“Every word of
God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to
His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.” Proverbs 30:5
– 6.
What does it
mean that, “Every word of God is tested”? If every one of God’s words is
tested, indeed, if the Word of God is tested, then why?
What would we
think if every word of ours was tested? Would every one of our words pass the
test of truthfulness, reliability, and of good character and loving and just
and holy motive? Would we be willing to submit everyone of our words to a test?
To be sure,
whether we are willing or not, the decision whether to submit our words to a
test is not ours to make, it has already been made, for Jesus says that “…every
careless word that people speak, 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).
This should not
surprise us, for we also read in Matthew 12:33 – 35, “Either make the tree good
and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is
known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak of what
is good? For the mouth speaks out of that 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.”
Even a cursory
review of Proverbs demonstrates the importance that God attaches to our words,
for the subject of the tongue and our words appears on every page; but, of
course, probably the most well-known Biblical passage on our words and the
tongue is James Chapter 3, a chapter (if you will pardon the unintentional pun)
we tend to give lip service to rather than obedience. Let’s consider how James
concludes this section:
“Who among you
is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the
gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in
your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not
that which comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every
evil thing.
“But the wisdom
from above is first pure, then peacable, gentle, willing to yield, full of
mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit
is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James
3:13 – 18).
I don’t think
most of us believe the above. Before I say anymore, I will share that our merciful
God has convicted me many times about my words, both of what I have said and
the way I have said them; more often than not, I have been convicted of the
latter – for I know what it is to be sarcastic and cutting and biting. Another
passage, much in line with James Chapter 3, is 2 Timothy 2:24 – 26, and I will
say that God has convicted me of this passage countless times. When the Holy
Spirit speaks to me from these passages, I not only confess and repent of what
I have said and done, but I also ask God to show me what is in my heart that
caused these things to come out – and to purify my heart; for as Jesus says, our
words are expressions of our hearts. We have no excuses, our hearts must be
purified so that our words will be pure and Christ will be glorified.
What amazes me
is how professing Christians can profess to believe the Bible and yet engage in
the demonic behavior described in James without a second thought. We see this
particularly in the political realm. We play the role of the devil when we
speak of those with whom we disagree, and yet we justify the actions and
language of those we approve of even when they mirror the demonic behavior of
James 3, not to mention other sections of the Bible. We become like those we
politically worship, just as ancient Israel became like the idols they
worshipped. We rationalize away our behavior rather than repent of it, and in
so doing cause this evil to grow deeper in our hearts and minds and souls.
We should also
be aware that the words and images that we allow into God’s temple, both our
individual temples and the Temple, matter, for those words and images take up
abode in our souls. This brings into view not only the political world, but all
of life – education, medicine, entertainment, sports, civil organizations, and
the religious world.
But having our
words tested goes beyond James 3, for it also has to do with the quality of our
words, of whether our words glorify our Lord Jesus Christ, whether they are
rooted and grounded in Him. This is one reason why knowing the Bible is
critical for the Christian, for the Bible shapes our minds and souls, it
cultivates our hearts, it teaches us how to think and meditate, it gives us
frameworks through which to view situations, it washes our minds and cleanses
our hearts, it renews our souls and spirits, it raises us above the dirt of the
world-system and brings us into the Light of Jesus Christ.
O dear friends,
we are called to be witnesses to Jesus Christ and the Gospel, not to political
or economic agendas. Are we speaking to people about Jesus Christ as a way of
life? Is this the way we are living? Are we praying with people? Who have we
prayed with within the past month within our congregations? Have we prayed with
strangers lately? Have we listened to strangers to understand how to better
pray for them?
How are we
actually living?
Are we quick to
speak of political or economic or social issues…but slow to speak of Jesus?
Am I?
Are you?
Make no mistake,
our words will be tested.
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