Christian Speech Should
Reflect the Influence of the Gospel
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Ephesians 4:29
Ephesians 4:29
In the 1980’s and 90’s there were a number of movies that came out that had a similar theme. They imagined how a certain, everyday common person all of a sudden became a king or queen. Maybe they were found to be part of the royal bloodline. And since the monarch died, they were the only one left of that could sit on the throne.
And these movies recount how this person had to now become refined and take up new customs. They have to change their posture and now walk in a kingly way. They have to change the way they dress because their common clothes don’t match their new status as nobility. Maybe they have to change the way they talk too; because their speech must become more refined.
For the last several weeks that we’ve been together we have been seeing that these movie themes are simply a replica of the Christian life. The Book of Ephesians has shown us that we are no longer the person we used to be. The gospel has made us become part of the royal family. We’ve been blessed in that we have become children of God.
And we’ve found that, as a result of this new status, we are required to make a number of changes in the way we act. We cannot go on acting in the same way because it would be out of accord with who we now are in Christ.
This morning we come to verses 29-30 and we find once again that one of the changes that the gospel requires of us has to do with our use of words. To put it another way, we as Christians must learn to speak the refined language of God’s court.
And you see our passage breaks down into a simple outline:
I. What must we cease doing? What kind of speech must be put off?
II. What must be put on? What must we start doing? How should the gospel be effecting our speech?
III. Then we’ll take a second to think about our motivation. Why should we be seeking this kind of reform?
I. What must we cease doing? What must be put off?
Paul sums up all evil speech with one quick phrase: Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth. By this he means anything that is abusive, crude, blasphemous, obscene or uncharitable.
Now you will understand why this kind of speech is to be avoided when you get into the text and hear what Paul is really saying. In order to see how important it is to change, you have to really get a sense of how vile a thing is. If we were able to see sin the way God does or if we were able to recognize how abhorrent it really is, then we would likely be more inclined to steer clear of it.
For instance, you might be walking along and be tempted to cut through a neighbor’s yard. You might be enticed by the fact that there is this nice short cut. But when you realize that there are two large dogs who live there and the owners rarely go out to clean up the yard, you might not be all that inclined to walk through that yard. When you come to understand how foul it is, you have a greater motivation to avoid it.
There is a sense in which Paul helps urge you in the right direction by means of the language he uses here. For the word corrupt is an interesting word. It is a vivid word in the original language. We probably do not catch the sense of it in the English. It literally means rotten or spoiled.
In various places in the Bible it is used in regards to things that are so bad they need to be thrown out. For instance, it is used in regard to a tree that bears bad fruit. Jesus says that a good tree will bear good fruit. And a bad tree (corrupt tree) will bear corrupt fruit.
In my younger days we used to play at a friend’s house who had an old crab-apple tree. And it always had the nastiest apples. They were filled with worms and all kinds of disgusting black rot all over them. And the apples would fall to the ground and begin to decompose. They’d only get more disgusting. I hated that tree. I hated going around that tree. I hated the smell of that tree. I always tried to avoid it as much as I could.
Maybe the better example is the passage that talks about the fish that were gathered up in a net. When the fisherman bring it to shore, they separate the fish. The good ones they kept, and the bad ones (the ones that are dead or rotten) they got rid of. They threw them away
Now think of corrupt speech like that. When you talk in an evil manner you are spewing forth dead and decomposing fish. Have you ever smelled a dead fish; one that has been sitting on the beach for a couple days? It’s pretty is horrible. It can be absolutely nauseating.
One last illustration. When I was in seminary, I had a 20 minute commute to and from school. Every day I passed the local landfill. Now, this was the place where everyone’s trash was dumped. All the garbage trucks would come in and unload all the refuse that they had collected through the day. Now, if the wind was blowing the wrong direction, the smell from all that waste wafted right down onto the road I took. It could be rather putrid; absolutely nauseating. So everyday what I would do is hold my breath and speed up to get past there as fast as I could.
That is illustrative of what this passage is talking about. Anytime you make fun of someone, you have to think that you have a dead fish in your mouth. Every time you lift your voice and say something unkind, you are spewing air that is as rotten as that landfill wafting across a road.
This is certainly something to take note of. This is how we must think of any kind of speech that is unloving and dishonoring to the people around us. God sees those words as spoiled and we must learn to view them as completely rotten and needing to be thrown out as well.
Now, I want to bring this home specifically to those of you who are teenagers. No doubt everyone needs to listen and take such things to heart. Everyone must evaluate their speech and think how grotesque it is if it is violating the standards of God. But I want to speak to you young people in particular.
This past week I happened to look the sermon that Jonathan Edwards preached on this passage. As was expected, he did not disappoint. He had some pointed application that I thought I might pass on. In his sermon he spoke to the youth of his congregation and he said this:
Great part of the conversation of many young people, when they get together, consists in making conversation regarding others' faults and blemishes. Very much of the mirth and laughter that young people have together, consists in talking of and laughing at the things that others … have said and done.
Many seem to take a pride to speak of others behind their backs with an air of contempt, and make sport of those things in them that they reckon show how weak and foolish they are. They spend a great deal of time in talking against other young people and also in ridiculing old people. And so they entertain one another and pass away the time that they spend together.
Now you recognize that these two paragraphs could be pointed at any group of people. There’s not too many of us that would not fit the bill. But I think you may recognize that Edwards does zero in rather precisely. So much of the subject matter is reveling in the mistakes and faults of others.
And you recognize that this applies to our digital communications too. We have so much speech that goes on through our thumbs today. And there can be people who are willing to say things online that they would never say to someone’s face. That’s especially true when they are hiding behind a username.
We must recognize that these kinds of speech should not be a part of our lives. Dwelling on such things for entertainment and laughs is out of character for those of us who have come to know Christ.
The gospel’s influence in our lives should be transformative. One of the ways it transforms us is that we come to see just how corrupt such discourses are. In seeing it as it is, and recognizing how offensive it is in the eyes of God, should make us want to avoid it and seek real reform.
Which brings us to our second point. If we have been transformed by the gospel, what must kind of transformation should we be striving for? What should we begin doing?
II. What must we begin doing? What does God call us to put on?
When we look at our verse we see that says that we are to speak “only that which is good for building up as fits the occasion.”
What Paul does here is give you a couple principles for guiding your new patterns of speech. First, I want you to notice how our speech will be constructive.
A. Our speech must be constructive
Paul says that we are to speak that which is edifying. Only that which is good for building people up. My speech should be revolving around topics that will make the people around me a better friend, a better worker, a better son and daughter. I want to speak in such a way that my words serve to enhance people’s lives and make them to have more joy, more wisdom, more peace.
That my friends is a game changer in and of itself. I want you to do this this week. I want you to think, “I want to say only what will be good for other people’s encouragement and advancement this week.”
In this regard think about college basketball. I don’t know if you’ve watched the sport or not, but in college basketball they have what they call a shot clock. There is a timer on each possession of the ball. The team only has about 30 or so seconds to take a shot. If the buzzer goes off and they are still holding the ball, then that’s a turnover. You know that 30 seconds is not that long. It’s a pretty short amount of time. So when they come down on offense, they can’t be glibly tossing the ball around to each other. They have to be intentional about every move. Every pass and every dribble must be strategic. If it isn’t then they will end up wasting that precious time and they will lose possession of the ball. The shot clock will run out and they will turn the ball over to the other team.
We need to be thinking of our conversations in this kind of light. We need to speak so as to advance the ball; when we talk, we want to make our words to be achieving a certain goal. And that goal is to be constructive and build up the people around us.
But you’ll notice that our speech should not just be constructive, there’s also a sense in which it should limited.
B. Our speech must be limited
Notice that you are to speak ONLY that which is good for building up. The Lord says puts some constraints on the kind of words we use. Notice the beginning of the verse. It says, “Let no corrupting words come out of your mouth.” Literally it says, “Let not any corrupting words.”
Paul is using extra language in this verse to communicate the fact that there may be times when it is not appropriate for us to speak at all. You’ve all heard your mother say, “If you do not have anything nice to say, don’t say it.” Mama got that from the Apostle Paul, right here.
You know, sometimes one of the hardest things to do is remain silent. But sometimes that is the best thing to do. We could get into an argument, but you got to ask, “Is it really worth it?” We could talk back, but is what they are asking us to do really all that difficult for us? How beneficial would that be for either of us?
You see, when you make it your aim to be constructive in your speech, you may end up finding that you actually don’t talk as much as you used to. You’re going to find that you don’t have to share your opinion. You know why? Because sometimes our opinions do not contribute to the building up of the people around us.
It may mean that you just listen more too. That’s an important part of conversation that a lot of people don’t recognize. Listening is sometimes more important than speaking. I’ll tell you, you are more apt to build people up when you take more time to listen and hear them out rather than respond and flap your gums.
In this regard Proverbs 29:11 comes to mind. The book of Proverbs says that a “fool utters all his mind, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” We don’t need to utter all our mind, do we? A mark of godliness that you are seeking to hold some of your opinions and feelings back because you know that it is more important that you listen or obey.
The gospel transforms our speech. It encourages us to speak in a constructive way and a constrained way. But it also encourages us to speak in a cordial way.
C. Our speech must be cordial
Look at how verse 29 ends. Paul says that our words should be a “grace to those who hear.”
I take this to mean that when we speak, people should want to hear us and they should enjoy speaking with us. It should be like the grace of God coming into their lives. They receive your words with gladness.
We Calvinists talk about irresistible grace. We believe that God’s grace, when it comes to a person, has a powerful impact upon them. When the Spirit of God awakens the soul, they see how wonderful God’s grace is. And they willingly and joyfully receive the gospel with thanksgiving. There’s a new joy that comes to their soul and they now gravitate towards God and seek him with a whole heart. In short, God’s grace draws us to him and gives us a genuine desire to listen to him.
That’s how our words should be. They should be a grace to those who hear. Our words should make people want to be around us.
I’ve mentioned before a man in my presbytery. He’s one of the greatest communicators I know. If we are engaged in a debate, he will have an opportunity to speak to the issue on the floor. And he has such a winsome way about him. When he is done presenting his material and he has told you you are wrong, you stand there thinking, “Thank you! Thank you! I am so wrong, and I love you!” He has an uncanny ability to speak with such love and brotherly kindness that you can’t help but want to hear what he has to say.
So think of your speech like that. How can I best present what I want to say so that it may be received with joy? How can my words be grace to those around me?
Those are the qualities that we need when speaking. These are three things that we must put on. When we speak, we should aim to be constructive, constrained, and cordial.
Now, there’s one more item before us. We’ve said that we should stop speaking corruptly. We should begin putting on these new qualities. Notice lastly the motivating factor. Why should we be making this change?
III. Why must we begin speaking this way?
The answer is found in verse 30. If we speak in a corrupt way, if we do not speak in a way that builds up, notice what happens: We end up grieving the Holy Spirit.
Now what exactly does that mean? Well, this reminds us that our God is not some stoic being that has no emotions. Our God does get provoked to anger. He has joy and takes pleasure in certain things. The Bible tells us that he rejoices over us with singing. So we know that God is an emotional being.
And here we see that the Spirit can become upset. He can be stricken with sadness because of our actions.
And you recognize how significant this is. This is not some stranger that you’ve grieved. This is not like doing something that grieves your parents, no matter how bad that may be. But this is the Holy Spirit; this is the third person of the trinity. This is the one who, as Paul says, has sealed you.
A seal of course, is something that authenticates and assures the reality of something. The Spirit seals us in that he assures us of the Lord’s salvation. He impresses the reality of God’s forgiveness and grace upon us. In other words, we would never know for certain if we were saved if it were not for the continual presence and work of the Spirit.
And despite all the good that he does and kindness that he shows, would we dare grieve him?
But that’s what we do every time we speak out of line. He who speaks to us and continually whispers the sweet truth of the unbreakable love of God, is vexxed when we would speak to our neighbor (or speak of our neighbor) in a contemptible way.
And you’ll understand that when the Spirit is grieved, he has opportunity to withdraw to some degree. He may, in his sadness, let us not have the full influence of his power. I think Adam Clarke says it best in his commentary:
“The Holy Spirit may withdraw both his light and presence; and, in proportion as it withdraws, a hardness and darkness take place; With that comes a state of insensibility; for the darkness prevents the fallen state from being seen, and the hardness prevents it from being felt.”
What’s he saying? He’s saying that instead of growing in the Spirit, you end up becoming hardened in your sin. Instead of spiritual flourishing, you can begin to wilt and see less of the Spirit in your life.
This is what David meant when in Psalm 51 he said, “Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” He knew that his sin could bring with it great consequences. It could potentially rob him of the gift of God’s assurance and allow him to become weakened against other sins and temptation. And he cried out to God that it would not be so.
If you want to have the Spirit continuing to confirm the reality of God’s grace in your heart, then you must be sure to not overstep the bounds of God’s law. If you want to find yourself enjoying the ongoing presence of the Spirit, then you must seek to set a guard over all aspects of your life, most especially your tongue.
Conclusion:
Studies have been done and it is said that we use between 7000 and 16,000 words on a daily basis. And our goal as a Christian should be making each one of them to be as valuable as possible.
I want to simply take this opportunity again to encourage you in this area. Remember how the Lord describes ungodly speech. Any of our words that are not sanctified are putrefying in God’s eyes. And we want to aim to make our speech line up with the gospel itself. The gospel is good news and we want our speech to reflect that. We want our speech to be good news.
And these movies recount how this person had to now become refined and take up new customs. They have to change their posture and now walk in a kingly way. They have to change the way they dress because their common clothes don’t match their new status as nobility. Maybe they have to change the way they talk too; because their speech must become more refined.
For the last several weeks that we’ve been together we have been seeing that these movie themes are simply a replica of the Christian life. The Book of Ephesians has shown us that we are no longer the person we used to be. The gospel has made us become part of the royal family. We’ve been blessed in that we have become children of God.
And we’ve found that, as a result of this new status, we are required to make a number of changes in the way we act. We cannot go on acting in the same way because it would be out of accord with who we now are in Christ.
This morning we come to verses 29-30 and we find once again that one of the changes that the gospel requires of us has to do with our use of words. To put it another way, we as Christians must learn to speak the refined language of God’s court.
And you see our passage breaks down into a simple outline:
I. What must we cease doing? What kind of speech must be put off?
II. What must be put on? What must we start doing? How should the gospel be effecting our speech?
III. Then we’ll take a second to think about our motivation. Why should we be seeking this kind of reform?
I. What must we cease doing? What must be put off?
Paul sums up all evil speech with one quick phrase: Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth. By this he means anything that is abusive, crude, blasphemous, obscene or uncharitable.
Now you will understand why this kind of speech is to be avoided when you get into the text and hear what Paul is really saying. In order to see how important it is to change, you have to really get a sense of how vile a thing is. If we were able to see sin the way God does or if we were able to recognize how abhorrent it really is, then we would likely be more inclined to steer clear of it.
For instance, you might be walking along and be tempted to cut through a neighbor’s yard. You might be enticed by the fact that there is this nice short cut. But when you realize that there are two large dogs who live there and the owners rarely go out to clean up the yard, you might not be all that inclined to walk through that yard. When you come to understand how foul it is, you have a greater motivation to avoid it.
There is a sense in which Paul helps urge you in the right direction by means of the language he uses here. For the word corrupt is an interesting word. It is a vivid word in the original language. We probably do not catch the sense of it in the English. It literally means rotten or spoiled.
In various places in the Bible it is used in regards to things that are so bad they need to be thrown out. For instance, it is used in regard to a tree that bears bad fruit. Jesus says that a good tree will bear good fruit. And a bad tree (corrupt tree) will bear corrupt fruit.
In my younger days we used to play at a friend’s house who had an old crab-apple tree. And it always had the nastiest apples. They were filled with worms and all kinds of disgusting black rot all over them. And the apples would fall to the ground and begin to decompose. They’d only get more disgusting. I hated that tree. I hated going around that tree. I hated the smell of that tree. I always tried to avoid it as much as I could.
Maybe the better example is the passage that talks about the fish that were gathered up in a net. When the fisherman bring it to shore, they separate the fish. The good ones they kept, and the bad ones (the ones that are dead or rotten) they got rid of. They threw them away
Now think of corrupt speech like that. When you talk in an evil manner you are spewing forth dead and decomposing fish. Have you ever smelled a dead fish; one that has been sitting on the beach for a couple days? It’s pretty is horrible. It can be absolutely nauseating.
One last illustration. When I was in seminary, I had a 20 minute commute to and from school. Every day I passed the local landfill. Now, this was the place where everyone’s trash was dumped. All the garbage trucks would come in and unload all the refuse that they had collected through the day. Now, if the wind was blowing the wrong direction, the smell from all that waste wafted right down onto the road I took. It could be rather putrid; absolutely nauseating. So everyday what I would do is hold my breath and speed up to get past there as fast as I could.
That is illustrative of what this passage is talking about. Anytime you make fun of someone, you have to think that you have a dead fish in your mouth. Every time you lift your voice and say something unkind, you are spewing air that is as rotten as that landfill wafting across a road.
This is certainly something to take note of. This is how we must think of any kind of speech that is unloving and dishonoring to the people around us. God sees those words as spoiled and we must learn to view them as completely rotten and needing to be thrown out as well.
Now, I want to bring this home specifically to those of you who are teenagers. No doubt everyone needs to listen and take such things to heart. Everyone must evaluate their speech and think how grotesque it is if it is violating the standards of God. But I want to speak to you young people in particular.
This past week I happened to look the sermon that Jonathan Edwards preached on this passage. As was expected, he did not disappoint. He had some pointed application that I thought I might pass on. In his sermon he spoke to the youth of his congregation and he said this:
Great part of the conversation of many young people, when they get together, consists in making conversation regarding others' faults and blemishes. Very much of the mirth and laughter that young people have together, consists in talking of and laughing at the things that others … have said and done.
Many seem to take a pride to speak of others behind their backs with an air of contempt, and make sport of those things in them that they reckon show how weak and foolish they are. They spend a great deal of time in talking against other young people and also in ridiculing old people. And so they entertain one another and pass away the time that they spend together.
Now you recognize that these two paragraphs could be pointed at any group of people. There’s not too many of us that would not fit the bill. But I think you may recognize that Edwards does zero in rather precisely. So much of the subject matter is reveling in the mistakes and faults of others.
And you recognize that this applies to our digital communications too. We have so much speech that goes on through our thumbs today. And there can be people who are willing to say things online that they would never say to someone’s face. That’s especially true when they are hiding behind a username.
We must recognize that these kinds of speech should not be a part of our lives. Dwelling on such things for entertainment and laughs is out of character for those of us who have come to know Christ.
The gospel’s influence in our lives should be transformative. One of the ways it transforms us is that we come to see just how corrupt such discourses are. In seeing it as it is, and recognizing how offensive it is in the eyes of God, should make us want to avoid it and seek real reform.
Which brings us to our second point. If we have been transformed by the gospel, what must kind of transformation should we be striving for? What should we begin doing?
II. What must we begin doing? What does God call us to put on?
When we look at our verse we see that says that we are to speak “only that which is good for building up as fits the occasion.”
What Paul does here is give you a couple principles for guiding your new patterns of speech. First, I want you to notice how our speech will be constructive.
A. Our speech must be constructive
Paul says that we are to speak that which is edifying. Only that which is good for building people up. My speech should be revolving around topics that will make the people around me a better friend, a better worker, a better son and daughter. I want to speak in such a way that my words serve to enhance people’s lives and make them to have more joy, more wisdom, more peace.
That my friends is a game changer in and of itself. I want you to do this this week. I want you to think, “I want to say only what will be good for other people’s encouragement and advancement this week.”
In this regard think about college basketball. I don’t know if you’ve watched the sport or not, but in college basketball they have what they call a shot clock. There is a timer on each possession of the ball. The team only has about 30 or so seconds to take a shot. If the buzzer goes off and they are still holding the ball, then that’s a turnover. You know that 30 seconds is not that long. It’s a pretty short amount of time. So when they come down on offense, they can’t be glibly tossing the ball around to each other. They have to be intentional about every move. Every pass and every dribble must be strategic. If it isn’t then they will end up wasting that precious time and they will lose possession of the ball. The shot clock will run out and they will turn the ball over to the other team.
We need to be thinking of our conversations in this kind of light. We need to speak so as to advance the ball; when we talk, we want to make our words to be achieving a certain goal. And that goal is to be constructive and build up the people around us.
But you’ll notice that our speech should not just be constructive, there’s also a sense in which it should limited.
B. Our speech must be limited
Notice that you are to speak ONLY that which is good for building up. The Lord says puts some constraints on the kind of words we use. Notice the beginning of the verse. It says, “Let no corrupting words come out of your mouth.” Literally it says, “Let not any corrupting words.”
Paul is using extra language in this verse to communicate the fact that there may be times when it is not appropriate for us to speak at all. You’ve all heard your mother say, “If you do not have anything nice to say, don’t say it.” Mama got that from the Apostle Paul, right here.
You know, sometimes one of the hardest things to do is remain silent. But sometimes that is the best thing to do. We could get into an argument, but you got to ask, “Is it really worth it?” We could talk back, but is what they are asking us to do really all that difficult for us? How beneficial would that be for either of us?
You see, when you make it your aim to be constructive in your speech, you may end up finding that you actually don’t talk as much as you used to. You’re going to find that you don’t have to share your opinion. You know why? Because sometimes our opinions do not contribute to the building up of the people around us.
It may mean that you just listen more too. That’s an important part of conversation that a lot of people don’t recognize. Listening is sometimes more important than speaking. I’ll tell you, you are more apt to build people up when you take more time to listen and hear them out rather than respond and flap your gums.
In this regard Proverbs 29:11 comes to mind. The book of Proverbs says that a “fool utters all his mind, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” We don’t need to utter all our mind, do we? A mark of godliness that you are seeking to hold some of your opinions and feelings back because you know that it is more important that you listen or obey.
The gospel transforms our speech. It encourages us to speak in a constructive way and a constrained way. But it also encourages us to speak in a cordial way.
C. Our speech must be cordial
Look at how verse 29 ends. Paul says that our words should be a “grace to those who hear.”
I take this to mean that when we speak, people should want to hear us and they should enjoy speaking with us. It should be like the grace of God coming into their lives. They receive your words with gladness.
We Calvinists talk about irresistible grace. We believe that God’s grace, when it comes to a person, has a powerful impact upon them. When the Spirit of God awakens the soul, they see how wonderful God’s grace is. And they willingly and joyfully receive the gospel with thanksgiving. There’s a new joy that comes to their soul and they now gravitate towards God and seek him with a whole heart. In short, God’s grace draws us to him and gives us a genuine desire to listen to him.
That’s how our words should be. They should be a grace to those who hear. Our words should make people want to be around us.
I’ve mentioned before a man in my presbytery. He’s one of the greatest communicators I know. If we are engaged in a debate, he will have an opportunity to speak to the issue on the floor. And he has such a winsome way about him. When he is done presenting his material and he has told you you are wrong, you stand there thinking, “Thank you! Thank you! I am so wrong, and I love you!” He has an uncanny ability to speak with such love and brotherly kindness that you can’t help but want to hear what he has to say.
So think of your speech like that. How can I best present what I want to say so that it may be received with joy? How can my words be grace to those around me?
Those are the qualities that we need when speaking. These are three things that we must put on. When we speak, we should aim to be constructive, constrained, and cordial.
Now, there’s one more item before us. We’ve said that we should stop speaking corruptly. We should begin putting on these new qualities. Notice lastly the motivating factor. Why should we be making this change?
III. Why must we begin speaking this way?
The answer is found in verse 30. If we speak in a corrupt way, if we do not speak in a way that builds up, notice what happens: We end up grieving the Holy Spirit.
Now what exactly does that mean? Well, this reminds us that our God is not some stoic being that has no emotions. Our God does get provoked to anger. He has joy and takes pleasure in certain things. The Bible tells us that he rejoices over us with singing. So we know that God is an emotional being.
And here we see that the Spirit can become upset. He can be stricken with sadness because of our actions.
And you recognize how significant this is. This is not some stranger that you’ve grieved. This is not like doing something that grieves your parents, no matter how bad that may be. But this is the Holy Spirit; this is the third person of the trinity. This is the one who, as Paul says, has sealed you.
A seal of course, is something that authenticates and assures the reality of something. The Spirit seals us in that he assures us of the Lord’s salvation. He impresses the reality of God’s forgiveness and grace upon us. In other words, we would never know for certain if we were saved if it were not for the continual presence and work of the Spirit.
And despite all the good that he does and kindness that he shows, would we dare grieve him?
But that’s what we do every time we speak out of line. He who speaks to us and continually whispers the sweet truth of the unbreakable love of God, is vexxed when we would speak to our neighbor (or speak of our neighbor) in a contemptible way.
And you’ll understand that when the Spirit is grieved, he has opportunity to withdraw to some degree. He may, in his sadness, let us not have the full influence of his power. I think Adam Clarke says it best in his commentary:
“The Holy Spirit may withdraw both his light and presence; and, in proportion as it withdraws, a hardness and darkness take place; With that comes a state of insensibility; for the darkness prevents the fallen state from being seen, and the hardness prevents it from being felt.”
What’s he saying? He’s saying that instead of growing in the Spirit, you end up becoming hardened in your sin. Instead of spiritual flourishing, you can begin to wilt and see less of the Spirit in your life.
This is what David meant when in Psalm 51 he said, “Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” He knew that his sin could bring with it great consequences. It could potentially rob him of the gift of God’s assurance and allow him to become weakened against other sins and temptation. And he cried out to God that it would not be so.
If you want to have the Spirit continuing to confirm the reality of God’s grace in your heart, then you must be sure to not overstep the bounds of God’s law. If you want to find yourself enjoying the ongoing presence of the Spirit, then you must seek to set a guard over all aspects of your life, most especially your tongue.
Conclusion:
Studies have been done and it is said that we use between 7000 and 16,000 words on a daily basis. And our goal as a Christian should be making each one of them to be as valuable as possible.
I want to simply take this opportunity again to encourage you in this area. Remember how the Lord describes ungodly speech. Any of our words that are not sanctified are putrefying in God’s eyes. And we want to aim to make our speech line up with the gospel itself. The gospel is good news and we want our speech to reflect that. We want our speech to be good news.