Stop Cussing!
Be Not Conformed to This World!
Part 2

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Authored By  :
Bill Kochman

Published On :
December 5, 2012

Last Updated :
December 5, 2012


NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.

Spiritually Blind Children Of The World, God Of This World, Be Slow To Speak, Let No Corrupt Communication Proceed Out Of Your Mouth, Don't Speak Hastily Out Of Anger, A Brother Offended, Love Covers The Multitude Of Sins, Be Merciful And Forgive, Difficulty Of Breaking Away From Addiction Or Bad Habit, Besmirched By The World, Washed In The Blood Of The Lamb, Be Ye Holy: Sanctification And Meaning Of Sainthood, Cleansed Purified Consecrated And Separated From The World, Do All To The Glory Of God, Not Of This World, Cleansed By The Word, Four Steps Involving Sanctification, Jesus Prayed Apostles Wouldn't Be Elevated Out Of This World, Jesus' Ascension


Following are some additional verses which clearly describe the spiritually-blind, rebellious children of the world who reject Jesus Christ:

"(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day . . . For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in."
Romans 11:8, 25, KJV


"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
1 Corinthians 2:14, KJV


"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV


"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"
Ephesians 2:2, KJV


"Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:"
Ephesians 4:18, KJV


"Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience."
Ephesians 5:6, KJV


"For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:"
Colossians 3:6, KJV


"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry . . . "
1 Samuel 15:23a, KJV


In examining the Scriptures, we discover that there are a lot of verses which admonish us to guard what comes out of our mouths. Not only that, but God's Word strongly advises us to be slow to speak in the first place. Consider the following examples and take heed:

"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."
Exodus 20:7, KJV


"In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise."
Proverbs 10:19, KJV


"Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few."
Ecclesiastes 5:2, KJV


"He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him."
Proverbs 18:13, KJV


"A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards."
Proverbs 29:11, KJV


"Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."
Matthew 5:33-37, KJV


"For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."
Matthew 12:37, KJV


"And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."
Matthew 15:10-20, KJV


"Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?"
Romans 9:20, KJV


"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."
Ephesians 4:29, KJV


"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
Philippians 4:8, KJV


"But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth."
Colossians 3:8, KJV


"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:"
James 1:19, KJV


"For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh."
James 3:2-12, KJV


The fact of the matter is that many of us fail to take heed to the wise counsel that is found in the previous verses. We become so offended and angered by something that someone has said or done, that due to our fallen sinful nature, our first inclination is to strike out at them with a verbal onslaught of indecent words. Cussing may help us to let off some steam, but doing so may also cause irreparable damage to the person who is the recipient of our verbal wrath. I am reminded of the following verse that is found in the Book of Proverbs:

"A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle."
Proverbs 18:19, KJV


While we all occasionally take offense, rather than react in a moment of anger by releasing a barrage of filthy cuss words on someone's head, what the Scriptures actually advise us to do in such a case is the following:

"Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins."
Proverbs 10:12, KJV


"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
Matthew 5:7, KJV


"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Matthew 6:14-15, KJV


"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven . . . Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."
Matthew 18:21-22, 32-35, KJV


"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:"
Luke 6:37, KJV


"Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him."
Luke 17:3-4, KJV


"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."
Galatians 6:1, KJV


"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you."
Ephesians 4:32, KJV


"And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins."
1 Peter 4:8, KJV


Of course, as we have already seen, a lot of times cussing has very little to do with being angry or offended. We just fall in with the wrong crowd. In our desire to be accepted, we pick up their bad habits. However, as I mention in other articles, it is a lot easier to become addicted to a certain habit or manner of behavior, than it is to break away from it. Smokers, drunks, drug addicts and people who engage in viewing pornography most certainly know this to be true. At any rate, as with these other vices, when cussing becomes a regular part of our lifestyle, we in fact become besmirched by the world and unclean, and we are no longer spotless and blameless in the Lord's sight.

As I explain in the article called "Striving for Perfection: Are You a Sinless Saint?", when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are symbolically washed in the Blood of the Lamb, and our sins are forgiven. This truth is made very evident by verses such as the following:

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
Isaiah 1:18, KJV


"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
Matthew 26:26-28, KJV


"And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many."
Mark 14:22-24, KJV


"And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."
Luke 22:14-20, KJV


"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;"
Romans 3:25, KJV


"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."
Ephesians 2:13, KJV


"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"
Hebrews 10:19-20, KJV


"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
1 John 1:7, KJV


"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
1 John 2:2, KJV


"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
1 John 4:10, KJV


"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,"
Revelation 1:5, KJV


"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
Revelation 7:14, KJV


Through this process of being washed in the Blood of the Lamb of God, we in fact are sanctified and become holy. We undergo a process of sanctification. In other words, we become Saints. It is for this reason that throughout the New Testament, the members of the Church are repeatedly referred to as Saints. A Saint is not just a deceased person who, because they led a holy life and did good deeds and performed miracles, is thus declared a Saint postmortem by the Roman Catholic Church. It is a lie and a deception to believe this false doctrine. It sets the bar so high, that very few people can ever hope to achieve it. God has called His children to be sanctified and to live holy lives, because a holy God requires that His children likewise be holy. This is made evident by verses such as the following:

"For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
Leviticus 11:44, KJV


"Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God."
Leviticus 20:7, KJV


"I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."
John 17:14-19, KJV


"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
Ephesians 5:25-27, KJV


"And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:"
Colossians 1:21-22, KJV


"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness."
1 Thessalonians 4:3-7, KJV


"Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."
1 Thessalonians 5:22-24, KJV


"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:"
2 Thessalonians 2:13, KJV


"Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate."
Hebrews 13:12, KJV


"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied . . . But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
1 Peter 1:1-2, 15-16, KJV


In the previous verses, the word "holy" is derived from the Greek word "hagios". The word "Saint" is also derived from this very same Greek word. The word "hagios" is translated as "holy" one hundred and sixty-one times, and as "Saints" sixty-one times in the KJV Bible. In similar fashion, the word "sanctification" is derived from the Greek "hagiasmos", and the word "sanctify" is derived from the Greek "hagiazo". Even if you don't know Greek, it is very easy to notice the structural similarity between these three words. But what do these words actually mean in English? Let me share with you their definitions, as they are found in Thayer's Greek English Lexicon:

----- Begin Quote -----

A. hagios

KJV - holy 161, saints 61, Holy One 4, misc 3; 229

1) most holy thing, a saint

B. hagiasmos

KJV - holiness 5, sanctification 5; 10

1) consecration, purification
2) the effect of consecration
   2a) sanctification of heart and life

C. hagiazo

KJV - sanctify 26, hallow 2, be holy 1; 29

1) to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow
2) to separate from profane things and dedicate to God
   2a) consecrate things to God
   2b) dedicate people to God
3) to purify
   3a) to cleanse externally
   3b) to purify by expiation: free from the guilt of sin
   3c) to purify internally by renewing of the soul

----- End Quote -----

As you can plainly see then, sanctification refers to the process of sanctifying a person and making them a Saint in the here and now, and not after they are dead. As I stated a moment ago, this occurs when we are symbolically washed in the Blood of the Lamb. Sanctification is a process which God uses to cleanse and purify us from sin. It is a process that He uses to dedicate us and to consecrate us to His service. But notice what else we are told in the previous definitions. It is a process to actually separate us from profane things. It is a process to separate us from the filthiness of the present world so that we can be used instead for His glory. As the Apostle Paul likewise wrote:

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31, KJV


With this expanded understanding, if we re-examine the verses that I shared with you from the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel of John, we come to see that this is exactly what the Lord was saying when He prayed for the Apostles. Let me share those verses with you once again before I offer a detailed explanation:

"I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."
John 17:14-19, KJV


Jesus states that the Apostles are not of this world, just as He is not of this world, but rather was sent into this world in order to become our Savior. He then prays that His Father will sanctify the Apostles through the Truth of His Word. In other words, based on the previous definitions, Jesus prays for the Apostles to be cleansed and purified, and separated from the world so that they can be wholly consecrated to the Lord's service. This is precisely what happened too, because as Jesus also says in earlier chapters of this same Gospel:

"Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean."
John 13:10-11, KJV


"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."
John 15:3, KJV


Having thus undergone this process of sanctification -- that is, becoming Saints -- after several years of training, the Lord sends them back into the world; not as tax collectors and fishermen again, but as divinely anointed emissaries of the Kingdom of Heaven. So that is what sanctification is all about. It is the very same process which we are supposed to undergo today as well, two thousand years later. It basically involves the following four steps:

1. Being cleansed and purified by the Blood of Jesus Christ.

2. Being separated from the world and consecrated for God's service.

3. Being properly trained for the upcoming outreach mission.

4. Being sent into the world as God's emissaries in order to fulfill the Divine Mission, or Great Commission.

This is true Sainthood. This is what it means to be a Saint.

There is one final point which I would like to share with you concerning those verses that are found in John chapter seventeen. While some of you may not understand this, when Jesus prays "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world", what He means in a very literal sense is that He does not want His Father to take the Apostles up, up and away just yet. In the previous verse the word "take" is derived from the Greek word "airo". Consulting Thayer's Greek English Lexicon, the primary meaning of this word is to raise up from the ground, to elevate, to lift up, to bear away what has been raised. My gosh; even in the Greek word itself we see the word "air". Now, if you doubt that this is what Jesus means, then allow me to remind you of what happened in Acts chapter one:

"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
Acts 1:9-11, KJV


In the previous verses, the phrase "he was taken up" is derived from one Greek word; that is, "epairo". Even without me telling you, you can easily see that this word is derived from the root word "airo". Thus, it shouldn't surprise you that it also means to lift up, raise up, or raise on high. That is exactly what we see happening in those verses. Jesus is being raised up to Heaven. Exactly how this event may have occurred is a topic which I discuss in other articles. At any rate, that is exactly what the Lord means in the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel of John when He prays that the Apostles won't be taken out of the world. It has nothing to do with going back to their secular jobs.

Please go to part three for the continuation of this series.

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