Every culture has "swear" words, even the Christian culture, words like jeepers, darn it, heck, dog-gown-it, dang, doo-doo head, and my wife's favorite "fahrvergnugen." Every culture has "swear" words, but is this the swearing Jesus describes in Matthew 5:33-37 (KJV), "Swear not at all," which leads us to our following Wonderfully Weird Command: Keep Your Word.
Didn't our mommies and daddies threaten to "wash our mouths out with soap" whenever we said a swear word? I promise, this is not what Jesus was talking about, and if it was, we are all in big trouble because some of the most trustworthy people in the world swear in this sense. Jesus said, "Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool…But let your communication be 'yes' or 'no': for what is more than this is evil." In other words, Jesus is saying, stop swearing your life to God and other people where you have no intention in fully following through. If you're "saying" and "doing" are disconnected, evil lurks at your door. This passive-aggressive behavior only causes good people to swear!
Why is connecting your "sayings" and "doings" so important? Well, because what you say and do is vitally important in the delight of the LORD. Most Christians do not comprehend the power of their words. Proverbs 18:21 says, "death and life are in the power of the tongue." God shares the importance of this insight in Proverbs 12:22, "Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight." Are you a delight to the LORD and others? If you are, know you can be trusted by God and people.
I encourage all to "Keep Your Word" to experience truthfulness rather than deception in life. We do this by thinking straight and speaking to others truthfully in the faith. In your mind, often, tell yourself things like, "I can tell the whole truth every time.", "I will consider my words and how they affect others.", "I will not make promises I cannot keep.", "I will speak words of life to others.", etc., etc., etc. Thinking things like this will allow your conversations and commitments to lift and honor the LORD and others.
Please understand I'm not advocating using bad or swear words. If cultural swearing offends you or someone, then be respectful to those around you, take the higher ground, and don't cuss. But more importantly, for the Christian who habitually says one thing and does another, know you're not helping the cause of Christ, and it's causing a lot of harm to God and people in all of the dimensions of life. If you have a passive-aggressive pattern with your words, promises, and commitments, stop it! Dispute it in the faith, and happily obey God's Wonderfully Weird Command, "Keep Your Word!"
With truthfulness, kindness, and appreciation,