Immeasurable harm is done by lies, slander, gossip, and abusive speech. The 9th commandment forbids us from inflicting injury with our tongues: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Proverbs warns of the damage done by wicked words: “With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor” (11:9); “An evildoer listens to wicked lips, a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue” (17:4); “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (18:21); “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will not escape” (19:5); “Like a club and a sword and a sharp arrow is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor” (25:18); “A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth works ruin” (26:28).
If you want to measure the value of your religion, examine your speech. “If any one thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless” (James 1:26). Your words are very important. “And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned” (Mt 12:36,37). If you want to see the moral condition of your heart, listen to what comes out of your mouth (cf. Mt 15:17-19). “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (Mt 12:34).
What do you hear yourself say? On Judgment Day, will your tongue condemn you or give evidence of true faith? The place to begin is to acknowledge the sinful condition of your heart revealed by your wicked speech. Then, in repentance and faith in Christ, use your tongue to pray and ask God for forgiveness and for a new heart which loves Him supremely. “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved” (Rom 10:9).
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