There’s so much of it going around these days. It’s easy to overlook. It’s easy to participate in, almost unwittingly. We do it in side comments. We do it in Facebook posts. We do it silently in our hearts. We curse people.
Now, we’re not calling down fire from heaven on people. Oh wait, in some cases we are. The politically charged atmosphere of this year’s presidential election is a prime example. Some of the tweets I’ve seen out there are unsuitable to post here.
My first reaction is, quite honestly, one of internal anger. I see the things people write about other people and I get angry. I think to myself, “Wow, that person is the stupidest person I’ve ever seen.” I’ll murmur under my breath, “What an idiot.” “Are all Democrats that stupid?”
It’s the same programmed response to someone cutting me off on the highway. Anger. Even hatred at times. I’m ashamed that is the case for me. It seems to be the case for the vast majority of people, though. Well, maybe I should qualify that. It seems to be the case for the vast majority of people who open their mouths.
As a Christian, I cannot possibly reconcile this reality with what I know about Christ and His love for me. Since the way we speak is such a hot topic in America, I think it is extra poignant that the Bible teaches caution in our speech. Here’s a particularly convicting text, from James 3.
(9) With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. (10) Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. (11) Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? — James 3:9-11
Where does this hate speech begin, though? We don’t really have to go very far to figure it out. Luke 6 makes it plain:
(43) “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. (44) Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. (45) A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
Hatred comes from the heart. From deep down in who we are. There is a tendency to think and speak ill of those who oppose us or our views, or who live somewhere else, or look different, or vote different. This is a terrible truth that brings to the surface our own evil.
We can say we’re surprised by it, but should we be? We Christians ought to be examining our speech daily. Any by examining our speech I mean that we should examine our hearts. Any by examining our hearts I mean that we should give ourselves biblical counsel because “we are not our own, we were bought with a price.” We ought to remember that we were not called because of our intellectual prowess or stunning good looks. We should press the refresh button of the Gospel story every day so that we can hear it as if for the first time. We were sinners, separated so much from God that it brought death. Yet in His unfailing love we have forgiveness and redemption through Jesus Christ. Undeserved grace. Mercy unbound. Joy inhuman.
Let us curse less as we remember more… and more often.
