Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Ephesians 4:29
A Greek philosopher asked his servant to prepare the best dish possible. The servant presented him a dish of tongue, saying, ‘It is the best of all dishes, because with it we may bless and communicate happiness, dispel sorrow, remove despair, cheer the faint-hearted, inspire the discouraged, and a say a hundred other things to uplift mankind.’ Then, the philosopher asked his servant to prepare the worst dish possible. Again he was presented with a dish of tongue. The servant said, ‘It is the worst, because with it we may curse and break human hearts, destroy reputations, promote discord and strife, and set families, communities and nations at war with each other.’ That servant understood the lesson that our text is presenting, that we need to avoid producing verbal sewage by using our mouths to bless and uplift.
Do Christians produce corrupt communication? Not long ago, I noticed something that a Christian who I know had posted on Facebook and was shocked to see that the posting contained an obscenity that should never be associated with a Christian. That just shot their testimony to pieces! And while walking through a public place, I overheard a person who I always assumed to be a godly Christian using blatant profanity to describe a particular public figure. I don’t know about others who heard, but my opinion of that supposedly Christian certain took a steep plunge. The word corrupt in our text includes the thought of rottenness, filthiness, degrading, and disgusting. Whether from our mouths, our actions, or our social media postings, corruption should never ever occur. It’s the conversation of the world and marks those who are sold out to the world and its basest elements. And when it comes from a Christian, it drags that Christian down into the gutters of the world. ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man’ (Matthew 15:11).
Our language should be always be edifying. What does that mean? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to edify is to instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge. Edify comes from an ancient word that means to build a house. That leaves no room for a Christian to be a critic. We not only keep our language clean, but we also keep it clear of anything that tears anyone down. There are plenty of people and things that we cannot speak well of, but of them we simply do not speak. But if anyone – Christian or not – is commendable, we ought to commend them. If we can pass on anything to encourage, to improve, to teach, that is how we should be talking. But our text includes a caveat when we try to instruct or improve others: grace to the hearers. In all of His teachings, the Lord Jesus was always gracious. And there is never a reason for us to be otherwise.
Every Christian has a great responsibility for what we allow to escape our lips. Instead of corruption, may our words ever be Christ-like. – Jim MacIntosh