couple. This would
just prove that I’m not close with all of my friends. Thus for the sake of
“updating” myself, I would get news from the grapevine. I would even share my
own “scoop.” This also proves that I’m a gossiper. Why is it
that a rumor is so palatable to the tongue? The tongue inclined to the desires
of the flesh will not just find rumor material tasty but would even share it to
others. And others are even more excited to partake! Don’t think that I’m just
referring to the unbelieving world. Christians are guiltier of this offense! Gossiping
is foolish talking. Other descriptions of this ungodly activity in the Bible
are “tale bearing,” “false witnessing,” slandering,” “tattling,” “lying” and
“backbiting.” Gossiping involves discussing intimate details of people’s life
for injurious or malicious purposes. Often, the gossiper fails to clarify the
facts with the relevant persons involved. Such
activities are those esteemed by heathens. Such are the activities of the
fools, of the indiscreet and of the wicked. The Apostle
Paul says that such activity is out of place, particularly to Christians. It is
improper. It is not fitting for Christians to gossip! It brings a great deal of
mischief to the one who brings the tale but also to the hearer. It pollutes and
poisons their conscience. Matthew Henry says that it is “very unsuitable to
[the Christians’] profession and character.” John Gill said that it is
“disagreeable to the will of God.” John Wesley adds that foolish talking does
not increase one’s faith or holiness. My personal
stance is that unless a person directly relates to me things about herself I
have nothing to do with things about her life. Even if what is circulating is
factual and validated by others, it is still unfitting for me as a Christian to
know stories from others. My sinful tendencies could betray me. My tongue could
slip in any moment I become careless. I believe
that it is better to talk with the person. Get to know him. Build my
relationship with him. And get the information I need to know or get the
information that is profitable for my growth as a believer. It would be better
not to be updated with my friends rather than fall in to this vicious sin of
foolish talking. With this
kind of attitude, I am more constrained to build relationship directly with
people or to communicate regularly with my friends. Participation with
gossiping is proof of one’s poor communication skills or interpersonal skills. Another
area that Paul mentioned that is related to the sinfulness of the tongue is
crude joking. In a culture where standup comedies are increasingly accepted, we
tend to become unaware that even are jokes are not pleasant to the Lord. Paul
used the Greek word eutrapelia, not used elsewhere in the New Testament, to
describe this unfitting activity. Jamieson, Fauseet and Browns said that crude
joking or jesting is “implying strictly that versatility which turns about and
adapts itself, without regard to principle, to the shifting circumstances of
the moment, and to the varying moods of those with whom it may deal (emphasis
mine).” This is the
case when teasing someone with another person. We could be so careless with our
joking that it doesn’t edify the person or it doesn’t increase her faith. There
are occasion that it fudges someone’s emotional attraction for a certain
person, instead of grounding his feelings for the girl on Biblical truth and
principles. What does
Paul recommend? Let there be thanksgiving! He used the word eucharistia, as
opposed to eutrapelia. The tongue should be used for much better purposes and
that is to give thanks to God for the blessings that He gives us. Don’t
gossip! Talk to people rather talk about them. Let us not waste our lives to
useless tittle-tattle. It’s better to use our tongue to praise God and to share
His message of grace to others!
5:4 (ESV) says, “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking,
which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” How often
do we get involved with the proliferation of rumor? How often do we get news
about a friend from another friend or group of friends whenever there is a
reunion? How often do you talk of someone who doesn’t have an opportunity to
lay down the facts about her life? How many hearts have been broken because of
your careless divulgence of stories you should have kept in your heart? How
many lives have been destroyed because their life has become an open book
because you exposed their story for others to feast? How many people have left
the church because they see the Christians there as no more than the
chitchatting old ladies in the sari-sari store? Do we tend
to go directly to the person to know him and what’s happening in his life? Or
do we tend to go to the grapevine to know the latest about her? I would
often experience awkwardness whenever I’m in a group of friends and they seem
to be updated with the latest news about our other friends. There are times, I
think, that I’m always the last to know. I’m always surprised whenever I would
hear that a certain friend will be married in a few months time or realizing
that two of my fiends already broke up without knowing that they become a
couple. This would
just prove that I’m not close with all of my friends. Thus for the sake of
“updating” myself, I would get news from the grapevine. I would even share my
own “scoop.” This also proves that I’m a gossiper. Why is it
that a rumor is so palatable to the tongue? The tongue inclined to the desires
of the flesh will not just find rumor material tasty but would even share it to
others. And others are even more excited to partake! Don’t think that I’m just
referring to the unbelieving world. Christians are guiltier of this offense! Gossiping
is foolish talking. Other descriptions of this ungodly activity in the Bible
are “tale bearing,” “false witnessing,” slandering,” “tattling,” “lying” and
“backbiting.” Gossiping involves discussing intimate details of people’s life
for injurious or malicious purposes. Often, the gossiper fails to clarify the
facts with the relevant persons involved. Such
activities are those esteemed by heathens. Such are the activities of the
fools, of the indiscreet and of the wicked. The Apostle
Paul says that such activity is out of place, particularly to Christians. It is
improper. It is not fitting for Christians to gossip! It brings a great deal of
mischief to the one who brings the tale but also to the hearer. It pollutes and
poisons their conscience. Matthew Henry says that it is “very unsuitable to
[the Christians’] profession and character.” John Gill said that it is
“disagreeable to the will of God.” John Wesley adds that foolish talking does
not increase one’s faith or holiness. My personal
stance is that unless a person directly relates to me things about herself I
have nothing to do with things about her life. Even if what is circulating is
factual and validated by others, it is still unfitting for me as a Christian to
know stories from others. My sinful tendencies could betray me. My tongue could
slip in any moment I become careless. I believe
that it is better to talk with the person. Get to know him. Build my
relationship with him. And get the information I need to know or get the
information that is profitable for my growth as a believer. It would be better
not to be updated with my friends rather than fall in to this vicious sin of
foolish talking. With this
kind of attitude, I am more constrained to build relationship directly with
people or to communicate regularly with my friends. Participation with
gossiping is proof of one’s poor communication skills or interpersonal skills. Another
area that Paul mentioned that is related to the sinfulness of the tongue is
crude joking. In a culture where standup comedies are increasingly accepted, we
tend to become unaware that even are jokes are not pleasant to the Lord. Paul
used the Greek word eutrapelia, not used elsewhere in the New Testament, to
describe this unfitting activity. Jamieson, Fauseet and Browns said that crude
joking or jesting is “implying strictly that versatility which turns about and
adapts itself, without regard to principle, to the shifting circumstances of
the moment, and to the varying moods of those with whom it may deal (emphasis
mine).” This is the
case when teasing someone with another person. We could be so careless with our
joking that it doesn’t edify the person or it doesn’t increase her faith. There
are occasion that it fudges someone’s emotional attraction for a certain
person, instead of grounding his feelings for the girl on Biblical truth and
principles. What does
Paul recommend? Let there be thanksgiving! He used the word eucharistia, as
opposed to eutrapelia. The tongue should be used for much better purposes and
that is to give thanks to God for the blessings that He gives us. Don’t
gossip! Talk to people rather talk about them. Let us not waste our lives to
useless tittle-tattle. It’s better to use our tongue to praise God and to share
His message of grace to others!
October 28th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Keep up the good work.