“THAT’S AS FUNNY AS HELL”
A few days ago, at a restaurant, two men were behind me. One of them was telling some story, that I heard very little of. At the end of the story the man closest to me said in a much louder voice, “THAT’S AS FUNNY AS HELL.” The language that people use is often a disgrace to God, our Creator; and what is said is often just very ignorant. The man who used the above statement was clueless of the fact that, if the story was as funny as Hell, he was saying it was a horrible story; in fact no story could have been worse. Hell is a place of tormenting fire. (Luke 16:24) Hell is a place of everlasting fire. (Matthew 25:41) Hell is a fire that will not be quenched. (Mark 9:46) “As funny as Hell” does not sound good at all!
Another expression that Christians should not use in a flippant way is “Oh My God.” “O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.” (Psalm 7:1) If the expression “Oh my God” is used in reverence, it is a wonderful statement. Sadly, people say or write OMG without a thought of reverence and respect for the God of heaven! Let us resolve to do better.
We must also do better in using words like “Damn” and “Ass.” If we use the word damn there better be some water behind it! If not, we must be using the word in the sense of condemned. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16) If you use the word “Ass” you had better be reading a verse from the King James Bible and there had better be a donkey in that verse. Jesus said, “Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.” (Matthew 21:2) Before you write LMAO you should think about how disrespectful that is to God.
Heart trouble is a very serious problem in the United States. The reason people use filthy language has to do with the spiritual heart. So in a spiritual way cursing and filthy language comes from your heart. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Luke 6:45) God’s people must stop listening to music, watching TV shows or attending movies that fill their heart with cursing and filthy language. Those who are in Christ are new creatures. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Christians have been transformed. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God’. (Romans 12:1-2) Is your tongue new and transformed? Crude and vulgar language has no place in the life of a Christian. Do the words that come out of your mouth glorify Jesus?” For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matthew 12:37)
To become a Christian hear the word (John 6:44-45), believe in God and in Jesus (Mark 16:16), repent of sins (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus as Lord (Acts 8:37) and be baptized into Christ. (Romans 6:3-4) “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)
By Charles Box, Walnut Street Church of Christ, 306 Walnut Street, Greenville, Alabama 36037 USA