The Problem with Profanity

According to research and my own observation, swearing is one of the most dramatic ways that people express their emotions. It provides an outlet for dealing with unpleasant sensations – from pain to annoyance. Other times, profanity is just an attempt to create relationships by fitting into a group, or cuss words are used to ‘color’ language and give it a spicy, unexpected twist. From a purely secular perspective, the value of these things can be debated. There are, however, two problems with profanity.

Problem #1 – People Don’t Care

It’s fascinating that as a society, we are so concerned about offending people. We create inoffensive ‘safe zones.’ We preface the most benign subjects with ‘trigger warnings.’ Yet when was the last time that someone gave you a ‘trigger warning’ before uttering a cuss word?

We live in a time when profanity isn’t particularly offensive. Nor is it particularly unique. In today’s secular society, I doubt whether we have ever been more desensitized to cussing. We hear it so often that it isn’t particularly offensive.

Sometimes, cussing is considered a way to be unique or different. This is just the myth of ‘common uniqueness’ – the idea that by rebelling against the status quo, like everyone else, we will somehow be different from everyone else. We value individuality, yet we are all boringly identical in our individuality.

Problem #2 – God Cares

If cussing is so common that we rarely give it a sideways glance, there is someone who does care about cussing – and He’s keeping a very accurate record of our words: God. The Bible is clear about what God thinks of cussing:

Religious profanity will be punished (Exodus 20:7)

Not only is God holy, but every word that references deity (including references to God, Jehovah, Jesus, etc.) should be treated as holy. What does the word ‘holy’ mean? It doesn’t just mean that it is pure and without evil. Something that is ‘holy’ is set apart, special, different from everything else. It isn’t ‘common’ or ‘normal.’ It is in a special class by itself.

To ‘take God’s name in vain’ means to use God’s name as if it wasn’t special. You treat it like just another word in the dictionary. God’s view on this is clear: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

We will be judged by our words, which reveal our heart (Matthew 12:33-37)

According to Jesus, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” That is why Jesus describes our words as fruit on a tree. Just as fruit indicates the type of tree, so our words indicate the type of heart we have.

Jesus makes the staggering claim that on the day of judgment, when each person’s life story is reviewed, “people will give account for every careless word they speak.” This is sobering, even if you’ve never said a cuss word in your life!

Our speech reveals that we are all naturally under sin (Romans 3:9-2)

The great theological masterpiece of Paul is the book of Romans, the ‘cathedral of the Christian faith.’ While Paul talks about incredible themes like justification by faith and the glory of God, he grounds his argument on the depravity – the sinful nature – of every human being. There are no exceptions – Paul argues that every person enters the world “under sin.”

In Romans 3, Paul provides a vivid word-picture of what this looks like. He says, “their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” Fortunately, in the remainder of the book, Paul goes on to show how the Gospel can radically altar this natural human condition.

The tongue must be bridled (James 3:2-12)

Eventually, research says that cussing can turn into an almost automatic response – the brain can be programmed to automatically cuss if, say, you hammer your thumb. The Bible doesn’t disagree. In James 3, the human tongue is described as a raging monster that is nearly impossible to tame. It is “a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!”

James notes that “from the same mouth come blessing and cursing.” His opinion? “My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” James’ answer is that we must control the tongue – we must work to control it.

Conclusion

As Jesus indicated, swearing is like fruit on a tree – an apple indicates an apple tree. That is why the main issue is not swearing, but your heart condition. While the thought of giving account for every word should motivate changes in our vocabulary, our hearts need a complete remodel. Thankfully, Jesus creates new hearts and offers us the opportunity to be reborn spiritually, as we learn the message of the Gospel.