Forbidden Words – Insulting, Angry, Hateful, Sarcastic Words
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Matthew 5:21-22).
Christian brothers and sisters are not to speak to each other in a railing, insulting, angry, hateful or sarcastic way. Jesus says, “without a cause,” meaning when there is no evidence to support the words being said. Anger has little or nothing to do with the person against whom it is vented. It has to do with the person who is angry. Here, Jesus speaks about anger in the context of murder and hatred. Anger is not always motivated by hatred (Ephesians 4:26), but many times it is. Hatred drives anger, and envy drives hatred. If hatred and envy are the issues behind the anger, those attitudes must cease. John equates active, ongoing hatred with murder in 1 John 3:15. Hateful words are destructive to a person’s soul.
Sarcasm may be used in this way. Not all sarcasm is bad; it may be used jokingly, or it may be bitter. Biting sarcasm contains anger, hatred, malice, and deceit within it. Proverbs 26:24-25 says, “He who hates, disguises it with his lips, And lays up deceit within himself; When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart.” Here, the Bible suggests that even “kindly” words may be used for evil. It all depends upon a person’s heart. If our hearts are pure, our words will be pure (Proverbs 4:23).
God bless you, and I love you.
Kevin Cauley