For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
By one's own words one will be acquitted in the final judgment, and by one's words condemned, with words together with actions serving as evidence according to obedience or disobedience to God's law. Even every idle, vain, frivolous and unprofitable word that does not concern eternal things must be accounted for in the day of judgment. Words reveal what is in the heart, for the connection between heart and mouth is intimate, and words are the index and test of character and spiritual condition. Every word is heard and faithfully recorded with exactness in heaven's books together with its motives, spirit and results, to be reviewed when the books are opened. Words recorded against a person can be washed away by Christ's blood through true contrition, repentance and conversion, but after death there is no time to straighten what is crooked.
Setting and Solemn Warning
The saying was uttered after the healing of the possessed man who was blind and dumb, when the Pharisees charged that the work was done by Satan, and that charge condemns them because by attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan they cut themselves off from the fountain of blessing. Words spoken against Jesus Himself without discerning His divine character can still be forgiven, for through the Holy Spirit the speaker can be brought to see the error and repent. Whatever the sin, if the soul repents and believes the guilt is washed away in the blood of Christ. But to wilfully reject the work of the Holy Spirit and declare it to be from Satan cuts off the channel by which God works upon the heart and communicates with the soul, placing the speaker where repentance and faith cannot come. When the Spirit is finally rejected there is no more that God can do for the soul.
It was spoken to evil men whose speech exerted a deadly, poisoning influence through false teaching that exalted manufactured precepts, traditions, and man-made commandments above the law of God. It belongs to Christ's denunciation of people whose words and conduct reveal opposition to truth, and to His warning about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The same spirit appears as soon as a person separates from God so that the heart is no longer under the subduing power of the Holy Spirit, for then Satan's attributes are revealed in oppressing fellow men with an influence contrary to truth and justice and righteousness. This is manifested among workers toward one another and in the desire of one institution to control all others, by men entrusted with weighty responsibilities who have no living connection with God. Those who so resist God and oppress others while displaying Satan's spirit are doing despite to the Holy Spirit in the very same spirit as Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and as the Jews in the days of Christ, and those who cast aside God's warnings coming again and again and venture on in the same course come under its condemnation.
It also rebukes religious contention in which self seeks supremacy over matters treated as vital though they are not vital in themselves. This includes controversy over points that do not involve a vital question, requiring yielding instead of contention. It forbids firm, determined, stubborn contention from a naturally unyielding disposition and stubborn, unyielding insistence on one's own way, calling instead for a heart softened by the love of God and constrained by the love of Christ.
Heart Revealed by Words
Words disclose what is stored inside, because the tie between the heart and the mouth is very close and intimate. They are the index and test of character and of spiritual condition, bearing witness to whether the heart is good or evil, and by the nature of the conversation character may be estimated with almost certain accuracy. What is spoken will testify for or against the speaker in the day of judgment, bringing justification or condemnation, so that account must be given even for every idle word. Vulgar and poorly chosen speech dishonors God and injures influence over children and others, while impetuous or querulous speech wounds others and harms the speaker's own soul, and words of doubt and discouragement take root in hearers to yield a bitter harvest. Those who handle sacred things therefore need converting power, patience with the perversities and errors of others as God has been patient, love cultivated instead of hatred, and freedom from a harsh, unforgiving, relentless spirit that drives souls from Christ and breaks their hold on faith and hope.
Good words come from a good treasure laid up within, from a heart purified and refined for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit where Christ abides, bringing forth purity, beauty, meekness, love, and sacrifice of the tongue to the glory of God. Evil words come from an evil treasure where Satan rules, echoing the sentiments of the enemy and spreading doubt and darkness. There is no middle ground, for the heart is either given to God for purification and sanctification or left exposed to temptation, and it is revealed by whether Jesus Christ or Satan is abiding within. Outwardly righteous speech that merely covers an unchanged heart is worthless, while genuine goodness appears in valuable, helpful speech governed by kindness and love, and where speech cannot help, silence is better. Sound, truthful words have the right ring whether a person talks much or little, for they express the character of the thoughts, in contrast to jesting, joking, and cheap conversation which mark a defiled heart needing cleansing.
Words do not only evidence the heart but turn back upon it and shape character and belief. Thoughts produce words and words react upon thoughts, controlling mind, soul, body, and will. Uttering words strengthens the feelings that prompted them and brings the speaker under their power, so that hasty passionate words warp judgment. By repetition words can create feelings and beliefs, sow lasting distrust, poison the hearts of listeners, and continue their consequences beyond the speaker's life, and the impulsively speaking person can be deceived into believing his own utterances and proudly clinging to them. Careless criticism, slander, jealousy, evil surmising, exaggerated and irreverent speech both reveal and further form the heart, harming speaker and hearers, and when divine light is carelessly criticized irreverence and unbelief are fostered. For this reason the mysterious influence constantly exerted through the lips must be watched, doubt and discouragement never uttered, and faith talked in order to have faith, lest seed of discouragement and unbelief be sown in speaker and hearers to produce its harvest.
Jesus reads the hearts, minds, and thoughts of all, hears every word uttered even in secret, sees every action, and as a present Witness traces every word spoken and every act performed, whether good or evil. He knows the thoughts that lie beneath a person's words, so that a transformed heart becomes evident in both words and deeds. Thoughts, actions, and speech are open to the inspection of God and the holy angels, who mark words that stir up hatred and strife or repeatedly publicize another's wrongs, leaving the heart without peace and blessing when such matters fill conversation. God, Jesus, and the angels hear words spoken in anger, passion, or disrespect, which grieve Christ, shame and harm the speaker, and become stumbling blocks to others. Christ also marks how words affect the souls of hearers, including a person's wife and children. Clean, pure, simple, elevated, cheerful yet sober words in harmony with faith justify, while low, cheap, degrading, silly, foolish talking, jesting, and joking that injure spirituality and the happiness of others condemn.
Judgment by Words
By their own words people will be acquitted in the final judgment, and by their own words condemned, for words together with actions will stand as evidence in that day and the sentence will turn on obedience or disobedience to God's law. Reckless speech shows disregard for Christ's instruction, and the plain truths of God will condemn those who refuse to heed them. Those who handle sacred things therefore need converting power, patience with the errors of others as God has been patient with them, love rather than hatred, and freedom from a harsh, unforgiving spirit that drives souls from Christ and breaks their hold on faith and hope. Careful, gracious speech helps form Christian character and blesses others, while hasty, impetuous words stir strife and will be regretted when faced in the judgment.
Even every idle word must be answered for, including vain, frivolous, foolish, unprofitable, common, and worldly words that have nothing to do with eternal things. If it were remembered that each such word will be met again, many careless words would remain unspoken. Vulgar and poorly chosen speech dishonors God and injures spiritual influence upon children and others. The tongue must not run at random in jesting, joking, and cheap talk, for these mark a defiled heart needing cleansing, while sound, truthful words have the right ring and reveal a heart purified for the Spirit's indwelling. Jesus reads every heart, mind, and thought, hears every word even when spoken in secret, and as a present Witness traces every word and act, justifying clean, pure, simple, elevated, cheerful yet sober words in harmony with faith, and condemning low, cheap, degrading, silly, foolish talk that harms spirituality and the happiness of others.
Every word is heard, witnessed, and faithfully recorded with exactness in the books of heaven, together with its results, secret purposes, motives, spirit, and deeds. The record is written day by day, angels pass and repass keeping it in every house, office, and room where God's work is done, and by that record workers will be judged and rewarded according to their works. Even words forgotten by the speaker remain, to be reviewed when the books are opened in the investigative judgment, where faithfulness or unfaithfulness is examined and even idle words are brought to account. That record will expose words of censure and falsehood born of evil thinking, and the souls turned from truth by those words, so that those who led others away must answer for the harm done.
The examination judges words together with works, deeds, thoughts, conduct, character, and influence upon others. God looks beyond appearance and profession to the heart, mind, and principles that shaped the life, judging conformity to heaven's principles and to His law, and each receives according to works with destiny fixed by the course cherished in obedience or violation. A mere form of godliness cannot stand in that judgment without humility and the Spirit's converting power. The sentence also weighs what was done and left undone, even acts that seemed insignificant, in view of the light and knowledge received and whether it was accepted or rejected, including the influence of impenitence upon others.
Words recorded against a person can be washed away by Christ's blood through true contrition, repentance, conversion, and bringing Christ's maxims into the life, and sincere repentance before God is accepted for the blotting out of sins. One who has misused the tongue must halt, see the peril, and turn to the Lord with true contrition that sins may be blotted out. Day by day words, actions, and thoughts form character as a picture being made in heaven, marred like blasting hail by impatient, unkind, passionate words that wound and bruise, and made a record to be unashamed of by good, straightforward, honorable words like apples of gold in pictures of silver. That picture must be kept straight now by daily and hourly guarding of words and actions, especially in the family, with thought for how they sound to heavenly angels, for after death there is no time to straighten crooked places, when each case is tried it is too late for wrongs to be righted, and only those with a right record who brought Christ's maxims into life will appear with Christ in glory.
Power of Speech
Speech is one of God's most precious gifts, a valuable talent and sacred trust to be improved, sanctified, elevated, ennobled and consecrated to His service and used intelligently to His glory. It is to be dedicated to proclaim the gospel and communicate truth as there is opportunity, to share God's wisdom and love, to persuade, to pray, to praise, and to tell of the Redeemer's love. Careful, gracious, Christlike words — meek, gentle, truthful in love, sound, modest and kind — help form Christian character, bring harmony rather than strife, and bless others, revealing a Christlike character and showing daily that a person belongs to God. This requires the grace of Christ, a heart filled with His love, and the cultivating of thoughts and attributes that give health to soul and body, flow from God, and will endure when evil ends, so that followers are complete in Him as living witnesses magnifying His grace. Perverting speech to dangerous uses brings guilt and peril, for God will require an account of how the gift was used, and words bear on justification or condemnation in the investigative judgment and day of judgment. Therefore the tongue must be carefully guarded not to dishonor God, never uttering harsh, impure, faultfinding, hasty or impetuous words, irritable, scathing or self-centered speech that grieves the Holy Spirit, poisons others and can stir them to rebellion, lest words be grievously abused to do great harm and be regretted when faced in the judgment. No word of hopelessness or doubt is to be spoken, because such words create feelings that dishonor God and exalt Satan's power, while heeding words and talking faith fosters faith; one misusing the tongue must call a halt, realize the peril, and turn to the Lord with true contrition, repentance and conversion that sins might be blotted out.
Words are seeds that germinate and produce a harvest of good or evil according to their character, becoming a savor of life unto life or of death unto death through a mysterious influence constantly exerted for good or for evil. They affect decisions with eternal results, can turn a soul in the wrong direction, lead others away from truth, and strengthen or weaken the influence of truth, acting powerfully on the characters of others as well as on the speaker. The law's requirements reach speech, including irreverence toward God and uncharitable or false speech against others, so careless criticism, slander, jealousy, exaggeration and evil surmising both reveal and further shape the heart, harming the speaker and poisoning the hearts of listeners. Whether men talk much or little, words express the character of thoughts and index the state of the heart, with good words from a heart storing good where the Holy Spirit dwells and evil words from an evil heart, so that character may be quite accurately estimated by conversation and people are judged by this sure test. Uttered words strengthen the feelings that prompted them and bring the speaker under their power, thoughts produce words that react upon thoughts and control mind, soul, body and will, and repeated words influence thoughts and actions, so that words can create feelings and beliefs by repetition, sow lasting distrust, deceive the impulsively speaking person into believing and proudly clinging to them, and foster irreverence and unbelief when divine light is carelessly criticized, even to rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit. Hence the tongue must not run at random in jesting, joking and cheap conversation, which are signs of a defiled heart needing cleansing and purification, but be guarded and sacrificed to God's glory with sound, truthful words having the right ring, modest and kind, talking faith and never giving place to discouragement or doubt, which sow a harvest of discouragement and unbelief in speaker and hearers whose consequences continue beyond the speaker's life. Each person is answerable for his own speech and character, not for another's conduct, for every word is witnessed by God with its results, and words with their testimony for or against the speaker must be accounted for, even every idle word, bringing either justification or condemnation at the last judgment.
Spoken words and written words alike bring justification or condemnation, and every communication is registered in heaven with its results. Words must be governed by the same moral law as conduct, for unchaste conversation is a way of acting out sinful thoughts. Looks, writing and gestures can substitute for words and likewise become instruments of sin. Extravagant jesting, idle mischievous words, and turning serious subjects into sport and ridicule will bring shame, while a heart filled with the love of Jesus brings forth good, precious, edifying things from its treasure-house in letters that breathe His spirit.
Hasty, irritated words that stir up strife in the assembly of God's people are written in the books of heaven to receive the same punishment as the words of a profane man, because the same unsubdued spirit that leads him to swear leads church members to speak strife, separate from one another, take offense at unworthy things, and be suspicious, angry, harsh and unkind toward brethren. Such speech dishonors God, does Satan's work more effectively than his own subjects, strengthens his kingdom, misinterprets truth and weakens its influence, weakens those proclaiming the most solemn message ever given to the world, brings God's displeasure, and hinders the conversion of unbelievers, which depends on Christ revealed in lives marked by love, compassion, Christlike tenderness and courtesy that give words power to convict souls. At the judgment the record will reveal words of censure and falsehood spoken through evil thinking and speaking, and the souls turned from the truth by those words, and those who led others away must answer for that harm; a minister who sacrifices truth and teaches trust in falsehood will face the lost souls and the harvest produced by his teachings. Words that accuse fellow believers, discourage the church, obstruct a fellow Christian, or foster unbelief bring judgment and shame when each receives according to deeds, for words of criticism and condemnation have moral weight before God. Thoughts, actions and speech are open to inspection, and words that stir up hatred and strife or repeatedly publicize another's wrongs are blameworthy, leaving the heart without peace or blessing when dwelt upon in conversation.
Guarding Speech Daily
The tongue must be bridled, guarded and kept under the control of the Holy Spirit with constant watchfulness, with thought governing speech and practice before speaking, with prayer offered instead of hasty reply, with self-control and with silence when speech cannot help, putting away foolish conversation and speaking only words that will not bring shame in the judgment. Words reveal the heart because the connection between heart and mouth is intimate, thoughts produce words and words react upon thoughts, and each person will be judged individually in the last day by words that justify or condemn. Those who deal with sacred things need converting power, patience with the perversities and errors of others as God has been patient, love cultivated rather than hatred, and no harsh, unforgiving, relentless spirit that drives souls from Christ and truth and breaks their hold on faith and hope. Hasty impetuous speech leads to words regretted at the judgment, so speech should bring harmony rather than stir up strife, and even when wrong must be addressed firmly it must be governed by love and the spirit of Jesus without wounding or bruising others. Speech is a valuable talent to be improved and used intelligently to God's glory by those seeking a life that measures with the life of God, requiring thoughts and attributes that give health to soul and body, flow from God and endure when evil ends. No word of hopelessness or doubt is to be spoken, because such words create feelings that dishonor God and exalt Satan's power, while followers of Christ are to be complete in Him as living witnesses magnifying His grace. Speech that attacks a fellow worker's reputation, repeats scandal or speaks ill of another brings condemnation rather than justification and calls for care in how one speaks about others.
Condemned speech includes profane, rebellious, angry, passionate, harsh, unkind, suspicious, false, slanderous, jealous and impure words. It includes exaggeration, jesting, joking, cheap talk, idle mischief, talebearing, gossip, evil surmising, faultfinding, censure, strife, discord, complaining and words of doubt, discouragement and unbelief that sow distrust and cannot be taken back when repeated and enlarged. Unchaste conversation acts out sinful thoughts, and words must be governed by the same moral law as conduct, while looks, writing and gestures can substitute for words and likewise become instruments of sin. The law's requirements reach speech, including irreverence toward God and uncharitable or false speech against others, and careless criticism, slander, jealousy and evil surmising both reveal and further shape the heart, harming speaker and hearers. Careless, frivolous or improper talk grieves the Holy Spirit, weakens faith and piety and hinders spiritual growth, and vulgar poorly chosen speech dishonors God and harms spiritual influence upon children and others. Words can create feelings and beliefs through repetition, sow lasting distrust and produce consequences continuing beyond the speaker's life. Victory over hasty unchristlike words comes only through Christ, and speech should be truthful without evasion or deception and free from slander, evil and deceit.
Justified speech is truthful, sound, pure, wise, modest, peaceable, kind, tender, comforting and helpful, confessing Christ in word and conduct, blessing others, building up faith and glorifying God. Careful gracious words help form Christian character and bless others, while cheap, common, harsh or harmful speech dishonors Christ and peaceable helpful blessing words reflect Christian faith and serve others. Truthful speech is required because words testify in the daily examination of character before Christ as judge. The source must be pure and sanctified because words reveal the heart that supplies them, requiring a sanctified heart, renewed mind and holy heart reflected in speech. Words of doubt and discouragement can take root in others and bring a bitter harvest.
In the home parents must consecrate speech to God, avoid loud angry commands, control the voice, guard words and actions especially in the family, and speak only kind, tender, encouraging words that honor God, presenting Christ's likeness and watching over the family in converting power. Impatient, unkind, passionate words wound and bruise like blasting hail, mar the daily picture of character imprinted in heaven's books with actions and thoughts, and bring condemnation, while good straightforward honorable words like apples of gold in pictures of silver make a record to be unashamed of and bring justification. Each must ask daily and hourly how words sound to heavenly angels and keep character straight now, because after death there is no time to straighten crooked places and only those with a right record will appear with Christ in glory. Among brethren one must not wound reputations, repeat scandal, accuse or obstruct, must not go from house to house tattling, tearing down workers, evil surmising, suspecting, slandering, carrying false evil reports or giving ear to slander, but must speak privately to the erring in meekness and love, confess sin with thorough repentance, ask forgiveness of brethren wronged, lay down weapons of warfare, draw near to God with clean heart and pure mind, remove barriers, stumbling blocks, accusations and magnified trifles that block harmony and the King's highway, and yield with heart softened by God's love and constrained by Christ's love rather than contend stubbornly over points involving no vital question. Rather than publicizing another's faults, one is to ask God to help that person overcome them and speak words that strengthen and help and meet God's approval. In ministry and councils workers must feel the sacredness of the work, speak only God's Word with It is written rather than personal thrusts, keep the mind stored with Scripture to meet every emergency with Thus saith the Lord as Christ met questioners with Have ye not read and What is written in the law, never answering railings, falsehoods and bitter accusations with man's wisdom, never making charges, and show a sanctified tongue, for an unstable minister careless of words and influence proves unfit for sacred office.
Words also testify about stewardship, exposing whether entrusted opportunities to serve, bless, witness and use time, abilities, influence and what God entrusted for His glory were neglected or improved, and whether promptings of the Spirit toward goodness were followed. Every leading of the Holy Spirit toward goodness and toward God is noted in heaven's books, and the worker through whom the Lord brings light will be commended in the day of God and kept in a book of remembrance. Because words carry this eternal responsibility, those entering sacred ministry and mission fields must feel its sacredness deeply and show the deep moving of God's Spirit, and putting careless, unconverted, unthankful, unholy men into that work brings reproach on God's cause and evil fruit. The truth spoken will judge hearers at the final reckoning, so those who teach or preach must speak clearly and earnestly, because the way a message is delivered can affect whether people receive or reject it, and every word good or evil with its results must be met again in the judgment bringing justification or condemnation.
By one's own words one will be acquitted in the final judgment, and by one's words condemned, with words together with actions serving as evidence according to obedience or disobedience to God's law. Even every idle, vain, frivolous and unprofitable word that does not concern eternal things must be accounted for in the day of judgment. Words reveal what is in the heart, for the connection between heart and mouth is intimate, and words are the index and test of character and spiritual condition. Every word is heard and faithfully recorded with exactness in heaven's books together with its motives, spirit and results, to be reviewed when the books are opened. Words recorded against a person can be washed away by Christ's blood through true contrition, repentance and conversion, but after death there is no time to straighten what is crooked.
Setting and Solemn Warning
The saying was uttered after the healing of the possessed man who was blind and dumb, when the Pharisees charged that the work was done by Satan, and that charge condemns them because by attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan they cut themselves off from the fountain of blessing. Words spoken against Jesus Himself without discerning His divine character can still be forgiven, for through the Holy Spirit the speaker can be brought to see the error and repent. Whatever the sin, if the soul repents and believes the guilt is washed away in the blood of Christ. But to wilfully reject the work of the Holy Spirit and declare it to be from Satan cuts off the channel by which God works upon the heart and communicates with the soul, placing the speaker where repentance and faith cannot come. When the Spirit is finally rejected there is no more that God can do for the soul.
It was spoken to evil men whose speech exerted a deadly, poisoning influence through false teaching that exalted manufactured precepts, traditions, and man-made commandments above the law of God. It belongs to Christ's denunciation of people whose words and conduct reveal opposition to truth, and to His warning about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The same spirit appears as soon as a person separates from God so that the heart is no longer under the subduing power of the Holy Spirit, for then Satan's attributes are revealed in oppressing fellow men with an influence contrary to truth and justice and righteousness. This is manifested among workers toward one another and in the desire of one institution to control all others, by men entrusted with weighty responsibilities who have no living connection with God. Those who so resist God and oppress others while displaying Satan's spirit are doing despite to the Holy Spirit in the very same spirit as Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and as the Jews in the days of Christ, and those who cast aside God's warnings coming again and again and venture on in the same course come under its condemnation.
It also rebukes religious contention in which self seeks supremacy over matters treated as vital though they are not vital in themselves. This includes controversy over points that do not involve a vital question, requiring yielding instead of contention. It forbids firm, determined, stubborn contention from a naturally unyielding disposition and stubborn, unyielding insistence on one's own way, calling instead for a heart softened by the love of God and constrained by the love of Christ.
Heart Revealed by Words
Words disclose what is stored inside, because the tie between the heart and the mouth is very close and intimate. They are the index and test of character and of spiritual condition, bearing witness to whether the heart is good or evil, and by the nature of the conversation character may be estimated with almost certain accuracy. What is spoken will testify for or against the speaker in the day of judgment, bringing justification or condemnation, so that account must be given even for every idle word. Vulgar and poorly chosen speech dishonors God and injures influence over children and others, while impetuous or querulous speech wounds others and harms the speaker's own soul, and words of doubt and discouragement take root in hearers to yield a bitter harvest. Those who handle sacred things therefore need converting power, patience with the perversities and errors of others as God has been patient, love cultivated instead of hatred, and freedom from a harsh, unforgiving, relentless spirit that drives souls from Christ and breaks their hold on faith and hope.
Good words come from a good treasure laid up within, from a heart purified and refined for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit where Christ abides, bringing forth purity, beauty, meekness, love, and sacrifice of the tongue to the glory of God. Evil words come from an evil treasure where Satan rules, echoing the sentiments of the enemy and spreading doubt and darkness. There is no middle ground, for the heart is either given to God for purification and sanctification or left exposed to temptation, and it is revealed by whether Jesus Christ or Satan is abiding within. Outwardly righteous speech that merely covers an unchanged heart is worthless, while genuine goodness appears in valuable, helpful speech governed by kindness and love, and where speech cannot help, silence is better. Sound, truthful words have the right ring whether a person talks much or little, for they express the character of the thoughts, in contrast to jesting, joking, and cheap conversation which mark a defiled heart needing cleansing.
Words do not only evidence the heart but turn back upon it and shape character and belief. Thoughts produce words and words react upon thoughts, controlling mind, soul, body, and will. Uttering words strengthens the feelings that prompted them and brings the speaker under their power, so that hasty passionate words warp judgment. By repetition words can create feelings and beliefs, sow lasting distrust, poison the hearts of listeners, and continue their consequences beyond the speaker's life, and the impulsively speaking person can be deceived into believing his own utterances and proudly clinging to them. Careless criticism, slander, jealousy, evil surmising, exaggerated and irreverent speech both reveal and further form the heart, harming speaker and hearers, and when divine light is carelessly criticized irreverence and unbelief are fostered. For this reason the mysterious influence constantly exerted through the lips must be watched, doubt and discouragement never uttered, and faith talked in order to have faith, lest seed of discouragement and unbelief be sown in speaker and hearers to produce its harvest.
Jesus reads the hearts, minds, and thoughts of all, hears every word uttered even in secret, sees every action, and as a present Witness traces every word spoken and every act performed, whether good or evil. He knows the thoughts that lie beneath a person's words, so that a transformed heart becomes evident in both words and deeds. Thoughts, actions, and speech are open to the inspection of God and the holy angels, who mark words that stir up hatred and strife or repeatedly publicize another's wrongs, leaving the heart without peace and blessing when such matters fill conversation. God, Jesus, and the angels hear words spoken in anger, passion, or disrespect, which grieve Christ, shame and harm the speaker, and become stumbling blocks to others. Christ also marks how words affect the souls of hearers, including a person's wife and children. Clean, pure, simple, elevated, cheerful yet sober words in harmony with faith justify, while low, cheap, degrading, silly, foolish talking, jesting, and joking that injure spirituality and the happiness of others condemn.
Judgment by Words
By their own words people will be acquitted in the final judgment, and by their own words condemned, for words together with actions will stand as evidence in that day and the sentence will turn on obedience or disobedience to God's law. Reckless speech shows disregard for Christ's instruction, and the plain truths of God will condemn those who refuse to heed them. Those who handle sacred things therefore need converting power, patience with the errors of others as God has been patient with them, love rather than hatred, and freedom from a harsh, unforgiving spirit that drives souls from Christ and breaks their hold on faith and hope. Careful, gracious speech helps form Christian character and blesses others, while hasty, impetuous words stir strife and will be regretted when faced in the judgment.
Even every idle word must be answered for, including vain, frivolous, foolish, unprofitable, common, and worldly words that have nothing to do with eternal things. If it were remembered that each such word will be met again, many careless words would remain unspoken. Vulgar and poorly chosen speech dishonors God and injures spiritual influence upon children and others. The tongue must not run at random in jesting, joking, and cheap talk, for these mark a defiled heart needing cleansing, while sound, truthful words have the right ring and reveal a heart purified for the Spirit's indwelling. Jesus reads every heart, mind, and thought, hears every word even when spoken in secret, and as a present Witness traces every word and act, justifying clean, pure, simple, elevated, cheerful yet sober words in harmony with faith, and condemning low, cheap, degrading, silly, foolish talk that harms spirituality and the happiness of others.
Every word is heard, witnessed, and faithfully recorded with exactness in the books of heaven, together with its results, secret purposes, motives, spirit, and deeds. The record is written day by day, angels pass and repass keeping it in every house, office, and room where God's work is done, and by that record workers will be judged and rewarded according to their works. Even words forgotten by the speaker remain, to be reviewed when the books are opened in the investigative judgment, where faithfulness or unfaithfulness is examined and even idle words are brought to account. That record will expose words of censure and falsehood born of evil thinking, and the souls turned from truth by those words, so that those who led others away must answer for the harm done.
The examination judges words together with works, deeds, thoughts, conduct, character, and influence upon others. God looks beyond appearance and profession to the heart, mind, and principles that shaped the life, judging conformity to heaven's principles and to His law, and each receives according to works with destiny fixed by the course cherished in obedience or violation. A mere form of godliness cannot stand in that judgment without humility and the Spirit's converting power. The sentence also weighs what was done and left undone, even acts that seemed insignificant, in view of the light and knowledge received and whether it was accepted or rejected, including the influence of impenitence upon others.
Words recorded against a person can be washed away by Christ's blood through true contrition, repentance, conversion, and bringing Christ's maxims into the life, and sincere repentance before God is accepted for the blotting out of sins. One who has misused the tongue must halt, see the peril, and turn to the Lord with true contrition that sins may be blotted out. Day by day words, actions, and thoughts form character as a picture being made in heaven, marred like blasting hail by impatient, unkind, passionate words that wound and bruise, and made a record to be unashamed of by good, straightforward, honorable words like apples of gold in pictures of silver. That picture must be kept straight now by daily and hourly guarding of words and actions, especially in the family, with thought for how they sound to heavenly angels, for after death there is no time to straighten crooked places, when each case is tried it is too late for wrongs to be righted, and only those with a right record who brought Christ's maxims into life will appear with Christ in glory.
Power of Speech
Speech is one of God's most precious gifts, a valuable talent and sacred trust to be improved, sanctified, elevated, ennobled and consecrated to His service and used intelligently to His glory. It is to be dedicated to proclaim the gospel and communicate truth as there is opportunity, to share God's wisdom and love, to persuade, to pray, to praise, and to tell of the Redeemer's love. Careful, gracious, Christlike words — meek, gentle, truthful in love, sound, modest and kind — help form Christian character, bring harmony rather than strife, and bless others, revealing a Christlike character and showing daily that a person belongs to God. This requires the grace of Christ, a heart filled with His love, and the cultivating of thoughts and attributes that give health to soul and body, flow from God, and will endure when evil ends, so that followers are complete in Him as living witnesses magnifying His grace. Perverting speech to dangerous uses brings guilt and peril, for God will require an account of how the gift was used, and words bear on justification or condemnation in the investigative judgment and day of judgment. Therefore the tongue must be carefully guarded not to dishonor God, never uttering harsh, impure, faultfinding, hasty or impetuous words, irritable, scathing or self-centered speech that grieves the Holy Spirit, poisons others and can stir them to rebellion, lest words be grievously abused to do great harm and be regretted when faced in the judgment. No word of hopelessness or doubt is to be spoken, because such words create feelings that dishonor God and exalt Satan's power, while heeding words and talking faith fosters faith; one misusing the tongue must call a halt, realize the peril, and turn to the Lord with true contrition, repentance and conversion that sins might be blotted out.
Words are seeds that germinate and produce a harvest of good or evil according to their character, becoming a savor of life unto life or of death unto death through a mysterious influence constantly exerted for good or for evil. They affect decisions with eternal results, can turn a soul in the wrong direction, lead others away from truth, and strengthen or weaken the influence of truth, acting powerfully on the characters of others as well as on the speaker. The law's requirements reach speech, including irreverence toward God and uncharitable or false speech against others, so careless criticism, slander, jealousy, exaggeration and evil surmising both reveal and further shape the heart, harming the speaker and poisoning the hearts of listeners. Whether men talk much or little, words express the character of thoughts and index the state of the heart, with good words from a heart storing good where the Holy Spirit dwells and evil words from an evil heart, so that character may be quite accurately estimated by conversation and people are judged by this sure test. Uttered words strengthen the feelings that prompted them and bring the speaker under their power, thoughts produce words that react upon thoughts and control mind, soul, body and will, and repeated words influence thoughts and actions, so that words can create feelings and beliefs by repetition, sow lasting distrust, deceive the impulsively speaking person into believing and proudly clinging to them, and foster irreverence and unbelief when divine light is carelessly criticized, even to rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit. Hence the tongue must not run at random in jesting, joking and cheap conversation, which are signs of a defiled heart needing cleansing and purification, but be guarded and sacrificed to God's glory with sound, truthful words having the right ring, modest and kind, talking faith and never giving place to discouragement or doubt, which sow a harvest of discouragement and unbelief in speaker and hearers whose consequences continue beyond the speaker's life. Each person is answerable for his own speech and character, not for another's conduct, for every word is witnessed by God with its results, and words with their testimony for or against the speaker must be accounted for, even every idle word, bringing either justification or condemnation at the last judgment.
Spoken words and written words alike bring justification or condemnation, and every communication is registered in heaven with its results. Words must be governed by the same moral law as conduct, for unchaste conversation is a way of acting out sinful thoughts. Looks, writing and gestures can substitute for words and likewise become instruments of sin. Extravagant jesting, idle mischievous words, and turning serious subjects into sport and ridicule will bring shame, while a heart filled with the love of Jesus brings forth good, precious, edifying things from its treasure-house in letters that breathe His spirit.
Hasty, irritated words that stir up strife in the assembly of God's people are written in the books of heaven to receive the same punishment as the words of a profane man, because the same unsubdued spirit that leads him to swear leads church members to speak strife, separate from one another, take offense at unworthy things, and be suspicious, angry, harsh and unkind toward brethren. Such speech dishonors God, does Satan's work more effectively than his own subjects, strengthens his kingdom, misinterprets truth and weakens its influence, weakens those proclaiming the most solemn message ever given to the world, brings God's displeasure, and hinders the conversion of unbelievers, which depends on Christ revealed in lives marked by love, compassion, Christlike tenderness and courtesy that give words power to convict souls. At the judgment the record will reveal words of censure and falsehood spoken through evil thinking and speaking, and the souls turned from the truth by those words, and those who led others away must answer for that harm; a minister who sacrifices truth and teaches trust in falsehood will face the lost souls and the harvest produced by his teachings. Words that accuse fellow believers, discourage the church, obstruct a fellow Christian, or foster unbelief bring judgment and shame when each receives according to deeds, for words of criticism and condemnation have moral weight before God. Thoughts, actions and speech are open to inspection, and words that stir up hatred and strife or repeatedly publicize another's wrongs are blameworthy, leaving the heart without peace or blessing when dwelt upon in conversation.
Guarding Speech Daily
The tongue must be bridled, guarded and kept under the control of the Holy Spirit with constant watchfulness, with thought governing speech and practice before speaking, with prayer offered instead of hasty reply, with self-control and with silence when speech cannot help, putting away foolish conversation and speaking only words that will not bring shame in the judgment. Words reveal the heart because the connection between heart and mouth is intimate, thoughts produce words and words react upon thoughts, and each person will be judged individually in the last day by words that justify or condemn. Those who deal with sacred things need converting power, patience with the perversities and errors of others as God has been patient, love cultivated rather than hatred, and no harsh, unforgiving, relentless spirit that drives souls from Christ and truth and breaks their hold on faith and hope. Hasty impetuous speech leads to words regretted at the judgment, so speech should bring harmony rather than stir up strife, and even when wrong must be addressed firmly it must be governed by love and the spirit of Jesus without wounding or bruising others. Speech is a valuable talent to be improved and used intelligently to God's glory by those seeking a life that measures with the life of God, requiring thoughts and attributes that give health to soul and body, flow from God and endure when evil ends. No word of hopelessness or doubt is to be spoken, because such words create feelings that dishonor God and exalt Satan's power, while followers of Christ are to be complete in Him as living witnesses magnifying His grace. Speech that attacks a fellow worker's reputation, repeats scandal or speaks ill of another brings condemnation rather than justification and calls for care in how one speaks about others.
Condemned speech includes profane, rebellious, angry, passionate, harsh, unkind, suspicious, false, slanderous, jealous and impure words. It includes exaggeration, jesting, joking, cheap talk, idle mischief, talebearing, gossip, evil surmising, faultfinding, censure, strife, discord, complaining and words of doubt, discouragement and unbelief that sow distrust and cannot be taken back when repeated and enlarged. Unchaste conversation acts out sinful thoughts, and words must be governed by the same moral law as conduct, while looks, writing and gestures can substitute for words and likewise become instruments of sin. The law's requirements reach speech, including irreverence toward God and uncharitable or false speech against others, and careless criticism, slander, jealousy and evil surmising both reveal and further shape the heart, harming speaker and hearers. Careless, frivolous or improper talk grieves the Holy Spirit, weakens faith and piety and hinders spiritual growth, and vulgar poorly chosen speech dishonors God and harms spiritual influence upon children and others. Words can create feelings and beliefs through repetition, sow lasting distrust and produce consequences continuing beyond the speaker's life. Victory over hasty unchristlike words comes only through Christ, and speech should be truthful without evasion or deception and free from slander, evil and deceit.
Justified speech is truthful, sound, pure, wise, modest, peaceable, kind, tender, comforting and helpful, confessing Christ in word and conduct, blessing others, building up faith and glorifying God. Careful gracious words help form Christian character and bless others, while cheap, common, harsh or harmful speech dishonors Christ and peaceable helpful blessing words reflect Christian faith and serve others. Truthful speech is required because words testify in the daily examination of character before Christ as judge. The source must be pure and sanctified because words reveal the heart that supplies them, requiring a sanctified heart, renewed mind and holy heart reflected in speech. Words of doubt and discouragement can take root in others and bring a bitter harvest.
In the home parents must consecrate speech to God, avoid loud angry commands, control the voice, guard words and actions especially in the family, and speak only kind, tender, encouraging words that honor God, presenting Christ's likeness and watching over the family in converting power. Impatient, unkind, passionate words wound and bruise like blasting hail, mar the daily picture of character imprinted in heaven's books with actions and thoughts, and bring condemnation, while good straightforward honorable words like apples of gold in pictures of silver make a record to be unashamed of and bring justification. Each must ask daily and hourly how words sound to heavenly angels and keep character straight now, because after death there is no time to straighten crooked places and only those with a right record will appear with Christ in glory. Among brethren one must not wound reputations, repeat scandal, accuse or obstruct, must not go from house to house tattling, tearing down workers, evil surmising, suspecting, slandering, carrying false evil reports or giving ear to slander, but must speak privately to the erring in meekness and love, confess sin with thorough repentance, ask forgiveness of brethren wronged, lay down weapons of warfare, draw near to God with clean heart and pure mind, remove barriers, stumbling blocks, accusations and magnified trifles that block harmony and the King's highway, and yield with heart softened by God's love and constrained by Christ's love rather than contend stubbornly over points involving no vital question. Rather than publicizing another's faults, one is to ask God to help that person overcome them and speak words that strengthen and help and meet God's approval. In ministry and councils workers must feel the sacredness of the work, speak only God's Word with It is written rather than personal thrusts, keep the mind stored with Scripture to meet every emergency with Thus saith the Lord as Christ met questioners with Have ye not read and What is written in the law, never answering railings, falsehoods and bitter accusations with man's wisdom, never making charges, and show a sanctified tongue, for an unstable minister careless of words and influence proves unfit for sacred office.
Words also testify about stewardship, exposing whether entrusted opportunities to serve, bless, witness and use time, abilities, influence and what God entrusted for His glory were neglected or improved, and whether promptings of the Spirit toward goodness were followed. Every leading of the Holy Spirit toward goodness and toward God is noted in heaven's books, and the worker through whom the Lord brings light will be commended in the day of God and kept in a book of remembrance. Because words carry this eternal responsibility, those entering sacred ministry and mission fields must feel its sacredness deeply and show the deep moving of God's Spirit, and putting careless, unconverted, unthankful, unholy men into that work brings reproach on God's cause and evil fruit. The truth spoken will judge hearers at the final reckoning, so those who teach or preach must speak clearly and earnestly, because the way a message is delivered can affect whether people receive or reject it, and every word good or evil with its results must be met again in the judgment bringing justification or condemnation.