Proverbs 8:7. wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
Lady Wisdom can’t even begin to fathom speaking wickedness. It is an abomination to her. Wickedness makes her gag.
Unfortunately, wicked talk is not as disgusting to Christ followers as it should be. Just look at social media. Christians arguing. Christians insulting. Christians accusing. Christians bearing false witness. And that’s just with the other Christians. Wickedness flows out of us way too freely. Controlling. Criticizing. Complaining. We have all said wicked things haven’t we? We have talked about how much we dislike someone, our hatred of them, calling them fool, quarrels, fights, murders in the heart (James 4:1-2).
Wickedness is the Proverb’s word for the worst of evils. Wickedness denies truth. It denies that sin is sin, and that sin is deserving of death. Wickedness is anti-God, and it is anti-humanity. It fails to see the imago dei in others. It fails to value what God values – our neighbor. It fails to love what God loves – grace and kindness. Justice and righteousness.
Jesus summed up the real problem with wicked speech when he said, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” The problem isn’t just the words we say, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The problem is the heart out of which the words flow. Wicked speech flows from a wicked heart.
Jesus, God’s embodied Wisdom, never spoke a wicked word in his life. Even from the cross the words of Christ were full of mercy and forgiveness. “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Even though others spoke wickedness to him, Jesus never spoke it back. How? Because he knew two things that we can also know: 1) That he was loved by the Father, and 2) that the wicked people around him didn’t know what they were doing.
In Christ we can know the same two things. Our union with Christ proves God’s great love for us. The cross has made us forgiven and free. Beloved conquerors in Jesus. We also know that often people say hurtful things to us without knowing what they are doing.
Of course in Christ, by the indwelling Spirit of Wisdom, we can always know what we are saying, and why we are saying it. There is no claim of ignorance in Christ. When the Christian uses wicked speech, they know what they are doing. They are choosing to sin.
But we don’t have to make that choice. God’s love has been poured into our hearts. And God’s love in our hearts is far more powerful than any remaining wickedness in our flesh. The choice is ours for the making. Corrupt communication or words that build up. Wicked speech or words of life.
You: If we recorded everything you say today; would we hear wicked speech?
You in Christ: How does knowing that you have a new heart, the heart of Jesus, empower you to speak words of life today?
Christ in you: Is there any wicked speech that you need to forsake today or apologize for? Ask God to help you by his grace.
Pray: Father, show me that I always have a choice of things to say. Fill me with words of life today. Amen.
To Live is Christ 