Throw Up - Sometimes It's the Best Thing

“You must also rid yourself of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”

Col. 3:8

Notice the word RID here. In the original language it means to put away from, throw away, be rid of, divest yourself of, PURGE! That’s strong language.  It has the same connotation as your stomach throwing up something that is sour, spoiled or poison.  Now notice what Paul says to throw up from your life as a Godly person. Anger, Rage, Malice, Slander, Filthy Language.

We all have a certain amount of emotional energy. In conversations involving conflict, you can use the energy to fix blame or to resolve the problem.  One, looks for an excuse, ANY excuse not to have to deal with the issue.  It will always be someone else, something else and never what I can do. It will never look for a solution because it is too busy trying feel important, blame others, blame things, blame situations – never look for ways to resolve or reconcile issues. So you've got to ask yourself what’s more important, to blame the other person or to resolve the conflict. Too often we choose the former because we feel it is easier.  It is a product of our society today – why fix something? Just go get a new one. However, that is not so easy when others feelings, emotions, - SOULS are at stake

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So, let’s consider Paul’s advice.  As a Christian, especially in conflicts there are things I need to throw away from me.

1. ANGER – the word here is the word from which we get passion, however here it is violent passion.  The idea is that we all know what it takes to set us off, or set something off. When in conversations with others that we know are going to be emotional – GET RID of anger before the conversation starts, or reschedule the conversation for another time when you can keep things under control.  Prov.17:14, “The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.”
2. RAGE – the word here again is passion, but it is used in the sense of the fierceness of a bull.  Other places in the Bible this is called “Gnashing of Teeth” when used in proximity to anger. Here Paul is using it in connection with anger as the two are cousins. When anger is chronic in your life, RAGE is not far behind. Rage is the out of control part of anger, and has no place in someone who seeks peace. To be a peacemaker you have to have the mind of God, and you can’t have that if you are given to rage.  Mat 5:9  "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
3. MALICE - is the vice which lies below anger and wrath, as a root or spring.  That is because this word rather than emotion, is directly associated with my intent.  It is one thing to be angry, another to fly into a fit of rage on an occasion. But to deliberately do either is malice and speaks to forethought. It is what leads to murder.  It has NO good in it and if you are harboring it, you are harboring Satan in your heart and not God.
4. SLANDER – The word here in the original language is blasphemy, as used in the since of vilifying someone. Saying things to make the other person look bad, lay blame, fault etc. Its brother is malice, because to do this involves forethought. Gossip is the 2^nd cousin as is backbiting. They all hang around together. This and its cousins were what drove the nails in Jesus’ hands.
5. FILTHY LANGUAGE - “abusive conversation.” This involves quite a few things, especially as borrowed from the above. The emphasis is that the language is intended to “abuse” rather than just be polluting. This is made likely by the words in context, anger, rage, malice, et.al. It is the same thing that Peter does in the courtyard while Jesus is undergoing his trial. He allows his language and oaths to become base and abusive so as to sound like the crowd and not be associated with Jesus. When we do it, it is the same.

The reason we need to focus ridding our lives and hearts of these things, is that they are all a form of judging. You’re not the judge. You can’t figure out anybody else’s motivation on anything, we don’t know our own motivations most of the time! Only God knows and only He can be the judge. We need to “..work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Ph’p.2:12)” and work on getting ungodly habits and things out of our own lives before we try to get something out of someone else’s. 

Jim

Taking God's Name In Vain

Hi Everyone. I have been studying the OT law lately, and am relearning things that I thought that I know. Perhaps I should say that I assumed that I knew.

My study this past week, centered around Ex.20:7 "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 vain."

I have always heard and taken this to mean that you should not utter God's name in a frivolous way. And while it can be taken and means just this, I have discovered that there is much more to this simply stated commandment.

• First, the "name of God" is much more than just uttering the statement "God" or "Jehovah" or "Yahweh." The name of God is everything about God. It is who He is, as well as the authority with which He speaks. So, it involved more than just saying "Oh God!" or the more famous curse equivalent.
• VAIN - means to make empty or desolate. Interestingly, the idea is literally to "suck the life from." To bring to ruin. So, the idea is making God's name or authority of no effect. To make God an empty thing, inanimate - if you will - like an idol or graven image that God had just proven to the Israelites of the day that He was not.
• TAKE - in its primitive or basic definition means to lift or carry. Thus, the idea proceeds further with regard to God's name, that one is not to carry or lift up God’s name in a false way. This would include speech as well as acts. To carry God's name in a frivolous way in conversation or speech is indeed speaking the name of God in an inappropriate way. To speak God's name as a curse upon something or someone, or to utter it in a loose way. It speaks to the idea that Pharaoh of the Exodus stated, "who is this God that I should hear his voice?" Yet also, this idea includes doing something evil in God’s name. The image of Balaam comes up here, who even though told by God not to do so, chose to try to speak curses upon Israel in the name of God. This is speech as well as act. Another image that comes here is that of the Jewish leaders in the day of Jesus, who in the name of God, treated Him villainous, again, speech as well as act.

My first reaction to this learning, is that I am not guilty of these. I once used to take God's name and speak obscenities that would make one blush. But, I no longer do this - do I? I hope not, yet, I find myself at times invoking God's name in speaking what some would call "righteous judgement." Yet my new understanding of this old commandment, is that my actions in calling righteous judgement upon others in making myself their judge is just as much a violation of this commandment as uttering the obscenity. Either way, I have made "God" vain and empty, if you will putting myself in God's place to become a judge.

The next interesting part of this, is what God pronounces in the latter part of the commandment in Ex.20:7, that He will not hold one who violates this commandment "guiltless." The reason, is because the person that does this, makes God the victim. A person unrepentant of this type of behavior, not only violates his own self, but makes God a mark of ridicule, shame, and makes God's authority meaningless. This is the essence of the command.

I would be honored if you would share either your thoughts or experiences on this post. I always strive to learn.

Jim