Publications

The principle of the spoken word

Matthew 5:33-37:

“Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths. but I say unto you, Swear not at all;  neither by heaven;  for it is God’s throne:  nor by earth;  for it is his footstool:  neither by Jerusalem;  for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

But let your communication be, Yea, yea;  Nay, nay:  for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil”.

Compare with James 5:12:

“But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea;  and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation”.

For some Christians, these scriptures have meant little more than a basis for conscientiously objecting to taking an oath such as in a Court of Law.   Jesus, however, is here revealing another vital principle which relates to what we say and how we say it.   We need to understand that to speak is to commit.   We are responsible for that which we speak and must not use God to back our word.

When God spoke the word the heavens and the earth, the entire universe, was created according to the word which he spoke.

Likewise, when God gives his promise, it is an everlasting promise. We read in the Bible that when God sends forth his word it does not return to him void but rather accomplishes the purpose for which he sent it.

The gift of speech

God, having made us in his image, has given us the unique gift of speech.   We have the capacity to thus express ourselves  to vocalise what we are, what we are thinking and what we are feeling. We share, therefore, with God the power to speak  to express and to create speech.   Here is something of the reason behind Jesus emphasising the importance of what we say.

If we have an ability given to us as a result of being created in God’s image, then we ought to understand that it must be used responsibly.   God regards the spoken word seriously.

Why do people so often use an oath of one form or another, to back up their words?   They do this because of the doubtful substance of those words. The very common tendency to exaggerate so as to make a point, is another evidence of our efforts to give our speech more impact.   Likewise, the tendency to use ever more powerful adjectives so that once-powerful ones such as “terrific”, “fantastic”, “tremendous” and so on, no longer carry their original force.

Because of a self-consciousness about the lack of substance to our words, we find ourselves colouring and flavouring them so that people may listen more intently and put more weight on what we say.

This also applies in the area of giving your word.   People have become so accustomed to a careless use of words that when, for example, a man is testifying in a Court of Law there is an almost naive and futile attempt to put the fear of God into him by requiring him to take an oath on the Bible.   We are supposed to believe at this point, that the witness will speak only true and honest things because of being prompted by a fear of being “zapped” by God.

Having degenerated from God’s image as man first knew it, we find that unlike God, men do not necessarily say whet they mean and mean what they say.   It is of little wonder that there is in James 3 such a detailed exhortation about the proper use of speech.

Speech is so simple end yet so vital.   Then we consider our deficiencies in the proper use of speech it seems that we have yet much to learn about being God’s children.   Our words are to be true expressions of what we are end herein lies much of the problem.   Many do not wish their words to be such a true expression.   Men usually prefer their words to be the expression of the particular image or impression of themselves which they are trying to create in the eyes of others.

Hence the lie.  And let us not forget who invented that.  Jesus said that Satan is the father of the lie.   Satan discovered just how easily the ability to convey truth in word form can be twisted and used very effectively to convey anything but truth.   He, of course, has taught this technique to those who prefer not to walk in God’s way.

Lying in the church

So we find ourselves in a world where the lie is often more commonplace than the truth.   Christians have been instructed to “lie not one to another” and we kid ourselves if we think that lying does not go on in the church.   It may often be in a subtle form but it is nevertheless often there. It comes in the form of exaggeration or in a particular emphasis calculated to give an impression other than that which is true.   Yet Jesus taught us to be people whose “yea” is “yea” and whose “nay” is “nay”.   People who indeed say what they mean and mean what they say.

This is not, of course, intended to produce such a fear of saying the wrong thing that we are afraid to open our mouths lest we say something untoward for which we must answer at the Judgment!

The emphasis rather is on the point that your every word should be a true portrayal of that which you really are  a revelation of what you are on the inside.   Are you afraid to let your words convey the person that you really are?

Jesus further emphasises the importance of what we say in Matthew 12:3537:

“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things;  and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.   But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.   For by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

A wrong understanding of this, however, can bring a Christian into bondage about such things, for instance, as talking about everyday matters or being humourous.   Some have mistakenly understood “idle words” to be those which we use during our unguarded moments  the less “spiritual” everyday kind of chatter.   Such people are so fearful of this that they rigidly guard and examine every word that passes their lips lest it be “idle”. Like the Christian who was intent on always creating a “spiritual” impression in the place where he worked.   Sitting next to a fellow worker in the lunch room one day, he opened the conversation with “I perceive thou heat a pie for lunch”!   That little illustration is no more incongruous than much of the praying and prophesying which is very much a part of evangelical, pentecostal and charismatic churches today.

Let’s get this straight.   King James English is no more spiritual then the modern version!  Idle words are, in fact, those which are useless because they are not a true presentation of the speaker. Some of the lightest everyday conversation may be far less idle than some of the unreal, sanctimonious praying in which a good number of Christians indulge and which is idle because it is not a true presentation of the speaker.

When two lovers whisper “sweet nothings” into one another’s ears, they are not whispering idle words.   They may be considered so by someone else but to the lovers they are the verbalising of what is within and are of considerably more substance than if, during that tender time, they were to engage in a discussion on Comparative Theology or, if we wish to be secular, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity!   Our words are to openly show what we are.

Taking an oath

This then brings us back to the matter of taking an oath.   The point, of course, is if what you say is true and honest there is no need to back it up with an oath for it stands by itself.   If on the other hand, what you say is dishonest, then an oath will only increase the condemnation.   This goes beyond what we would understand as the obvious use of an obvious oath for it speaks of using God to back up the unreality which we are seeking to present and this can be a subtle thing.

How often do you hear people speaking freely about how God has spoken to them to do this or that?   There are times when this is indeed so but there are others, perhaps more numerous than we may think, when a lack of assurance or genuine conviction about the rightness of something is bolstered by seeking to convince ourselves and others, that “God told me to do it”.  The psychology of this approach is to put the matter beyond question. Therefore, that which appears apparently spiritual may only be a display of a person’s insecurity as a result of their dishonesty and unreality.

The "God" label

The label called “God” is so often wrongly put on things which people say and do.   They use it so that it will appear as if they really know what they are doing and so that people will not dare to question it.   I have to admit to having been  at times fooled by people who really sounded as if they knew where they were going and what they were doing.   They spoke with such conviction and the “God” label was stuck on all over.   I now find it necessary to take the approach that if a person comes to me telling me of something about which God has spoken to them, or into which he is directing them, the matter must stand by itself and look right of itself without the “God” label to pretty it up.

You see, if God is truly in it it will inevitably show.   I am sure that if the direct references to God were to be removed from the Bible narratives, it would still be abundantly obvious that he was involved.   As a matter of fact, he has given just such an example right in the Bible.   The book of Esther contains an exciting story.   It is so obvious that God was involved in, and directing the events described in that book, yet not once is there anything like a direct reference to him.

We are not to use God to cover up the inconsistencies in our lives and speech or to “spiritualise” the unreality and dishonesty of our lives.   Rather we are to display him by the quality of our lives and conversation.

If you lack conviction in something you are doing don’t drag God into it to try and bolster the situation and to impress others.   If you are unsure of yourself then using the name of Jesus (or yelling a little or a lot louder) as in prayer for the sick or the demon-possessed, will not make any real difference even if it sounds impressive.

If you are not sure of where you stand, do not try and use God to make it look better.   Some Christians go to great lengths to prove the existence of God to the unbeliever (are they betraying their own insecurity?).   But God does not bother!   It is an accomplished fact which is so sure it is debasing to seek to make a case for it. And he did not have to put brass plaques on every tree saying, “God made this”, or “Designed in heaven”!

Either God is in what you say and do or he is not. If he is it will stand whether or not you put the “God” label on it.   If God is in it, then the label will only confirm and clarify what is already there.

If, however, a person goes around displaying his “Jesus” lapel badge or bumper sticker and reading ten Bible chapters a day (most of them at the office during lunch hour so as to be a “witness”) and yet does not really have an intimate relationship with Jesus, he has taken from and not added to his spirituality and indeed has increased his condemnation in God’s eyes.

If you are unavoidably cut off from any copies of the Bible, and you were not able to even recall any Bible passages, would you be as secure in your walk with God as when you had a Bible?

Bible reading and Bible knowledge is no substitute for a right relationship with God.

Authority

Matthew 7:29 tells us

“For he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes”.

Jesus did not have to keep invoking some kind of an oath or using some kind of a spiritual crutch in seeking to convince himself or others, that he had authority  because he really did have it. He did not have authority because he exercised it  rather he exercised it because he had it.

He was so complete as he stood before the people and his words were so truly what God was saying, that his authority was obvious. Whereas the scribes has to keep proving their “spirituality” Jesus did not.   He came without the right credentials, and apparently without  any of the things that the religious leaders of the day considered necessary proofs of a “man of God”.   The one thing he did was to truly convey what he was and this had the stamp of God upon it.

If you know who you are, where you stand, and that you are speaking the truth, your authority will be obvious.

The kingdom of God is based on reality and our speech is so much a vehicle for conveying what we are, that we must learn to be people whose speech conveys only that which we really are.

If we are afraid to be known for what we are, it is not a cover up that is needed  but an inward change.

About the author

Tony Kostas was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1941, where at the age of seventeen, he committed his life to Jesus at a Billy Graham Crusade. In 1967 he founded the Melbourne Outreach Crusade, a non-denominational evangelistic outreach. This later grew into Outreach International, which is now a worldwide body of believers, who share a God-given calling and are committed to live in love with Him and with one another.

Tony’s life is a true expression of all that God has revealed to him throughout the years, in its purity and focus on loving God. His passion is for God to have the desire of His hears: a people who truly represent Him because they are His and His alone.