A Sin of the Tongue: Cursing.

A Sin of the Tongue: Cursing.

Joe R. Price.

The wise man Agur wrote,

“There is a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.”

  (Prov. 30:11-13; see Exo. 21:17; Lev. 20:9)

We live in the midst of such a generation. The filth that flows from the mouths of youth and aged, male and female, floods our land. Profanity is commonplace in our schools, on the job, in the marketplace and in the media. Its influence rots any society where the hearts of the citizenry are given over to selfish and prideful aspirations. Cursing is an example of such profanity.

Cursing is Sin

     Where I grew up in Texas it is called “cussing” (or more precisely, ‘cussin’). Either way you pronounce it, cursing is sin. God’s word describes the wicked man as one whose “mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is trouble and iniquity” (Psa. 10:7). The apostle Paul used this verse to describe the sinfulness of “both Jews and Greeks” (Rom. 3:9, 14).

     We commonly think of profanity and vulgarity when “cursing” is discussed.  The word translated “curse” in the New Testament signifies “to pray against, to wish evil against a person or thing; hence to curse” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 141). To curse, therefore, is to invoke or call down evil upon a person; it is the denunciation of one’s fellow man. Profanity can be an element of cursing, but not necessarily so. True, most of the cursing that occurs today is laced with profanity and vulgarity. All “filthy language” must be eliminated from our mouths, which includes cursing, profanity and vulgarity as well as using euphemisms in the place of curse words (Col. 3:8).  (One person called such euphemisms “Christian Cursing” – a curious and correct description. These, too, must be eliminated from our speech.)

Cursing Words are Idle Words

     Jesus said, “for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:36-37). Idle words include those spoken rashly, hastily, lightly and angrily. Idle words are barren of moral goodness and useful fruit. They tear down kindness, friendship, brotherly love and everything that is good and decent among men in the sight of God (Eph. 4:29-32). Curse words are worthless words that condemn the user. The user of them is powerless to execute the threatened curse. Curse words are Godless words that promote selfishness. Using such idle words will cause one to be condemned on Judgment Day

Cursing Expresses Hate

The verbal denunciations of cursing proceed from a heart that detests its object. Thus, to curse another is the antithesis of love.

Goliath exemplified the hatefulness of cursing when he said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. (1 Sam. 17:43) Peter, when denying knowledge of Jesus, “began to curse and swear” (Matt. 26:74). Little wonder that this tenderhearted disciple “wept bitterly” when he realized His sin against the Savior (Matt. 26:75).

     Jesus teaches to “bless those who curse you”, and shows us by His example how such is accomplished (Matt. 5:44; Rom. 12:14). When Jesus was reviled, He “did not revile in return” (1 Pet. 2:23). In like manner, His disciples are to return “reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing” (1 Pet. 3:9).

     Cursing is the opposite of blessing (see Prov. 30:11 above). With the tongue “we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so” (Jas. 3:9-10). Whereas to bless a person expresses one’s desire that he receive happy and joyful things, to curse a person articulates one’s desire that dread, calamity and sorrow is heaped upon him. To curse a person is not loving one’s neighbor as oneself or treating others as we wish to be treated (Mk. 12:31; Lk. 6:31).

Cursing Words are Prideful Words

     Cursing is not only hateful, it is full of pride and conceit: “For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride, and for the cursing and lying which they speak” (Psa. 59:12). As one’s mouth distributes its disdainful curses it displays a heart that is elevated above others. The person who curses his neighbor thinks too highly of himself (Rom. 12:16). As he curses with his tongue he exposes his foolish pride that supposes he has the position, power and prerogative to denounce another person. Pride is on display whenever cursing occurs. By cursing another person one implies himself to be superior to that person. The cursing person is an arrogant person.

     Instead of calling down reproaches and denunciations upon others, we must “let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” and put away all evil speaking with malice (Eph. 4:29, 31). We grieve the Spirit of God when our words curse and destroy others (Eph. 4:30).

Cursing Words are Irreverent Words

Even some people who allow cursing to flow from their mouths understand that it is not respectful toward others. (On several occasions I recall people who generally use profane language actually changing their speech around a woman or “the preacher”.) We should realize that we are always in the presence of Almighty God. By cursing men we show a lack reverence for God, who created and sustains all men (Jas. 3:9).

     To curse a person shows a lack of love for him and a lack of love and respect for God. The one who loves God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength does not curse God or man (Mk. 12:30).

     Incredibly, many people openly curse God. When a man blasphemed the name of the Lord and cursed in the camp of Israel he was stoned to death.  God said,

Take outside the camp him who has cursed; then let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. Then you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: “Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death.” (Lev. 24:14-16)

The fact that we do not live under the Law of Moses and do not stone people is no comfort to the person who takes the name of the Lord in vain (Exo. 20:7). The Lord did not hold guiltless the person who took His name in vain under the first covenant, and neither will one escape punishment today who profanes the name of the holy God (Heb. 2:1-2; Matt. 12:37).

Cursing Words Consume and Destroy

When cursing is the habitual course of one’s speech, its dangerous nature is obscured. It is spoken so freely by some that they do not even realize what is coming out of their mouth! For them, their cursing language is as natural as the clothes they wear and the water they drink. Note however, that divine judgment will certainly come upon the person who curses his neighbor with his tongue:

“As he loved cursing, so let it come to him; as he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him. As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, so let it enter his body like water, and like oil into his bones. Let it be to him like the garment which covers him, and for a belt with which he girds himself continually. Let this be the Lord’s reward to my accusers, and to those who speak evil against my person.”  (Psa. 109:17-20)

“Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law…There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.  Who are you to judge another?”  (Jas. 4:11-12)

Rest assured that cursing places one under divine judgment and righteous condemnation.

Silence Cursing Lips

One can repent of the sin of cursing and restore purity to his speech. Controlling the tongue requires constant surveillance of the heart: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you” (Prov. 4:23-24). Since our words come from our heart, we must put God’s word deeply into our hearts so that the fruit of our lips will praise God instead of cursing both God and man (Heb. 13:15; Jas. 1:21; 3:9-10).

The Holy Spirit teaches us how to restore or maintain pure speech in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” By purging our minds of evil thoughts and putting virtuous thoughts in their place we can guard our hearts and our tongues against the sin of cursing.

There are practical things we can do to overcome and resist cursing, including the following:

1. Develop love for others. Where there is love there will not be the cursing of God or man (1 Cor. 13:4-7).  The person who curses others does not love them.

2. Be humble before God and man (Jas. 4:6-10). Humble hearts produce words that are “fitly spoken”, not harsh, hateful and haughty words that denounce and detest (Prov. 25:11).

3. Pray for God’s help. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” (Psa. 19:14).

4. Hold God in reverence. When God is held in reverence in a person’s heart his words will reflect honor for God and for man: “Honor all people.  Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” (1 Pet. 2:17) Curse words do not come out of a mouth whose heart is given to reverent living.

5. Be kind and forgiving. “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32). Merciful hearts shun cursing, knowing that “with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Lk. 6:37-38).

6. Increase your personal faith. When we “walk by faith” our words are seasoned with the salt of graciousness, not laced with poison of profanity (2 Cor. 5:7; Col. 4:6; Matt. 12:33-37).

Conclusion

We must gain and observe the wisdom related by Solomon when he said, “A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul” (Prov. 18:7). Although the intent of “cussin’ out” a person is to denounce and destroy them, the result is the destruction of the person doing the cussin’. It is foolish, idle talk that damns the soul (Matt. 12:36-37).

“The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous will come through trouble” (Prov. 12:13). Therefore, “He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good ; let him seek peace and pursue it” (1 Pet. 3:10-11).