Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:29-32
Communication is key to everything, no matter whether it be friendships, family, business, leisure, entertainment, or recreation. From dating to marriage, the glue that holds things in place is clear concise communication. Corrupt information can send everything spiraling.
Scripture gives warning about the way we communicate. It is the one thing that can grieve the very spirit of God (verse 30). Corrupt is not talking about perverse, and certainly, as believers we should never lower ourselves to the world’s standards, allowing perverse communication/profanity to come out of our mouths.
Corrupt communication is when we lower ourselves to speak evil of our brother. No matter how we justify it, God is not happy when believers speak in malice, hatred, spite, meanness, or nastiness toward our brother. Why did Paul address this issue to Ephesus? Because someone was lowering themselves to speak in bitterness, wrath, and anger, sending forth a clamoring evil sound from within the body of Christ.
The command here is to be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, fulfilling what God did for us through Christ on Calvary, enacting forgiveness. So according to scripture, it really is true, if you can’t say something good, don’t say anything.
Our prayer for you this week: May you come to realize the power in being kind one to another.
