5 Things Christians Should Stop Saying
Jesus said,
“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36–37 | ESV)
What we say and the things we talk about are extremely important to God. In this article, we’ll explore five things Christians should stop saying, backed by Scripture.
A topic like this might step on some toes. But please know that I have stomped all over my own first! So please don’t get offended. I know that these are things that many of us struggle with and want to improve on.
#1 “OMG” and All Derivatives
In the Old Covenant, the people of Israel were taught to treat the name of God with respect:
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7 | ESV)
And Jesus taught his disciples to pray like this:
“‘Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”’” (Matthew 6:9 | ESV)
The word “hallowed” is defined by Merriam-Webster as (1) “holy, consecrated,” and (2) “sacred, revered.”
All over the world there are people who can’t speak English and yet can say “Oh My God.” As Christians, we are called to be in the world but not of the world (John 17:14-15). We are not to be conformed to this world but are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
So let’s not treat our God as commonplace. Even if you don’t see anything wrong with saying “OMG,” what message is it sending to the people around you? Most people know that we should not degrade God, even if they are not religious themselves. When we talk like this, we are both saying that we don’t take God seriously and are being offensive to our brothers and sisters.
#2 “Good Luck,” “Bad Luck,” “Knock on Wood,” “Crossing My Fingers,” “Jinx,” etc.
When someone has a job interview we might say, “Good luck!” When someone has had several bad things happen to them they will say something like, “I’ve just been having a string of bad luck.” This saying absolves us of responsibility and puts us in a victim mentality. Could it instead be that we have made a string of unwise decisions?
Throughout the Bible, we are instructed to walk wisely. In Ephesians 5, Paul has been encouraging Christians on how to live. To not be deceived and to not take part in the unfruitful deeds of darkness. Then he says,
"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:15–17 | ESV)
Other verses echo this idea:
“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” (Colossians 4:5 | ESV)
“The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” (Proverbs 27:12 | ESV)
If I don’t check the oil on my car and it breaks down on the way to a job interview, is that bad luck? If I don’t clear the trees away from my house and it burns down in a forest fire, is that bad luck? No. Those things would have happened because I saw the danger and yet didn’t take action.
Or perhaps something good didn’t happen because it wasn’t the Lord’s will.
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” (James 4:13–16 | ESV)
As Christians, we don’t rely on superstitions. We don’t need to rely on luck, knocking on wood, or crossing our fingers. Instead, we could say things like:
“I hope you get the job.”
“You’ll do great!”
“I’m pretty confident you’ll do well.”
“Let me know how it goes.”
“I’m rooting for you.”
“I’ll be praying for you” (Only say this if you are actually going to be praying for them!).
We believe in an all-powerful God, not superstitions. We need to walk in wisdom and analyze each situation to the best of our ability as we trust in God.
#3 Cussing, Foul Language, Cursing, 4-Letter Words, Vulgarity, Obscenity, etc.
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.“ (Ephesians 4:29 | ESV)
“Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak].” (Ephesians 4:29 | AMP)
From this verse, we can clearly see that Christians should not be cussing; we should not be using words that are foul, profane, worthless, or vulgar.
This kind of language is offensive to most people. God says,
“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:6 | ESV)
Even the world knows that we shouldn’t speak like this. That’s why we have ratings for movies and TV shows for foul language, and why some songs have two versions: an explicit one and a non-explicit one that can be played on the radio.
I know many new Christians struggle with this. It has been a part of your life for so long that it’s become a habit and you don’t even think about it.
Here is an exercise that can help us examine our speech,
If you are young, “Would I want my grandma to hear me talk like this?”
If you are older, “Would I want my grandkids to talk like this or listen to others talk like this?”
If the answer is no, then we probably shouldn’t be saying it.
#4 Gossip
We often disguise gossip as “processing”, “thinking out loud”, or “venting.” We might say, “I don’t want to gossip but…” or “I don’t know if this is gossip or not, but…”
“A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.” (Proverbs 16:28 | ESV)
The truth is, eople who are given to gossiping or spreading rumors are going to divide people! Proverbs says that there are seven things that the Lord hates, and the last one is “one who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:19 | ESV).
“For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.” (Proverbs 26:20 | ESV)
Gossips and whisperers keep problems alive by talking about them, by bringing up old wounds. Has there ever been a problem in your family or in your church that has been dealt with, but someone keeps bringing it up over and over again, telling new people about it? People can never truly heal because of gossips and whisperers.
This is how God feels about gossips:
“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:28–32 | ESV)
If we are prone to gossip, we keep company with some of the worst people in the world. I know that gossiping often doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it is a very big deal to God.
So, if you are not sure it something is gossip, just ask the person whom you are going to talk about if it is ok their info with other people.
#5 Saying Things We Don’t Mean and Breaking Promises
“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (Matthew 5:36–37 | ESV)
“It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.” (Ecclesiastes 5:5 | ESV)
“It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,” and to reflect only after making vows.” (Proverbs 20:25 | ESV)
We often fall into breaking our promises. Sometimes it might be as simple as saying “I’ll pray for you,” or “I’ll be there,” but not doing so. Other times breaking our promises may have major obvious consequences, like when we break our marriage covenants or don’t pay our debts.
We want to make people happy so we agree to things that we know we shouldn’t. We overextend ourselves and end up having to break one vow to keep another. This is not wise!
“It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,” and to reflect only after making vows.” (Proverbs 20:25 | ESV)
Trust is very rare in the world today, but it is something that should separate us from unbelievers. If you are a Christian, then people should know that they can trust you because you keep your word.
Tips for Breaking These Habits
Much of what we have talked about is leftover baggage from when we were in the world. Here are a few tips that might be helpful as you try and break these habits:
1. Limit your exposure
The less you hear them, the less you will say them.
"Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33 | ESV)
Of course, we can’t isolate ourselves from people but we can do things to limit our exposure. We can stop hanging out with people we know are a bad influence, and we can filter the entertainment we consume with products like VidAngel.
2. Replace the bad with good
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8 | ESV)
3. Get Accountability
Ask someone you trust to help you keep your speech holy. But don’t get mad when they do what you asked them to do!
I hope you found this article helpful. What are some other ways we as Christians need to adjust our speech to better glorify God? Let me know in the comments!
