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Is Cursing A Sin?
By Mike Riley
A querist asks, “My friend and I were having a conversation the other day on whether or
not cursing is a sin. He said that curse words were made to mean what they do
by society. I was wondering if there is any biblical information on this topic
and if it is sinful.”
So we answer the question, “Is cursing a sin?” or “Is swearing a sin?”
What Do The Inspired Scriptures Say?
Cursing (swearing, cussing, profanity) is
certainly a sin according to the inspired Scriptures, no matter what a society
says or accepts.
The inspired apostle Paul
tells us to “Let no corrupt communication
proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that
it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29).
We are again warned by Paul
to “put off all these; anger, wrath,
malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth” (Colossians 3:8).
In the Greek language, the phrase, “filthy communication” means foul
speaking, low and obscene speech.
In his letter, James declares that cursing
should not come out of our mouth (James 3:10).
He admonishes us further in James 4:11, not so much as to speak
evil of another brother. For an example, Peter assured the Lord that he would “never fall away” from following him (Matthew 26:33 ESV).
Yet, just a few short hours
later, this same apostle “denied with an
oath” that he even knew Jesus (Matthew 26:72).
The inspired record says
that he even began to “curse and to swear,”
reinforcing his denials of Jesus (Matthew 26:74).
If the best of men were guilty of occasional
lapses with regard to cursing and swearing, we must be constantly on guard that
we do not sin even more grievously.
Conclusion
In Colossians 4:6, the apostle Paul tells us
to, “Let your speech be alway with grace,
seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”
Our speech should contain wholesome, pure, kind,
and beneficial words.
Words that encourage and build up a person,
instead of tearing them down (Proverbs
16:23; Proverbs 25:11; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:8-11).
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