Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. (Ephesians 5:4)
I checked my Greek Interlinear and a concordance for the definitions of the words here. The word the NIV translates as obscenity is also translated as baseness or obscenity. The word translated as foolish talk is only translated as foolish talk. The word translated as coarse joking is also translated as raillery, coarse joking, and vulgar joking. Raillery is defined as good natured teasing. I’m sure I also saw it translated as coarse jesting, but now I don’t find it.
James wrote about how dangerous the tongue is. Peter warned about keeping out tongues from evil. Paul admonished that our words should be seasoned, as it were, with salt (and there’s no evidence that his “salty speech” and what they call “salty speech” today have any positive relation.) The book of Proverbs is full of advice on how we should speak. The way we talk, it would seem, matters greatly to God.
Our hearts come out of our mouths. People like to say, “I was just kidding!” They also like to say that the words someone else finds objectionable have no meaning other than what the person who finds them objectionable gives them, so if they are offensive, it is the fault of the offended party. Of course, that only happens until they are offended.
I’m not going to tell you what words you should or shouldn’t say. That is the way of political correctness. Instead, I’ll only suggest that you and I both consider what we say, especially when we are trying to be funny.
James wrote about how dangerous the tongue is. Peter warned about keeping out tongues from evil. Paul admonished that our words should be seasoned, as it were, with salt (and there’s no evidence that his “salty speech” and what they call “salty speech” today have any positive relation.) The book of Proverbs is full of advice on how we should speak. The way we talk, it would seem, matters greatly to God.
Our hearts come out of our mouths. People like to say, “I was just kidding!” They also like to say that the words someone else finds objectionable have no meaning other than what the person who finds them objectionable gives them, so if they are offensive, it is the fault of the offended party. Of course, that only happens until they are offended.
I’m not going to tell you what words you should or shouldn’t say. That is the way of political correctness. Instead, I’ll only suggest that you and I both consider what we say, especially when we are trying to be funny.
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