And we intuitively know the Son of God has come and He gave to us a working of the mind in order that we should experientially know the truth and we are in the truth, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the truth of God and the eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols, Amen.
What comes out of our mouth matters. It is not just about foul language, but any words that are rotten. Especially in today society the value of true, honest, and good words that are intended to build up and meet the need are of great value because what we listen to every day coming out of the mouths of our social medias, leaders, and news organizations is rotten. Words can help or words can hurt. Words can convey the truth or communicate lies. How we say things is really more important than a lot of times we realize. Rotten words are words that are likened to rotten fruit, they negatively impact everything they are around. These are not limited to foul language, but any word that seeks to corrupt. We often refer to this type of speech today as politically correct. Satan will take advantage of any situation to tempt a saint to use words that are rotten. Do we really want to give a place for the devil in our lives?
Stop letting every rotten word proceed out from your mouth, but what is good (beneficial) towards building up the need in order to give grace to the listener. – Ephesians 4:29
The way we should speak is with grace. Since grace is an attitude whereby we give a benefit without consideration of merit, we do not respond in kind to a person in the way we speak. Rather, we speak in a manner that reflects who we are in Christ, regardless of whether or not they deserve it.
Your words always in grace, seasoned with salt, to know how it is necessary to answer each one. – Colossians 4:6
Be slow to speak, […]
Among the saints, holding each other accountable for our actions is important. We are one body and when one part suffers, we all suffer. When you wrong one of the members, you wrong them all. Unfortunately, in this day and age of the Laodicean church which only serves God in name, many will not take this act of love and just move to another assembly that will not hold them accountable. However, for those who do accept the correction and repent (change their mind), we, as an assembly, need to be gracious to them.
In the first letter to the assembly in Corinth, Paul had to deal with a situation where the church was boasting about allowing one within their members that was doing something so heinous that even the Gentiles would not do – and that is setting the bar really low.
Actually, it is heard among you a fornicator and such a fornicator that would not even be named among the Gentiles, so that someone to have the wife of the father – 1 Corinthians 5:1
Paul rebukes that assembly for not dealing with this situation properly and even boasting about it.
And you are high-minded and not rather mourn in order that he should be taken out from your midst, the one doing this work – 1 Corinthians 5:2
Having followed Paul’s instructions and rebuking this one and not permitting him to assemble with them anymore, after this one repented – that is truly change the mind and therefore ceased the sin, they refused to allow him back. Paul then addresses this issue in the second letter to the assembly.
This punishment to such a one was sufficient, which [punishment] was by […]
