Overcoming Sin through Christ

Profanity, Vulgarity, Obscenity

Profanity means “the quality of being profane; irreverence. . . . irreverent or blasphemous speech. . . . a blasphemous act or utterance.”[1]  It refers to “abusive, vulgar, or irreverent language.”[2] Vulgarity is another term for speech and it means “something, such as an act or expression, that offends good taste or propriety.”  Vulgarism means “a crudely indecent word or phrase; an obscenity.”[3]  Obscene means “offensive to accepted standards of decency or modesty,” and obscenity means “something, such as a word, act, or expression, that is indecent or lewd. . . . Something that is offensive or repulsive to the senses.”[4]

Synonyms for profane would be irreverent, blasphemous, ungodly, sacrilegious, impious, foul, filthy, abusive, crude, coarse, obscene, and off-color.  Synonyms for vulgar would be rude, crude, uncouth, base, ill-mannered, unrefined, indecent, obscene, pornographic, smutty, suggestive, and risqué.  They all have to do with speech that is sinful.

Vulgar, obscene, and dirty talk is very common in our world.  We read of a city where public vulgarity is still condemned by law.  The police charged a person with such speech and the media picked this up as an archaic law, unfit for our modern and “enlightened” age!  So sad—since using bad language should be considered unlawful.  Vulgar language is ubiquitous.  A poll discovered this:

Sixty-four percent said they use the F word—ranging from several times a day (8 percent) to a few times a year (15 percent).  In addition, younger people admitted using bad language more often than older people.  They also encounter it more frequently and are less offended by it. The poll showed that 62 percent of people ages eighteen to thirty-four acknowledged swearing in conversation at least a few times a week, compared to 39 percent of those thirty-five and older. Swearing is also more pronounced among men; 54 percent of men swear at least a few times a week, compared to 39 percent of women.[5]

This does show how widespread swearing, profanity, vulgarity, or filthy speech is.  It seems to be a part of some people’s conversation, especially the young people.  This should make people tremble as they remember that “they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment,” for “by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

We can’t deal with wrongful speech in a comprehensive way.[6]  But let’s notice a number of principles and instructions that would prohibit a wide range of sinful speech and vulgar terms.  The Lord Jesus warned, “The mouth speaks out of what which fills the heart.  The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.  But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an account for it in the Day of Judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:34b-37).  Christ’s words here say that the heart is the origin of our speech, thus we need to make sure our heart is right if we wish to have pure speech.  We also see that our words will have eternal consequences—for we will be justified or condemned by our speech!

Paul the apostle says that we are to “put aside” certain sins, including “abusive speech from your mouth” (Colossians 3:8).  The term “abusive” here is aischrologia, meaning “vile or obscene language, foul talk.”[7]  It may be translated as “obscene talk from your mouth” (ESV) or “abusive language from your mouth” (NET Bible).  Paul’s condemnation of this kind of talk should put an end to all rotten speech.

Paul also wrote to the Ephesians, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear” (4:29).  “Unwholesome word” could be translated as “unwholesome talk” (NIV) or “corrupting talk” (ESV).  The term here is sapros, meaning “rotten, putrid; hence bad, of a bad quality,” or “corrupt, depraved, vicious, foul, impure.”[8] Rotten, corrupt, and impure words should never be uttered by the follower of Christ!  Would you think of eating a rotten peach, a rotten piece of meat, or a rotten sandwich?  Neither should we allow rotten speech to be harbored in our heart or come from our mouth!

As we read through the pages of Scripture, we note that such speech sins as slander, gossip, lying, impurity, and cursing should never be found on our lips (cf. Romans 1:29-30; 1 Corinthians 6:10; Galatians 5:20, 26; Ephesians 4:31; Colossians 3:8-9; 4:6). James has much to say about sinful speech: “The tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. . . . No one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison” (James 3:6, 8).

We can see why Solomon could write, “He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23).  And our prayer should be that of the psalmist, “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).

(See also “Blasphemy or Slander”)

[1] Random Hose Webster’s College Dictionary.

[2] The American Heritage College Dictionary.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] 1001 Illustrations That Connect, p. 489.

[6] Our book, Sins of Speech, does look at many aspects of sinful speech.

[7] Mounce and Mounce, Greek and English Interlinear New Testament lexicon.

[8] Ibid.