Wednesday, August 17, 2005

To Blog Or Not to Blog #6

8/17/2005 01:48:00 PM 2 comments

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

- Ephesians 4:29

2 comments:

Good grief! This passage is so challenging to a thinking believer. I often wondered just what this would look like if we all really did this. I wonder if this means only speaking things that are useful and helpful, or if it's more along the lines of not saying things that are unwholesome. Finding out more about what "unwholesome" means in the original text would probably be helpful. Either way, it's clear that we're supposed to be intentional in our relationships - thinking before we speak - and choosing to speak things that edify/encourage others' relationship with Christ (whether saved or unsaved) according to their needs.

The word for “unwholesome” talk is "sapros." It means "rotten." It’s used in ancient Greek to talk about fruit that’s gone bad and fish that stink. This means stinky words: lies, gossip, slander, meanness, cruel and crude jokes–-words that are rotten--anything that doesn't build-up!

The ladies over at the Girl Talk Blog (Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters), have recently been talking about our speech. They include a link to a recent sermon on Ephesians 4:29 by Carolyn's husband, C.J.

Highly recommended!

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