76: Cussing Christians

In this episode, we tackle a question that's becoming increasingly common in modern Christianity: Is it okay for believers to use profanity? While society has grown more accepting of coarse language, some Christians are now arguing that swearing is perfectly compatible with faith. We examine the three main justifications used by "cussing Christians"—including the popular but misunderstood claim that the Apostle Paul used ancient swear words—and explore what Scripture actually says about the language that should come from a believer's mouth. From the streets to the pulpit, we'll discuss why this issue matters and what it reveals about the heart behind our words.

Read: https://ready4eternity.com/cussing-christians/

Dr Manning's articles about skubala:

https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2015/did-the-apostle-paul-use-profanity https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2022/more-skubala-did-the-apostle-paul-use-swear-words

https://x.com/Ready4Eternity https://www.facebook.com/ready4eternity

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
I'm Eddie Lawrence and this is the Ready
for Eternity podcast, a podcast and blog
exploring biblical truths
for inquisitive Bible students.
Can you be a faithful
Christian and drop F-bombs?

(00:20):
While most believers would say no, a
growing number are arguing yes.
Today we're examining why their
justifications don't hold up.
In the not so distant American past, even
those who were not religious refrain from
swearing in the
presence of women and children.

(00:41):
As our nation has grown more secular and
profane, so is our use of language.
Some women and children have
worse potty mouths than men.
God's people have never been immune to
the corrupting influence of society.
Consequently it's becoming more and more
common to encounter cussing Christians.

(01:05):
God expects us to leave the bad habits
and sins of the world behind when we
become His disciples.
God has always commanded His people to be
different from the rest of the world.
Peter in 1 Peter 1, 16 quotes Leviticus
11, 44 through 45 saying, "It is written,

(01:28):
You shall be holy for I am holy."
Likewise, Paul said, "For God did not
call us to be impure,
but to live a holy life."
1 Thessalonians 4, 7.
You see, cussing
Christians are a contradiction.
God expects us to allow the Holy Spirit

(01:49):
to transform us to
become more like Jesus.
And this includes our mouth.
The New Testament is very clear about
what kind of language a
Christian is supposed to use.
Let no corrupting talk come out of your
mouths, but only such as is good for
building up, as fits the occasion, that

(02:11):
it may give grace to those who hear.
The Ephesians 4, 29, "Let there be no
filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude
joking, which are out of place, but
instead let there be thanksgiving."
Ephesians 5, 4, "But now you must put
them all away, anger, wrath, malice,

(02:33):
slander, and obscene
talk from your mouth."
Colossians 3, 8, "From the same mouth
come blessing and cursing, my brothers.
These things ought not to be so."
James 3, 10, "I tell you that on the day
of judgment people will give an account
for every worthless word they speak."

(02:56):
Matthew 12, 36.
The Bible clearly says there should be no
such thing as a
Christian who uses foul language.
A cussing Christian is a
contradiction of terms.
Even those who claim no religious
affiliation of any kind know that coarse

(03:17):
language is not appropriate.
One doesn't have to be a follower of
Jesus to know that some words and phrases
are tasteless and improper.
It seems to me that it is only
foul-mouthed Christians who attempt to
justify filthy language.

(03:37):
So what are the justifications?
There are three main arguments used by
Christians who want to use profanity.
Number one, words are
not inherently vulgar.
Number two, using the language of society
opens doors for evangelism.
And number three, the

(03:58):
Apostle Paul used profanity.
Let's look at these one at a time.
First up, words are
not inherently vulgar.
Christians who want to justify using
profanity sometimes argue that words are
not inherently bad or dirty.
As a result, they assert that it's the

(04:18):
consensus of society that determines
whether words are offensive or not.
After all, words that are vulgar now
weren't a generation or two ago, and the
opposite is also true.
Therefore, using four-letter words isn't
really that big of a deal.
Now it is correct that words are not
vulgar in and of themselves.

(04:41):
And it is also true that societal
consensus defines profanity.
But what we have to underscore is that
society does deem some
words to be offensive.
A case in point is language warnings for
movies, music, and TV shows.
These ratings warn viewers and listeners.

(05:03):
They are about to
encounter coarse language.
The world doesn't deny this fact.
It's only foul-mouthed Christians who
feel the need to justify bad language.
It's undeniable that there are words
which even
non-religious people find offensive.
Therefore, those who wish to be obedient
to God will avoid words and phrases that

(05:26):
society considers corrupt and filthy.
Testification number two, using the
language of society
opens doors for evangelism.
Others argue that in order for a
Christian to have street cred, we need to
be able to fit in and identify with those
we want to evangelize.

(05:47):
Therefore, we need to drop a few
four-letter words to
create evangelism opportunities.
But this is exactly the opposite of what
Jesus told his followers to do.
"You are the light of the world.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden,
nor do people light a lamp and put it
under a basket, but on a stand, and it

(06:10):
gives light to all in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine
before others, so that they may see your
good works and give glory to
your Father, who is in heaven."
Matthew 5, 14 through 16.
Jesus' approach to evangelism calls for
us to be the best examples we can

(06:31):
possibly be, not to lower our standards.
If using salty language helps us to
evangelize, why stop there?
Why not also use illegal drugs, hire
prostitutes, shoplift, and commit other
sins so that we get
even more street cred?

(06:51):
It's not worldly, sinful behavior that
draws people to God.
The world needs to see that God's people
possess something special.
They need to see that our relationship
with God has made our lives better.
If all we can offer them is what they
already have, then we really
have nothing to offer at all.

(07:14):
"For at one time you were darkness, but
now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light."
Ephesians 5, 8.
And finally, justification number three,
Paul used profanity.
There is a common misunderstanding that
alleges Paul used a Greek word which is

(07:35):
equivalent to the English four-letter
word that begins with
"sh" and ends with "t."
This is in Philippians 3, 8.
The word in question, as you're about to
hear, is the word "rubbish."
Take a listen.
"Indeed, I count everything as loss
because of the surpassing worth of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

(07:57):
For His sake, I have suffered the loss of
all things and count them as rubbish in
order that I may gain Christ."
Philippians 3, 8.
Hence, the claim is that Paul used this
word for shock value because
it helped him make a point.

(08:18):
Consequently, the argument goes that if
Paul could use crude
language, then so can all Christians.
What word did Paul use and
what exactly does it mean?
The Greek word in question is "skubala,"
and it's variously translated as "dung,"
"rubbish," "refuse," or "garbage,"

(08:40):
depending on which Bible
translation you look at.
Like most words, "skubala" has a range of
meanings, and one of those meanings is
indeed excrement or manure.
Bdag's definition is "useless or
undesirable material that is
subject to disposal, refuse,

(09:01):
garbage, and various senses excrement,
manure, garbage, kitchen scraps."
But is "skubala" ancient profanity?
One of skubala's
meanings is, in fact, manure.
But does this mean skubala was a vulgar
word in the ancient Greek language?

(09:22):
Dr.
Gary Manning, Jr. has performed an
exhaustive search of ancient Greek
literature and has concluded there is no
evidence to support the idea
that skubala was a swear word.
I did a search of two exhaustive
databases of ancient Greek literature,

(09:42):
Perseus and Thesaurus lingue greche, to
see if skubala functions
as a swear word in Greek.
I discovered that nowhere in all of
ancient Greek literature is there a clear
example of skubala functioning as a swear
word or even as a rude word.
I could not find a single place where it
was used as an insult,

(10:03):
invective curse, or interjection.
In fact, the normal use of skubala in
ancient Greek scholarly literature makes
it almost impossible
that it was a swear word.
In a follow-up project, Dr.
Manning researched ancient Greek papyri.
The papyri tended to be authored by

(10:24):
everyday Greek-speaking people as opposed
to poets and philosophers.
The use of skubala in the papyri was
consistent with its
use in Greek literature.
There is no evidence that skubala was
ever used as a crude word.
Links to Dr.
Manning's articles are in the show notes.

(10:46):
They're short and easy to read articles
that you might find interesting.
Dr.
Manning's conclusion is
consistent with that of Dr.
Moises Silva.
Some have thought that Paul here
deliberately uses language that is
vulgar, or at least crude, perhaps
comparable to English, crap.
However, the use of the term by various

(11:07):
writers does not indicate such a nuance.
The rendering of the NIV
2011 is probably on target.
I consider them garbage.
The idea that skubala was an ancient
swear word has no support whatsoever.
The bottom line is that skubala was not

(11:28):
an offensive word in ancient times.
If the influence of armchair scholars who
perpetuate the skubala
myth wasn't bad enough,
there are so-called pastors who think
having a potty mouth
makes them cool and relevant.
Well-known men such as Mark Driscoll,

(11:49):
Tony Campolo, Jeff Durbin, and Thaddeus
Matthews
unapologetically swear from the pulpit.
Pastors who use
profanity are not pastors at all.
Let me say that again.
Pastors who use profanity are not pastors
at all, at least not by the Bible's

(12:11):
definition of a pastor.
Pastors are self-controlled and
respectable, according to 1 Timothy 3.2.
And there are supposed to be examples to
the flock, according to 1 Peter 5.3.
They serve under the
chief shepherd who is Jesus.
Can anyone with any measure of sanctified

(12:34):
common sense imagine Jesus swearing?
The chief shepherd doesn't swear, and
therefore the under
shepherds mustn't swear either.
Goethe said, "Nothing shows a man's
character more than what he laughs at."
Likewise, nothing reveals what's in our

(12:56):
hearts more than the words
which come out of our mouths.
"You brood of vipers.
How can you speak good when you are evil?
For out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaks."
Matthew 12, 34.
Let's face it.
Pussing Christians just
need to kick the habit.

(13:18):
Habits are hard to break, but every word
that we utter is 100%
under our control at all times.
There is no place in a
Christian's life for vulgarity.
As a result, we shame ourselves when we
use foul language, tell dirty jokes, or

(13:39):
share profanity-laced
memes on social media.
Come out from among them and
be separate, says the Lord.
2 Corinthians 6, 17.