"When Paul says, 'Forbid any unwholesome talk from entering your conversation,' [Ephesians 4] he is not just talking about cursing, swearing, or vulgar, four-letter words. In fact, to think of the passage in this way grossly minimizes its intent. Paul has something much more redemptively revolutionary in mind. For Paul, unwholesome talk is me-centered talk that has no higher purpose than my own wants, desires, dreams, and demands. Unwholesome words flow from a heart that is controlled by present, personal, earthly desire. They are spoken because they please me and accomplish my goals. They are an attempt to get me what I want, without reference to the lordship of Christ or my call to speak as his ambassador." -- Paul David Tripp, in his book War of WordsI like the phrase he uses here, "grossly minimizes its intent." I think Christians often grossly minimize the intent of a Scripture passage or Biblical directive. And they frequently proceed to take the grossly minimized understanding and magnify it in such a way that minor offenses become major offenses while major offenses are ignored.
yes. as in the example of the taking God's name in vain thing in your other post - we can get obsessed with the allegedly great importance of saying "gosh" and totally miss the point.
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