February 19, Is cursing a sin? Lev. 19:26-20:8, Deut. 18:9-14, Ex. 22:18, Lev. 20:27, Deut. 13:1-5, 18:15-22, 5:11, Ex. 22:28, 24:10-16, 23, Ex. 22:29-30, Ex. 34:19-20, Ex. 22:29, 23:19, 34:26, Deut. 15:19-23, 18:1-8, 14:22-29, 26:1-15, Lev. 19:23-25, Ex. 23:12, 35:1-2, Lev. 19;3, Deut. 5:12-15, Ex. 31:16-17, Lev. 19:30, 26:2, Lev. 23:1-3, Ex. 35:3, 34:21, 31:12-15, Num. 15:32-36
Deuteronomy 5:11
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in falsehood or without purpose.
Exodus 22:28
Amplified Bible (AMP)
28 You shall not revile God [the judges as His agents] or esteem lightly or curse a ruler of your people.
Leviticus 24:10-
Amplified Bible (AMP)
10 Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the Israelites, and he and a man of Israel quarreled and strove together in the camp.
11 The Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name [of the Lord] and cursed. They brought him to Moses—his mother was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.
12 And they put him in custody until the will of the Lord might be declared to them.
13 And the Lord said to Moses,
14 Bring him who has cursed out of the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands upon his head; then let all the congregation stone him.
15 And you shall say to the Israelites, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin.
16 And he who blasphemes the Name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him; the stranger as well as he who was born in the land shall be put to death when he blasphemes the Name [of the Lord].
17 And he who kills any man shall surely be put to death.
18 And he who kills a beast shall make it good, beast for beast.
19 And if a man causes a blemish or disfigurement on his neighbor, it shall be done to him as he has done:
20 Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused a blemish or disfigurement on a man, so shall it be done to him.
21 He who kills a beast shall replace it; he who kills a man shall be put to death.
22 You shall have the same law for the sojourner among you as for one of your own nationality, for I am the Lord your God.
23 Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they brought him who had cursed out of the camp and stoned him with stones. Thus the Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses.
Deuteronomy 5:11
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in falsehood or without purpose.
Exodus 22:28
Amplified Bible (AMP)
28 You shall not revile God [the judges as His agents] or esteem lightly or curse a ruler of your people.
Leviticus 24:10-
Amplified Bible (AMP)
10 Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the Israelites, and he and a man of Israel quarreled and strove together in the camp.
11 The Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name [of the Lord] and cursed. They brought him to Moses—his mother was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.
12 And they put him in custody until the will of the Lord might be declared to them.
13 And the Lord said to Moses,
14 Bring him who has cursed out of the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands upon his head; then let all the congregation stone him.
15 And you shall say to the Israelites, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin.
16 And he who blasphemes the Name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him; the stranger as well as he who was born in the land shall be put to death when he blasphemes the Name [of the Lord].
17 And he who kills any man shall surely be put to death.
18 And he who kills a beast shall make it good, beast for beast.
19 And if a man causes a blemish or disfigurement on his neighbor, it shall be done to him as he has done:
20 Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused a blemish or disfigurement on a man, so shall it be done to him.
21 He who kills a beast shall replace it; he who kills a man shall be put to death.
22 You shall have the same law for the sojourner among you as for one of your own nationality, for I am the Lord your God.
23 Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they brought him who had cursed out of the camp and stoned him with stones. Thus the Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses.
Is cursing or swearing a sin?
Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry
To determine whether cussing is a “sin,” we need to first discuss what sin is, and second define what cursing, swearing, or cussing is.
The Bible tells us that sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4) and rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7, Joshua 1:18). It is furthermore described as imaginations of the unrenewed heart (Genesis 6:5; 8:21), defiling (Proverbs 30:12; Isaiah 59:3), disgraceful (Proverbs 14:34), and unrighteous (1 John 5:17), among other things.
Cursing is our way of describing words that are, for the most part, culturally or socially unacceptable. It is a slippery slope, however, to define a curse word because words are always taking on new meanings. Some curse words in the English language are actually authorized words to describe authentic things but have taken on a new meaning as time has progressed. Because of this, it is nearly impossible to create a canonized list of words that are considered curses. Nevertheless, it can be concluded that there are words that are purely crude or demeaning and are therefore unequivocally curse words.
It needs to be understood that cursing can also include any verbal expression of a word that may not necessarily be considered a traditional curse word. This means that the understanding of cursing needs to be expanded to not only include culturally or socially unacceptable words, but any word that is used to demean another individual or express extreme dissatisfaction with a particular situation, especially when that dissatisfaction is directed toward God. Christians are often guilty of substituting more culturally acceptable words in place of unacceptable words to describe their dissatisfaction with a situation, or even in reference to an individual. These are called euphemisms and cannot be considered justified alternatives.
Scripture has much to say about how Christians ought to use their tongues. Jesus specifically taught that what comes out of a man’s mouth is evidence of what is in his heart. Luke 6:45 says, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”
Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” John MacArthur has written of this verse, “The word for ‘corrupt’ refers to that which is foul or rotten, such as spoiled fruit or putrid meat. Foul language of any sort should never pass a Christian’s lips, because it is totally out of character with his new life in Christ.” The final portion of the verse offers a worthy use of our tongue—“what is good for edification.”
James gives us three illustrations from nature to demonstrate the sinfulness of cursing: “With [our tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh” (James 3:9-12).
Finally, 1 Peter 3:10 says, “For He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.”
We can conclude that from the biblical definition of sin, our overview of cursing, and Scripture’s many expressions on the use of our tongue that it is without question a sin to curse. As Christians, we are expected to rest on the promises of God, “cleansing ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1). Cursing is contrary to resting on God’s promises for it is a failure to follow the Lord’s greatest commandments—to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). When we curse an individual, we do not love people and when we curse God, we do not love Him. Thankfully, God forgives us of our sins through the redemption found only in Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
Deuteronomy 26:12-13
Amplified Bible (AMP)
12 When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce the third year, which is the year of tithing, and have given it to the Levite, the stranger and the sojourner, the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within your towns and be filled,
13 Then you shall say before the Lord your God, I have brought the hallowed things (the tithe) out of my house and moreover have given them to the Levite, to the stranger and the sojourner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed any of Your commandments, neither have I forgotten them.
Malachi 3:10
Amplified Bible (AMP)
10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
There are differing opinions about how much to give. Some people just give whatever they feel they can afford. Which is bogus. Because we all know there are unexpected expenses that arise regularly. So if I only gave what was left over, it wouldn't amount to much.
Our family gives 10 percent right off the top. Why not? What if we get to heaven and find that was too much? Would it even matter? Why would anyone want to miss out on God's blessing? Plus, you can't out give God.
We just had a business meeting last night and found out exactly where the money goes. Our church gives a TON to missions. Our pastors are not over paid. They are in charge of guiding our souls to heaven. Our family cheerfully gives to God's work faithfully.
"Dear God I pray for all my blogger friends out there who love You and want to follow Your word! Help us all Oh God to continue to cleanse our hearts and our mouths. If there's someone out there who's having a challenge with anger and a foul mouth, please let that person know that You love them and want to heal them of the anger and bad language. And if they lay the anger at Your feet every moment of every day, You WILL heal and deliver. And I pray for that friend out there who is struggling with giving of their finances. Help them to make the decision once and for all to give freely of their first fruits. And You will honor their giving and multiply what's left over as a result! I give you ALL the glory and ALL the honor! In Jesus precious name, AMEN!"
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