1 Timothy 4:12 ESV
After Paul tells Timothy to let no one despise him for his youth, he goes on to implore Timothy to set an example for believers in five different characteristics of a faithful believer in Christ: speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.
Before I continue, I want you to take a second and consider your speech, your conduct, your love, your faith, and your purity. Do you think that you set an example? Is it a Christian example or is it a worldly example? Today, I want to ask if your speech sets believers an example. If you are anything like me, you could use a lot of work taming your tongue.
Most often when we think about speech, we think about words that come out of our mouths. It is important that Christians use uplifting, loving, and encouraging words. After all, what a poor and destructive example we set if we let one curse word or one slanderous syllable escape our teeth. However, we have all heard the elementary lessons of not being potty mouths. Such talk is certainly not becoming of Christians, and it is not becoming of young men and women either. I do not presume that Paul is addressing Timothy on the grounds of using bad language. When Paul speaks about speech in this verse, he is referring to not only the words we say but the whole of our speech. Do we speak love and encouragement, or do we speak doom and gloom? Do we speak of hope and the resurrection, or do we speak of utter destruction and hopelessness? Do we speak of Christ crucified, or do we merely speak of lukewarm Christianity?
In Psalm 15, David asks the Lord, "O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?" In the second verse, we hear the answer: "He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend." Truly, speaking the truth is part of what Paul is addressing. Not slandering our neighbor is the other aspect that Paul is addressing. We should not lie and we should not slander our neighbors, therefore we should always speak the truth and speak the truth in love.
There are many Proverbs that specifically address the topic of speech:
Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.
Proverbs 4:24 ESV
Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit.
Proverbs 12:17 ESV
Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right.
Proverbs 16:13 ESV
Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
Proverbs 19:1 ESV
He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.
Proverbs 22:11 ESV
Again, these proverbs address the issue of upright speech that contains truth and love. This kind of speech has been tragically lost today in the church, especially in the youth. Some speak the truth without love. Some speak in love without the truth. Others speak neither the truth nor in love. I want to take some time to look into examples of each of these forms of speech.
Some speak the truth without love. I must admit, that I fall victim to this form of speech all too often. Whether we are discussing Christian doctrines with our Christian friends or whether we are trying to witness to someone that is attacking the Christian faith in a classroom, we have a tendency to speak the truth in an unloving manner. We take up our cross, throw our fists in the air, and fight the battle we were never called to fight without love. We tear our opponent apart, leaving them spiritually battered and bruised. How can you believe such nonsense? That is not what the Bible teaches! I have heard heretics propose less threatening doctrines! That is not Christianity, that's worldly lies! Remember what Proverbs 22:11 says about gracious speech, though. Do not be too hasty to call your neighbor a hypocrite. You might say, "But Christ called the Pharisees hypocrites. There's nothing wrong with calling them as we see them." Let's not forget, there was only one man that could ever call his neighbor a hypocrite without being a hypocrite himself, and that was our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us also not forget what Christ said as he was slandered and mocked by the scribes: "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." (Isaiah 53:7) There is much wisdom behind the old saying, "If you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all."
Some speak in love without truth. Each of us knows a time in our lives when we comforted someone dealing with pain and suffering, but we did not tell them where they could truly find solace from their pain. We turned them to counselors and friends. We patted them on the back, and told them it will all be okay. However, we did not speak the truth. We did not tell them about the fountains of life that are found in Christ our Savior. Whether we were ashamed of the truth, afraid that the truth would only make things worse, or whether we really didn't think that it was a good time to speak the Gospel truth, we all have spoken words of love without the truth. There is nothing more loving than the truth. "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." (Ephesians 4:25)
Finally, there are still others of us that are inclined to neither speak the truth or speak in love. The Word has nothing nice to say about those that speak lies of hate:
In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God." His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them. He says in his heart, "I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity." His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.Besides speaking truth in love to one another, we must also remember our speech about others behind their backs. We all gossip, and what a tragic thing it is. Immediately after hearing something juicy about someone we know, we turn to our other friends and spread the rumor. This is indeed a very popular past time of the youth. And before any of the young men find themselves pointing the finger at young ladies, both men and women struggle with this terrible disease. It is infectuous and it is contagious. We have all been in a situation where we are sharing in a conversation with a group of our friends and someone starts to gossip. Odds are, when it is all said and done, the whole group will have joined in the gossip. This is not Christian speech. This is neither truthful nor loving. When we gossip, we are acting like the wicked man that says, "There is no God." How are we loving our neighbor by spreading lies and slanderous thoughts? Let us not be infected by the guiles of gossips and busybodies. In 1 Timothy 5, shortly after Paul tells Timothy to prevent young widows from becoming gossips he says, "For some have already strayed after Satan" (1 Timothy 5:15). Certainly, Paul does not take lightly the evils of gossip and slanderous talk. Neither should we, therefore.
Psalms 10:4-9 ESV
After looking at what speech Paul is exhorting Timothy to avoid, we should now look at what forms of speech Paul is calling not only Timothy but all youths to possess in order to set an example for believers. All of us can probably recall a time in our lives when we were having a conversation with friends, our speech was not exemplary, someone spoke up, and pointed out that maybe we should talk about something else. The church body would be much stronger if we set a better example for Christian speech not only amongst the Church but also in the world we live in. When youths are in church, everyone thinks they are so well behaved and proper (for the most part). However, if those same people saw them outside of church, whether it be in the workplace, school, or just hanging out with friends over the weekend, would they still be left with the same impression? If we would be ashamed to use such speak and vulgar conversation among our brothers and sisters in Christ, then why are we not ashamed to use it before our ever watching God?
What a tremendous witness we could have in the world by being set apart in the way we talk. We might be teased and mocked, but we should find comfort that we are not bearing the Lord's name in vain. No, I am not speaking about using the Lord's name as a cuss word. I am speaking about placing Christ's name on your forehead, labeling yourself as a Christian, but continually testifying by your unrestrained speech that you are still very much enamored by the world's and Satan's devices. Would it not be better to speak up and suggest that the group talk about something more truthful and loving and be mocked for it than to join in and sin? Let's not take our words and speech lightly. Never neglect to set the believers (and non-believers alike) an example in your speech.
As Christians, youths or not, we must set an example in our speech. So much is said throughout the Bible about the power of our speech. It will either lead us to glory and honor in Christ, or it will lead us to the depths of Sheol. We would be wise to monitor our lips and bridle our tongues. I could write a longer exposition on what Paul is exhorting us to here in these verses, but I think that James 3 is concise and direct to the point. Scripture is best interpreted by Scripture. Read and heed these God-breathed words of James:
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 3:1-18
No comments:
Post a Comment