The HCOS Weekly October Special Edition frain from using those words, to shine for Jesus? But if we blend in, how are we going to be a light for the Lord?
Christians and Cursing By Deanna Burmatoff & Samara Paine Let me ask you a question. Is swearing wrong? “Of course!” You might say. Is slang wrong? “Sometimes…” So, what’s the difference? “It’s not as bad as saying the actual word!” Or is it? I don’t know about you, but the older I become the more urge I get to use dirty language. Honestly, I’ve never actually sworn, but I find myself letting out a ‘heck’ every once in a while, or ‘dang’, or sometimes even ‘Oh my God’. When I was younger, those words would have been horrible in my opinion! But as I get older, I start hearing worse and worse language all the time, and so it gets harder and harder to abstain from it. Can you relate? As teenage Christians, I think it’s really important to keep a pure tongue, especially when everyone else isn’t. When everybody around you is swearing or using the Lord’s name in vain, don’t you think that it would be the perfect time to re-
bad it really is! Saying things like ‘Oh my Gosh’, ‘Oh my Goodness’, and ‘Oh my Word’ instead of using ‘Oh my God’ is still very disrespectful towards Him. I, myself, have Many people, including Christians, struggled deeply in this area. often use euphemisms instead of swear words. But a euphemism is a Many of you are probably very fafancy name for a “less offensive” miliar with the following verse, but synonym of a swear word- ex. have we actually taken it into conticked instead of pissed. So why do sideration? Exodus 20:7 says, “You we, as Christians, often think that shall not take the name of the Lord euphemisms are okay to use, when your God in vain, for the Lord will they mean the exact same thing? not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” This means we Ephesians 5:4 says, “Let there be are held guilty every time we used no filthiness nor foolish talk nor words that dishonour God, just as crude joking, which are out of we are guilty if we steal, think lowplace, but instead let there be ly of someone, and disobey our thanksgiving.” This verse doesn’t parents. say let there be some foolish talk and crude joking… it says let there Colossians 3:8 commands us to not be none. use obscene or dirty language when we are angry. Instead, we For instance, did you know that should ask God to help us be wise saying ‘dang’ or ‘darn’ is the same about the situation and to help us thing as saying ‘Go to Hell’? We control our tongues and tempers. need to understand what these euphemisms actually mean and stop One more verse I’d like to share using them, because “It is not what with you is John 8:31-32. It says, “If goes into the mouth that defiles a you hold to my teaching, you are person, but what comes out of the really my disciples. Then you will m o u t h ; t h i s d e f i l e s a know the truth and the truth will person.” (Matthew 15:11). It’s slow- set you free.” ly defiling us. It’s destroying, polluting, and shaming us. Do we real- Again, I really think that we as ly want to keep trashing the tem- Christians need to take this into ple of the Holy Spirit? consideration. How will the people around us know that we stand for Also, have you ever really consid- Jesus if we are using abusive and ered how much you dishonour insulting words that everyone else God’s name? It really starts to add uses? We have to let the light of Jeup, doesn’t it? So much, in fact, sus shine through us, to avoid conthat you probably don’t realize forming to the darkness. Let’s start how often you’re saying it and how a revolution. Are you with me?
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