Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
People love to argue. Who among us does not enjoy having opinions? Who among us does not enjoy sounding forth about their opinions?
I certainly enjoy a meaty and thoughtful discussion where I get to show off the things that I know. I take great pleasure—perhaps too much pleasure—in my ability to express myself and to weave together logical theses on just about any subject imaginable. I delight in the theorizing, the analytical thought patterns, building up my arguments while systematically taking apart someone else’.
When it comes to debate, I am arrogant, I am cocky, and more than just a little bit proud!
Still, the greatest joy I get from all discussion and debate is the learning that I personally glean from it. Not only am I presented with all that others bring to bear, to respond and rebut I am frequently obliged to do a bit of research—review a passage in Scripture, track down a ruling in law, find this or that historical text, and much more besides. I rarely come away from a discussion without learning something.
Debate and discussion are good things to me. Debate and discussion lift people up. Debate and discussion are a celebration of God’s greatest gift to all of us—our thinking, reasoning, brains.
We owe it to ourselves for this reason to take care how we speak to each other during any interaction. We cannot lift people up if our words are tearing them down. We cannot bear true witness if our words are false.
Sadly, what we see all too often, both in social media and elsewhere, are people spewing angry, hateful, even vile words. What we see all too often are people spreading lies and slanders about each other. What we see all too often are people whose witness is the epitome of false witness, the polar opposite of true witness.
I am not going to pretend that I am not guilty of this from time to time. I can get as angry as the next person, probably angrier, and I can get just as personal, just as mean-spirited, as the next person. I do this sometimes, and I am wrong when I do.
I am wrong when I do this because it is wrong to do this. It is wrong to hurl insults. It is wrong to tear down. It is wrong to slander and defame.
It is particularly distressing when I see Christians doing this to other Christians. When we who are the Body in Christ attack others who are of the Body in Christ, are we not guilty of a double sin—one sin against our Christian brothers and one sin against God who calls us back to Himself through Jesus Christ?
I would say that we are.
We do not need to wonder if angry words are hurtful words. Scripture has always taught that they are.
Proverbs 12:18 reminds us that “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Proverbs 15:1 reminds us that we can avoid quite a few problems for ourselves through judicious and temperate speech, for “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
The Apostle Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 3:9 that we are not called to curse, but to bless others, that we may ourselves be blessed. We are called to choose that which is righteous, to speak that which is righteous, to do that which is righteous—and when we do, we open ourselves to receiving righteousness from God.
Jesus Himself teaches in Luke 6:28 to “bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus further taught that insult and invective leave us open to judgement and damnation.
There can be no dispute that we are not called to hurl insults at each other.
Nor are we called to be divided. Christians especially are called to unity, as the Apostle Paul teaches in Galatians 3:28, reminding us that we are all one in Jesus Christ.
Paul makes it clear throughout his letters that divisions within the church are not healthy. Paul admonishes the church in Corinth against creating divisions time and again.
Paul teaches in Romans that we are wise to steer clear of those who deliberately stir up division and dissent, reminding us that those who do are serving their own ego and not God.
Jesus, when He prayed for His disciples in John 17, prayed for them all to be one, just as He is one with God the Father.
We are called to unity. We are never called to division.
We are one Body in Christ. We sin grievously when we seek to denominate and divide that Body.
We can see in the media and throughout popular culture that Christian faith and Christian living has more than enough opponents. Christians have no shortage of adversaries who delight in attacking Christian faith, disparaging Christian living. Christians certainly do not need to be adversaries of other Christians!
If Christian faith has any meaning at all in the world of men, surely it is that we are called to spread true witness throughout the world. We are called by God to make believers of all nations—can Christians plausibly carry out the Great Commission by indulging in social media slanders?
I do not see how they can. I do not see how we can.
From the very beginning, God has called us to speak the truth in all things. We cannot do that when we slander and defame anyone. We cannot shine God’s light into the world especially when we tear down other Christians, each of whom is called no less than I to share the Good News that is Jesus Christ.
Christians surely cannot fulfill the Great Commission by heaping insults upon each other.
We are one Body in Christ. We sin grievously when we seek to denominate and divide that Body.
My prayer on this day, and every day, is that Christians everywhere, regardless of denomination, will seek unity and not division among all Christians. My prayer on this day, and every day, is that Christians everywhere, regardless of doctrinal differences, will remember that we are all God’s people, and the sheep of His pasture. My prayer on this day, and every day, is that Christians everywhere, regardless of tradition or particular theology, will remember we walk the same path, that being the path back to God.
If Christian faith has any meaning at all in the world of men, surely it is that we are called to spread true witness throughout the world. We are called by God to make believers of all nations. We are called to unity. We are never called to division.
We are one Body in Christ. We sin grievously when we seek to denominate and divide that Body.
We need to be kind. One way to do this is to keep in mind that every person you meet is in a state of mind that you don’t know: despair, sorrow, in need of encouragement, or otherwise needing positive words from another human being. You are God’s mechanism in this. If you say something unkind, you may be the last straw that pushes that person to suicide. If you give a compliment, you may lift that person up to believing in himself, and give him the fuel that will lead him to manifesting his talents.
Decades ago, the educational system understood that each child had innate abilities. The goal of the school was to recognize those individual talents and develop them, and steer that child to being his best self. One child might be naturally athletic, and be directed to becoming a professional baseball player. If he is not encouraged in positive ways to develop this natural ability, he may end up displaying his physicality in violent ways of crime instead. Another child, such as yourself, Peter, may have innate abilities of analytical thought, great reasoning powers, debating skills, and memory. These are your gifts, dear man. Your task is to manifest great things through using them. I see you doing that. You have indeed wielded these gifts in the past like a sword, cutting people down because you were so good at it. You have paid a huge price because of it. But you have grown in wisdom, and now actively try to use your great powers for good. Bless you and praise God for your personal growth, Peter! And never underestimate your ability to achieve great glories to God, works of justice and righteousness, through being your own authentic self. God has imbued natural Magnificence within you. It shows in your every essay. Bless you always, dear Peter.