"If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man" (James 3:2).

One of the advantages of living more than six decades is that a person gains a greater perspective of time. Changes in usage and word meaning that have taken place in American English over the last sixty years are especially fascinating to me. However, one trend especially disturbs me, and that is the general coarsening of language used among professing Christians, unfortunately including distance learning students and adults associated with Alpha Omega Academy®.

We may not realize this is happening, but I am convinced that many of us who call ourselves Christians have allowed the culture around us to affect our speech adversely in two ways. First, the use of impure slang, especially words referring to acts of immorality, has become so common in today's vocabulary that many Christians naively use them without realizing what they mean. Without a slang dictionary at your fingertips, how can you tell if the word has a bad meaning? Before you begin using new words or terms in your vocabulary, ask yourself two important questions: "Does the word in its literal meaning make sense in the way I am using it, and if not, if I substituted a ‘dirty' word in its place, would the meaning of the sentence change?" If the first answer is "yes" and the second answer is "no," then the questionable word is likely slang for something unmentionable.

A second and more serious way we have allowed the world to change us is in the disrespectful use of God's name. The third commandment says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). Any scholar familiar with Hebrew can tell you that this command refers to the flippant, casual, or otherwise disrespectful use of God's name. Yet, it has become commonplace in many circles to hear Christians copy the unbelieving world's practice of using God's name as an expletive or in a phrase that indicates great surprise.

Why is this matter of language so important? Common sense should tell us that we are going to have a hard time convincing people that our God is holy and awesome if we use His name or the name of His Son in a disrespectful way. Plus, Scripture repeatedly emphasizes the importance of good speech. Paul wrote in the New Testament, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth" (Ephesians 4:29). He added that out of our mouths should come "neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks" (Ephesians 5:4).

As we start a new year and create resolutions of how we can improve as Christians over the previous year, be sure to look at the kind of language you use. Is it 100% wholesome and useful for edifying? Would we speak differently if we knew our Lord was standing nearby? May God help us all glorify Him with our speech in 2010!

"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt" (Colossians 4:6).

David Bauman
Principal, Alpha Omega Academy