Jesus said each of us will have to account for every careless word we speak (Matthew 12:36-37). No small, careless, or flippant word is small, careless or flippant to God. He hears and judges everything that comes out of our mouths. The Lord is holy, consistent, and always intentional (1 Peter 1:15–16).
He demands the same from us (Matthew 5:48). Jesus didn’t waste words, but used every syllable to point people to the truth about who He was and to the majesty of His Father (John 12:49–50). The beautiful and cutting words of Jesus are life to all who will believe (John 6:63), but the foolish and wicked things we say and do result in our destruction (John 5:28–29).
Off-color jokes, sexual innuendos, and double entendres should never be on the lips of one who follows Jesus (Ephesians 5:4). Instead, our lips should be used to give thanks and praise to the One who gave us lips, a tongue, and the ability to speak (Ephesians 5:19-20). The ability to communicate is an incredible gift that we so often abuse by using it to tear down others rather than to build up and encourage them (Ephesians 4:29).
James describes the tongue as “a world of unrighteousness,” and as a fire that ignites and spreads in uncontrollable and devastating ways (James 3:6; Proverbs 16:27). We speak out of the depravity of our hearts (Mark 7:21–23) and our words, in turn, pollute our souls (James 3:6; Psalm 120:2–3). It’s a vicious cycle and our words are the fuel for the flame. Every careless word reignites the ungodliness in our hearts. The words we speak are poison to our spiritual health.
Perhaps no words are more careless than those spoken to distort the gospel of Christ or to explain it when the speaker has made no effort to understand it themselves. Paul warns the church in Ephesus not to be deceived by those who come to them with empty arguments (Ephesians 5:6). We must be careful and diligent students of God’s Word so we can be effective in sharing it with others (2 Timothy 2:15). Every word matters when someone’s eternity is at stake.
What comes out of our mouths is an overflow of what is inside us (Matthew 12:34–35). Our words declare the truth about who we are. Every careless word reveals our lack of devotion to Christ, and the desire to pursue our own interests and to be seen as someone clever, witty, or wise.
We should always strive to remove all bitterness, anger, wickedness, and insult from our speech (Ephesians 4:31). Each of these characteristics will fester inside us until they burst from our lips, threatening to obliterate any credibility we have in spreading the gospel. People are watching all the time, desperate to see any inconsistency in the way you live. They want you to fall because it makes them feel better about their own inadequacies. Make no mistake, we are all inadequate before the holy God (Romans 3:10–12), and it is only by His grace and mercy that we can come to Him (Titus 3:5).
The more we let Jesus live through us, the more others will see and desire Him. Every careless word is an affront to the character of God, and we should understand the weight of that as we consider our words. We should only dwell on things that are wholesome and pure, so in the same way, our speech should feature only what is just, honorable, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Guard your lips so that everything they utter is pleasing to God and brings glory to our King (Psalm 19:14). Keep your heart pure and your words will follow (Proverbs 4:23).