Due to the recent shootings in Washington, lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican are calling for a toning down of the rhetoric. What is implied is that people making speeches that lead to violence need to turn down the heat some. There is an attempt to place blame on individuals or groups that continually spew out hatred. The Word of God is the standard by which Christians live. Even though that is the case those who are not Christians can learn from Biblical principles laid down by God.
Think back to how God tried to regulate the heart and soul of Israel. He gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. One of which was, “thou shalt not bear false witness” (Ex. 20:16). What civilized society could not benefit from such a rule? What about the issue of committing murder (verse 13)? These and similar laws gave the Israelite people an advantage over all other nations. What is the real point? Is it just “words” that people spew out of their mouth that is the cause of violence? Did not God make the wisdom of this world foolishness (I Cor. 1:20). Men place the blame everywhere but where it belongs.
Here is where the Lord places the blame. The things that come out of the mouth proceed from the heart (Matt. 15:18). Why call on men to not use bad and vulgar words and never address the hearts of men from which the bad and vulgar words come? I have seen college students protesting, destroying property and burning things but I do not hear their reasoning for their actions. You see it is easy to scream and holler out words while wearing masks and this somehow places you among “wise people”. God goes beyond the “masks” and gets to the heart of the problem.
Jesus said there were those who drew near to God with their mouth and honored him with their lips but their heart was far away from God (Matt. 15:8). What caused this separation from God? According to verse 9 of Matthew 15, men were teaching for their doctrines the commandments of men. Is that not saying, wisdom of men against the wisdom of God? It is not therefore a matter of clearing up one’s language but rather clearing up the hearts that should belong to God. Children born into our world do not come here hating or loving. It is something that they are taught by the ones they come in contact with. Bad friends can influence us to think and act in a wrong way (I Cor. 15:33).
Whoever hates his brother is a murderer (I John 3:15). Let us take it back a step further and speak about what leads to hatred itself? The Christian under the rule of Christ is not allowed to be bitter against his wife (Col. 3:19). If such is true in marriage, which it is, would it not also apply to hearts in general? If bitterness is allowed to stay, it will entwine itself around our reasoning about the will of Christ. The parable of the Sower explains the hearts defined by falling among the thorns (Luke 8:14). The one among the thorns is the one in which the Word is choked out. We are to be on guard less any root of bitterness spring up and trouble us (Heb. 12:15).
The people of the world take no “ownership” either of their words or of the content of their lives. A person going through the fields of education and on to higher education are taught that evolution is a fact. The kind of evolution I am speaking of is the kind where a snake turns into a bird. If one chooses to believe such foolishness, they do so at the expense of rejecting the knowledge of God (Rom. 1:28). It is wrong to use bad and vulgar words but it is even a greater wrong to not check out the source of such words that is the heart that should belong to God.