Words hurt, heal, save and destroy. Words are powerful. “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise is health” (Prov. 12:18). The power of words is sublimely demonstrated in the speech of our Lord. He said, “…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
The gracious words of our Master are both “the piercings of a sword” to the wicked and “health” and “life” to His obedient disciples.
The purpose of this article is to briefly consider our use of words.
Our words reveal our hearts
Our speech is an outward manifestation of our inward character. Christ says in Matthew 12:35-37, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 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.”
How sobering is our Master’s warning. We must take His words seriously. We may be able to temporarily deceive people with our talk, but sooner or later it will reveal who and what we really are. In the judgment of our Lord, we will be held accountable for our speech.
Our words are powerful
Proverbs 18:21 says that “Death and life are in the power of the
tongue.” The Bible is blunt and uncompromising when dealing with our speech. “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain” (James 1:26). If a person cannot control his speech, his religion is worthless.
With the power for good or evil that is in our speech, we must rigorously examine ourselves to know whether we use our words properly.
Words affect our emotions, our sense of well-being. The saying, “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me” is assuredly not true. How often one would rather be pelted with a stone, or whacked with a stick than to suffer hurtful or unjust words. Do we practice hurting, or helping; building up, or tearing down with our words? We are always sensitive to what others might say to us. How do we speak to others?
If our speech is to be acceptable before God and our brethren, our words should be, among other things, honest, calm, appropriate and few. (See Proverbs by A.W. Crawford, pp. 129-130, Menorah Publications.)
The value of honest words
Honest words are rare. “Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth” (Prov. 16:13 NIV). Dishonest, insincere and superficial talk is what we hear constantly. These are qualities one expects of the Gentiles, but what of the household of Faith? Are we honest with our brethren? Honest words are sincere and straightforward. There is no flattery, guile or deceit in the speech of a true disciple. “As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear” (Prov. 25:12).
When the honest word is spoken to us do we listen with open minds and hearts or are we defensive and sensitive? This is not to say one must be cruel or blunt, but rather candid, open and kind. It is common in the affairs of the world to tell only half-truths and practice deception in the interest of self-advantage. This practice has no place in the speech of the believer. In all our dealings our words must be honest.
The hurt of angry words
Good words are calm words not motivated by anger or any other fleshly impulse. “A soft answer tumeth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness” (Prov. 15:1-2).
In times of controversy these principles are seldom practiced. Often we give vent to our anger with hurtful and destructive words. When our pride is wounded, rather than responding with self-control, we react with harsh words designed to wound and inflict pain on the hearer. Worse yet, we defend our fleshly aggression by coating it with a veneer of self-justification. “They deserved it,” we say, “after all I was defending the Truth. Harsh words were called for!”
Stress and disagreement are the very times in which the servant of Christ must practice those principles of discipline and love commanded by our Master.
The value of good words
Words at their best are appropriate. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer every one” (Col 4:6 RSV). “The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse” (Prov. 10:32 NIV).
The primary aim of our speech should be for glorifying our Father in heaven and edifying our brethren. Obviously, much of our everyday speech will be mundane. However, every part of our daily speech, no matter how ordinary, should be influenced and guided by the principles of the Truth. Before we speak we should ask ourselves, “Would I say this in the company of the Father and His Son?”
We must realize that we are always in their presence!
“In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise” (Prov.10:19). This proverb puts the proper perspective on the words of man. To be sparing in our words is wisdom.
“The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he w akeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned” (Isa. 50:4). Isaiah tells us how we obtain words that are full of health and goodness — from the Lord. If we would speak words in season, they must be fashioned from the discipline of Scripture. We must saturate our minds with the principles of Christ. In doing so our words will be acceptable, worthy and few.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One