Ephesians 4:29 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. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Commenting on a blog is one more avenue in which we can live out gospel-ignited love toward one another. A blog is not a place where we can take a vacation from Christian love; it is a prime opportunity to exercise it.
I believe the Apostle Paul’s admonition here to not allow for corrupting talk to come out of our mouths extends to all forms of communication, including the words we type on a keyboard. Words can wound and words can heal. Words can be vehicles of love and of bitterness, slander and hatred. It is so important to show kindness and a tender heart to one another in our communication. When we do not, we grieve the Holy Spirit of God.
Please know that your comments are very welcome here.
Though I do read every comment, I am not able to respond to each one.
Please comment clearly, thoughtfully, briefly and humbly. Bear in mind that the longer a comment is, the less likely it will be read by others. Therefore aim to keep comments concise and pithy.
Please refrain from stirring up division between fellow Christians here. Titus 3:10 gives this instruction, “As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him.”
Finally, before posting a comment, I would encourage you to read your comment through once again and pray and ask yourself if what you are sharing is instructive, helpful or edifying and written in the love and grace of Christ.
Obnoxious comments including foul language or personal ad hominem attacks will be deleted as well as ones that are overly long, hyper-linked, and irrelevant. If this happens to you, for whatever reason, please don’t feel the need to write another comment complaining about censorship. That will be deleted too. This is my blog, so I determine what crosses the line. I welcome discussion and even debate, but I will not allow this blog to become a platform for the ‘word-wars’ against which the New Testament repeatedly warns us. If you want to say something to the world, start your own blog and get people to come there.
No anonymous comments please.
On other thing. Just because someone is quoted either on this blog (either by means of a brief quotation or a full length article), it should not have the implication that I endorse everything that person has ever taught, said or written. It is merely an acknowledgement that I, as the blog writer, found the quotation or article to be a true and helpful. Bear in mind too that I may have no idea whatsoever that the person quoted said something else or wrote something else, either recently or long ago, which is entirely heretical. Please do not assume that I know that. There is much I do not know and I am very comfortable in admitting that. So as I say, the fact that I quote someone, please don’t understand that to be a full endorsement of that person or of all that person may have said or written elsewhere. I try NOT to quote known heretics or should I do so, seek to make it clear that they are.
Thank you and God bless you.
John
P.S. This is a lengthy quote for a post script but I believe there is much wisdom found here. Kevin DeYoung (from the June 2011 issue of Tabletalk magazine) writes:
“First, we are not always gracious in the way we talk about secondary issues. Most Christians speak kindly and calmly about their convictions. But sadly it often feels like the less important the issue the more intensely someone will hold to it. We make up for the lack of gravity surrounding the issue by promoting that issue in the gravest possible terms. And even if we are right and someone else is dead wrong we should still correct our opponents with gentleness and grace (2 Tim. 2:25), not with hand grenades.
Second, some of us have never considered that certain issues in the Christian life belong in a Romans 14 category. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in polemics. I believe in dying on some hills. I believe in standing fast on doctrine, even on “non-salvation issues.” But on some matters we should say with Paul, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5). And sometimes we must ask, “Why do you pass judgment on your brother?” After all, “we will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (14:10-11). It’s okay on some matters (not all!) for Christians to agree to disagree (even if you know you’re right like Paul did!). It’s not a failure of theological nerve to recognize that some good believers we’ll make different decisions than other good believers. The mature Christian can hold strongly to his opinions without insisting strongly that all other Christians do the same.
A third problem is that some Christians inquire too early and too often about their particular hot-button issues. When a brother visiting the church for the first time asks where I stand on Rushdoony, I’m a little freaked out. It’s like taking a girl out on a first date and asking if her parents have digital cable. What?! Don’t you want to know a few other things first? In checking a church I hope you’d be interested to hear about the role of prayer, the importance of missions, the understanding of the gospel, the integrity of the leaders, their view of Scripture, and a dozen other things before launching into the rareified air of Rushdoony. Besides, I would also hope visitors, as a matter of courtesy, would not land at a church ready to insist on items 16-25 on their theological checklist.
Finally, we must be careful our passions are not out of proportion. There is no problem with Christians who feel strongly about schooling, the placement of the congregational prayer, or the frequency of communion. The problem is when our passion for these issues exceeds our passion for the gospel, for the cross, for the lost, for the afflicted. Not every issue matters as much as every other issue. Not every position deserves out fieriest passion. Save the big guns for the big ones. Get the heart pounding for the doctrine of the Trinity or penal substitution or God’s sovereignty. If your “thing” is Christmas trees or the kind of beverage in the communion cup, it’s time to get a better “thing.” The Christian life allows for lots of passion, discourse, and detailed application—as long as we don’t get everything out of whack.”