Is It Ok For Christians To Cuss?
“Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children.” Ephesians 5:1 (NKJV)
A couple years ago, I got so mad at my teenager that I cussed. Should Christians cuss?
No. But I did, sadly.
If you know anything about me, I don’t normally swear and would never allow it in my home. I was raised that this is not something an honorable Christian would do. We are a godly family and we try to be imitators of Christ. But on this day, I failed miserably and had to apologize for losing my temper.
I was so sad that I’d not only disappointed my child, but my Lord. I wished I could take it back. Everything within me wants to be a person who uplifts and encourages. A man who speaks grace and love to my family.
But something was in my heart that got revealed and I’m glad it did. I needed that sin to be exposed so I could identify it and run to God for help. Thankfully my family is forgiving and always ready to show grace when I fall.
Ephesians 4:29 says, “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.” Yet I see believers get online and type words that are not glorifying to God, nor do they represent an example of Christ to the world. So I get confused, especially when they have time to delete it before pressing “send.”
I pondered, why we can’t be like the lyrebird. In the days when we lived in Australia, I learned about this creature.
The lyrebird gets its name because of the lovely tail of the male bird. When the tail is raised, it looks like an ancient harp called a lyre.
The song of the lyrebird is stunning too. To attract a female, the male sings a unique song of his own chirps and other birdcalls he’s heard. To up his game, he can even mimic sounds that humans bring into the forest—like cars, chainsaws, camera shutters and even children laughing. The more sounds he can add to his repertoire the better his chances at attracting a mate.
The amazing voice of the lyrebird reminds me of how I’m to act as a follower of Jesus. The best way to steer the world to God is to copy Christ. Pointing people to him is one of the things he commanded us to do as his children (Matthew 28:19).
The word Christian means one who follows or acts like Christ, but how often I fail to respond like Jesus would. Whether I accidentally smash my finger with a hammer or yell at my kids for making a mess, it’s never an expletive, but more often than not I choose to let things fly out of my mouth that do not reflect God’s kindness or patience.
Mimicking our God is what attracts people to the gospel. I want to imitate the character of Jesus so my life will be a sweet song to those in the forest of hurt and hopelessness.
What do you think? Why do we see so many younger believers (especially on social media) using the “F” word and other expletives like it’s okay? Is it? I’d love to hear your feedback.
