The Christian's Use of Inflammatory Language

Introduction

Behind the use of some Christians' inflammatory language, I believe, is a growing anger at today's reign of evil. Many Christian men feel as though they've been backed into a corner – socially and politically – and they feel desperate to fight back. Some of us are sick and tired of being ruled by the feminist priests of secularism, damned by politically-correct speech laws, and forced into the mold of a "woke" society.

It must be understood that strong and inflammatory speech is not automatically sinful. A statement can be offensive, provocative, and entirely righteous and appropriate. The issue of strong speech, however, is complicated by the current extreme of emotionalism. Here’s what I mean: Jim, a Christian, posts something with strong language on social media condemning “Pride month.” Jill feels offended because it’s “mean.” Jill and her counterparts (both Christian and non-Christian) call Jim names in response – “bigot,” “deplorable,” and “disgusting” – and they demand Jim take down his post. Others, who were formerly in the middle but are gravitating toward the attention, now join in pressuring Jim to take down his post because it’s “mean” and “not speaking the truth in love.” Jim will not acquiesce to the pressure because to do so, he believes, would be to compromise the underlying truth of his original post.

Sadly, this scenario plays out daily. Even more difficult is that the issue is usually not so black and white because sin and righteousness have been entangled throughout the controversy. The greater questions that need answering are not “Is my speech offensive?” but “Is my speech sinful?” If Jim had sinfully condemned homosexuality by using abusive and belittling speech, his righteous condemnation of the sin of homosexuality would have been overshadowed; furthermore, he would be guilty of not restraining his anger and sinfully lashing out instead.

To be sure, there is a righteous indignation all Christians should feel at the celebration of homosexuality, the accepted norm of murdering babies, the utter rejection of God's decree for marriage, the growing involvement in paganism, etc. If you profess to know Christ but have no hatred for the wickedness that God hates, you have reason to examine whether your profession is genuine. (Consider Jude 22-23: "And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh." Notice quickly that true Christians love to show mercy, but they hate all hints of sin without compromise.)

When confronting the false teachers and apostasy in his day, Jude writes: "Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (v. 3, emphasis mine). Take note: Jude felt the need to set aside writing about their common, uniting bonds of salvation in order to urge the believers to fight for the faith.

That exchange sounds un-Christian to some. With a wagging finger, some might accuse Jude of losing gospel centrality. "You set aside talking about the love and grace of Jesus in order to urge the church to defend and fight? How dare you!" Yet this is holy Scripture and clearly the implication is that Jude was not setting aside the gospel to write about something else. In other words, the circumstances demanded that Jude address the necessity of contending for the faith, a circumstance that demanded defending the gospel against false teachers.

Thus, we would do well to ask, "What does it look like to contend without compromise? What does it look like to contend while maintaining moral integrity?”

Therefore, I have two objectives here: to persuade Christians to engage in contending for the faith, and to help us understand how we are to contend without sinning. In other words, Christians must not compromise the truth, but neither may they compromise Christian character in defending it.

Contend for the Faith

Continuing in Jude, the author calls the church to know the truth, to condemn evil men, and to hold fast to the truth - and that the church must contend for the truth; there is no sitting this one out.

Know the Truth

"Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe" (v. 5). Jude reminds the believers of what they already know: that Jesus saves sinners, but will by no means clear the guilty. Specifically, Jude reminds believers that the same Lord who delivered Israel from Egypt also judged those who subsequently refused to believe. God's saving mercy must never be separated from his righteous judgment.

As in every age, believers must remember that the Lord has always ruled over all things and always will. He is holy, and he has promised to destroy this world by fire because of unrepentant sin (see 2 Peter 3). Believers must be unwilling to compromise the truth to fit liberalism, for such people "afterward [were] destroyed [because] they did not believe."

Condemn Evil Men

"Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion" (v. 11). This language probably was offensive to some, yet Jude’s language is clear: heaven's curse ("Woe") is on all those who walk in jealousy and murder, error, and rebellion. Furthermore, Jude has false teachers in mind when he writes, "Woe to them." Many times it does no good to speak in generalities.

A major part of contending for the faith is to be able to identify the enemy. The enemy is, of course, ultimately the Adversary himself, yet he has a following who are his willing and eager servants. These are the rebellious, and the ones who seek their own gain by laying aside the truth of God for lies that the itching ears of the mob are eager to hear. Such wicked individuals are condemned by God. Specifically, Jude has in mind the false teachers of his day. Nevertheless, the same fundamental rebellion against God is evident wherever his holiness is denied, man's sinfulness is minimized, and Christ's atoning work is rejected.

The apostle John writes, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God" (John 3:18). Truly, any who refuse Christ are condemned. It is by nature that all of us are condemned. If we were to do nothing from birth, we would all be condemned men. To acknowledge this verbally is not sinful or harsh; it is truth. Therefore, we are not the one’s sitting in judgment over evil men; we are only the messengers, rebuking in all good faith the wicked of this present age, and urging them to flee to Christ for salvation.

Hold Fast

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life" (vv. 20-21). Believers must never leave the love of God found in Christ alone. Likewise, there is no friendship between the Lord Jesus and the Adversary; there is no joining the pure bride of Christ with the whore of apostasy and sin.

Man of God, we must be willing to suffer accusations of hate, bigotry, and disgust in our contending on the side of truth. For instance, we ought to say with gusto and the high approval of heaven: "Abortion is murder, most definitely. Those who murder their children are liable to damnation unless they repent. There is only One Savior who has the power to forgive." These truths must be told, even if they offend.

Contend Without Sinning

When we answer the call to contend boldly for the faith, we must remember that our Heavenly Commander-in-Chief has commanded rules to govern our engagement.

Colorful Language

Jude writes, "But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively" (v. 10). Was this not colorful language employed by Jude? Or take, for instance, the apostle Paul's admonishing of the Cretans: "One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, 'Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.' This testimony is true" (Titus 1:12-13). And consider also Stephen's colorful rebuke given to the Jews who crucified our Lord: "'You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you'" (Acts 7:51). Finally, what about Jesus, who said, "Woe to you, blind guides... You blind fools! ... hypocrites!" (Matthew 23).

The questions must be asked: Why? Why is such forceful language necessary? Does this contradict other passages that say, "Speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15)? Is calling the ungodly "crazy," "psycho," or "retarded" justified?

I will answer these examples and questions in numerical order:

1. Jude is not calling the apostates "unreasoning animals," but he is drawing the parallels between people, who have the ability to reason, with the animals, who do not. If unreasoning animals know by nature certain things to be true, then these wicked people are guilty not of being deficient in knowledge, but of being rebellious in spirit, as Paul illustrates in Romans 1:18-23. Drawing such comparisons can be helpful in pointing others to the cross in repentance and faith.

2. When Paul exhorts Titus to correct the behavior of the Cretans, his aim is to encourage Titus that what he sees and hears about the Cretans is, indeed, true. He can be confident in rebuking them not to be liars, evil and beastly, and lazy and covetous because this is not the way of Christ. Indulging the flesh is the opposite of obedience to God. We can take this principle into our world today, calling cultural sins what they are with confidence.

3. Stephen's strong language is perhaps some of the most offensive. Notice that he calls Jews "uncircumcised in heart and ears." A Jew's circumcision meant everything to him; it was what set him apart from the world around him. Stephen is greatly insulting these unbelieving Jews, and he is martyred for it. Was Stephen justified in saying these things? We can be sure of two things: 1) not everything in Scripture is a model for us to follow, and 2) Stephen’s language is more than colorful language; it is prophetic denunciation of the Jewish system which rejected the Christ. Therefore, we can model our truth-telling after Stephen’s appropriately, telling the truth directly in the appropriate context.

4. Jesus is perfect and sinless; therefore, his words are rightly directed. At Christ's coming, the Jewish system concluded in judgment. The tutor was no longer needed; the Son had come. Jesus speaks rightful judgment on the Jewish establishment of his day. Not only so, but Jesus will himself judge the entire world someday with the flaming sword of his mouth. Jesus is altogether different. Think of how restrained Christ was in his speech! He will someday destroy the wicked with the sword of his mouth, yet the Pharisees were not destroyed by his speech on that day. Likewise, we need to exercise restraint in our speech.

5. Ephesians 4:15 appears in the context of the church's spiritual growth and unity. Its immediate application concerns the church's relationships with one another. Nevertheless, the principle of speaking truthfully and lovingly is not restricted to our relationships within the church. Christians must speak truthfully and lovingly to all men, even when confronting their sin. This doesn’t mean, however, that all people will receive our truthful and loving speech in like manner.

6. If we are called to imitate our Lord in being “slow to anger,” then we are to be restrained in our speech and conduct even when confronted with wickedness and sin (James 1:19). Therefore, restraint would urge us to use words like “crazy” very carefully. There is a time and place for most words under heaven; however, we must exercise wisdom and restraint when using them to communicate truth. Arrogant name-calling is not justified under heaven’s rules of engagement.

Wisdom from Matthew Henry

In his exposition on meekness, the Puritan pastor Matthew Henry writes extensively on the subject of our speech.

[M]eekness controls the tongue and "keeps the mouth as a bridle" when the heart is stirred (Psalm 39:1). Even when sharp rebuke is necessary, as when Titus was instructed to "rebuke sharply" (Titus 1:13), meekness forbids harshness, fury, or indecent language. Anything that sounds like clamor  or evil-speaking is avoided. Moses' meekness faltered when he angrily called the Israelites "rebels," for which he was barred from entering Canaan, even though they were indeed rebellious and provoking at the time (Numbers 20:10-12).

In moments of passion, people often resort to insulting language, name-calling, and even blasphemy. Some vent their anger by cursing their animals, servants, or anything that frustrates them, swearing in the process. Men in a fit of passion often reveal secrets, make rash vows and decisions that later become a trap, and sometimes slander or falsely accuse their brethren, essentially doing the devil's work. They say things in their haste about others, as in Psalm 116:11, which they later regret. (Note: Psalm 116:11 says, "I said in my alarm, 'All mankind are liars.')

Consider how irrationally Saul, in his anger, insulted his own son, the heir to the throne, by calling him the "son of a perverse, rebellious woman!" In the same way Jesus points out that calling someone "Raca" or "Thou fool" breaks the law of the sixth commandment. The anger in the heart doesn't excuse these harmful words, as is often claimed, but rather fuels their malignancy. These harsh words are the smoke from the fire of anger, the bitterness that springs from a toxic root.

For every "idle word" spoken, we must give an account on the day of judgment - how much more so for such wicked words as these. Just as it is an offense against God to take a life, so is it to curse or speak evil of those made in his image, even if they are much our inferiors. To curse them - whether through speaking ill or wishing harm - is a reflection upon God himself.

Meekness acts as a remedy for the harmful tendencies of the tongue, making it a "law of kindness" (Proverbs 31:26). Like a ship's rudder (James 3:4), meekness doesn't silence the tongue but guides it, especially when emotions are high. If we feel anger rising or evil thoughts forming, meekness places a hand over the mouth, as Proverbs 30:32 advises, preventing those thoughts from turning into harmful words against God or others.

Meekness enables us to argue a point calmly, offer correction without insult, and show someone their folly without calling them a fool. It teaches those in authority to "refrain from threats" (Ephesians 6:9) or moderate them wisely. Meekness also watches carefully to prevent any "root of bitterness" from growing, which would cause trouble and defile many (Hebrews 12:15).

These are timely words for us to consider. Even while contending is commanded, we must embrace the way of the cross in our contending. We must not fight the way the world fights, but with the weaponry of the Spirit which is always contrary to the flesh. Like a good soldier fighting a worthy battle, we must keep close watch on how we are holding our weapons; we must be sure to deploy our weapons with purposeful intent; and we must keep our senses clear and clean so we can fight effectively. We must not be like lazy and rebellious soldiers who are not governable or self-controlled, and who refuse to take orders.

A Brief Word on Ephesians 4:26-27

The apostle Paul gives us a command and a timely warning in Ephesians 4:26-27: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”

There are some who need to hear the command “be angry.” Even our Lord God is angry. He is aware of the injustice and sinfulness of man, and he hates it. “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him…” (Proverbs 6:16). If we do not hate wickedness, then we are not in the Lord’s will. It is not a justification for your apathy to say, “I’m not angry, so I’m not sinning. I’m innocent here.” It may well be that your indifference is your sin.

There are some who need to hear the command “[in your anger] do not sin.” You will find no justification in God’s court for flying off the handle in response to wickedness. By losing your temper and responding with hatred because of sin, you are guilty of sinning yourself. In the Greek, to “not let the sun go down on your anger” refers to anger being the hot temper, the passionate anger, which we are not to let simmer. This would provide the devil an opportunity to tempt us with division, hatred, bitterness, and vengeance. Instead, we are to practice restraint.

On the other hand, the slow anger we should feel toward sin is the restraining power of God over our anger, driving us to righteous speech and action. There is a difference between uncontrolled anger that produces sinful speech and conduct and righteous indignation directed toward actual evil. We must also guard against personal resentment arising from wounded pride.

In a world governed by immediate social media posts, restraint may well be harder than ever to master, yet it is one of our chief rules of engagement in contending for the faith.

Finally, we must be very guarded against anger, for sin creeps closely by. As the Lord told Cain, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7).

My Final Word

What is underlying our speech is either righteousness, sinfulness, or a mixture of both. Specifically, we must guard against our tendency to unrighteous anger in our speech and conduct. Jesus said that if we have anger in our hearts toward anyone, we are guilty of sin (Matthew 5). While we are to hate that which is wicked, we are to love that which is good.

Moreover, while speech may be provocative, offensive, and even inflammatory, that does not make it immediately sinful. What makes speech sinful is not merely whether the words are provocative or offensive, but whether they proceed from a sinful heart, communicate something unrighteous, or violate the biblical requirements for speech that edifies and gives grace to those who hear. When Jesus says that if you call someone “Thou fool!” you will be guilty of hell-fire, Jesus means that the one who arrogantly and self-righteously condemns another is guilty of sin. The call is for us to avoid at all costs such haughty speech. Inflammatory and offensive words are not necessarily sinful, but they could be.

Therefore, let us neither compromise the truth to preserve the approval of men nor compromise our integrity in the name of defending the truth. We can fall off the horse on both sides of the saddle, so let us keep to the middle.

As for the wicked – the ungodly, the sexually immoral, the money-hungry, the unjust, the arrogant, the rebellious, the disobedient, the ones who use the Lord's name as a curse word – let it be clearly told that all shall perish outside of Christ. Flee to Christ, therefore, and live!