"Outside the Temple"

The Bible recognizes the power of words. God spoke His creation into existence, and the gift of speech is one aspect of man's creation in the image of God (Genesis 2:19-20).

In the revelation of God's law, words as well as actions are assigned moral values. Lying, blasphemy, taking the Lord's name, and cursing are examples of sinful speech forbidden in the Mosaic law.

I want to talk about the use of profanity and how offensive it is.

Profanity is a part of agressive behavior and also a form of bullying. I don't like it and I don't want to be around people who use it. It shows disrespect towards the person who it is directed and also it shows disrespect to God.

What is profanity? the word, "profane" literally means "outside the temple." The term originally identified people or things that were secular as opposed to religious. Profanity is used for shock value in expressing anger and humor. The words often are associated with sexuality or filth.

The New Testament commands believers to be pure in speech by controlling their tongues. "With the tongue, we bless our Lord and Father and with it, we curse men who are made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth comes blessings and curses. James 3:9-10 says "these things should not be this way."

Christians should honor the purpose of speech by using their mouths to praise God and leading others to obey the Lord through faith in Jesus Christ. Every word we speak should be "gracious" and "seasoned with salt" (Colossians 4:6). We should always ask, "what would Jesus say?"

Christians are called upon to live differently and to act differently than the world of unbelievers. An unbeliever is one who does not believe there is a God or who choses not to follow Christ as Lord and Saviour. That is their choice. God gave man free will. God does not force himself on anyone.

So if profanity is "outside the temple," what is inside the temple? Our bodies are inside the temple as well as our mouth which is part of the body. Our bodies, including our mouth, are the temple of a holy God. God is holy and pure and He expects His creation to be the same way.

The scripture declares "may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:14)

Ephesians 4:29 states "do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Peter 3:10 says, "for, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech."

Cursing and using profanity should not be the norm, nor should it be acceptable speech.

Thought for Today: Stay inside the temple, be holy and pure, as God is. You are a part of His creation.