Welcome to the Fruit Gospel Podcast, where we provide sound doctrine for everyday people. I'm your host, Kosti Hinn, and I want to spend the next few episodes talking about holiness and focusing on four key areas that can be a challenge for the flesh. They are cussing or swearing, it's foul language, a modesty, or what I think I want to emphasize as flaunting or sexualizing, kind of in that way that a modesty can be used to flaunt what you got. I want to talk about pornography and what lusting looks like and then entertainment. So those four areas, the series focus will be holiness. We are moving from a series on Christian liberty, which is going to be those categories where doing something may or may not be sin, you got to ask these deeper questions into something that's fairly black and white that if we try to lower the bar on, we're actually infringing upon God's standard for holiness. And I know there are specific activities for Christians that are hot button issues. But when it comes to sin, we don't want to mess around. We don't need to be dancing with rattlesnakes in order to, you know, just get a rush or lower the bar on holiness because it makes for uncomfortable conversations, or we want to make excuses for our sin and begin to abuse grace. That's where the phrase or concept of cheap grace really comes from. You're treating the grace of God, which is his unmerited favor, to save us and forgive us like some cheap thing. And then you just live however you want, or I do the same, but oh, God forgives us. We want to be very careful. There are things that are negotiable and then things that are downright compromise. And I want to go here because I want to challenge your thinking. I want to be challenged as well. I love studying God's word, not just to teach it and tell you how to live, but for my own life, getting to spend all of my time in the Word of God and ministering the Word of God really just becomes a great mechanism of conviction for me too. And so I want to share with you what's been on my heart. And as I pray for you and ask the Lord to lead and guide the resources, it's no different than when I'm preaching sermons on a Sunday or spending time with the beloved people and our precious members at Shepherd's House, who I am a pastor to and for, I'm always thinking, God, what do you want to teach us through your word? We want to have a healthy fear of the Lord and we want to have great concern in the right way for Christian living. So this episode series is going to help you with that. First, I want to start with a working definition of legalism, because if we don't start here very quickly, or in your ignorance or in mine, we can just jump to conclusions and say, oh, this seems kind of legalistic. It seems about rule following and what is all this. Let's get our definition straight. Here it is Legalism is any attempt to earn, maintain, or prove righteousness before God through rule keeping or external behavior rather than resting in the finished work of Christ, often resulting in pride, fear, or judgment towards others. Legalism is basically thinking that your rule following, so you don't cuss and you're not a modest and you don't do this and you don't do that, is somehow valid for earning and keeping your salvation. I reject that. You need to reject that. Our salvation and then our assurance of salvation rests completely on the work of Jesus Christ and the finished work at that. He died on the cross, he forgave our sin, he saved us, redeemed us, and has completed the work required for redemption. You don't have to do a bunch of good things in order to be saved. Conversely, uh doing good things or not doing bad things doesn't make you saved or even necessarily prove you are saved. We'll get to that here by the end of the episode. But when we claim that by grace we've been saved, we we mean it, and we need to mean that. Legalism misunderstands the gospel by adding human effort to justification. Scripture is clear that righteousness comes by faith, faith alone, not by works of the law. That's what Galatians 2.16 is all about. And so when obedience begins to be treated as the basis of acceptance rather than the fruit of our acceptance, the gospel gets distorted. Biblically speaking, obedience does matter deeply. God gives commands. We ought to obey. Jesus says, My commands are not burdensome for you. We love the Lord, so we obey. But obedience flows from salvation. It does not flow towards it, if you kind of get what I mean. So any system that reverses that order, even subtly, is legalistic. You can also compromise the gospel and end up in blatant heresy and works-based religious systems. So, with that clear, we can talk about holy living and being vigilant about Christian conduct as flowing from a love for Jesus and a desire to please him rather than some meritorious contribution to our salvation. Specifically, I want to talk in this episode about cussing or using foul language. It is not legalistic to say that cussing or foul language or unwholesome speech have no place in the life of a Christian. That's not legalistic. It doesn't prove you're saved because you don't cuss, but it is not what Christians do. Why? Because we're called to something better or greater, a way of speaking that honors Christ and mirrors a love and affection for Christ. One of the most overlooked areas of Christian holiness is the way that we speak. We often think holiness in terms of what we watch and how we dress and what we do with our bodies and where we go. But scripture repeatedly draws our attention to something more ordinary, far more revealing, our words. When the Bible is unambiguous about this, Paul the Apostle in the book of Ephesians, if you have your Bible, you can turn there. And if you're on the fly, like so many of you listeners are, I'll read this to you. Ephesians 4, verse 29 says this point blank, after three chapters, Ephesians 1 through 3, laying gospel foundation deep in doctrine, chapters 4, 5, and 6 are all practical living. It's like the indicatives in the first three chapters telling you about your salvation and what Christ has accomplished and what that means for you. Then flowing into from the indicative to the imperative, imperative being commands. Because Christ has done this, because you are a child of God, because you're under new ownership, because you belong to the king, go and sin no more. Here's how we live. In that heart, Paul says in Ephesians 4 29, let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth. That's it. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word, as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so it will give grace to those who hear. Verse 30 goes on to say, Don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God, whom by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. You think, wow, right, the way I talk is actually related to not grieving the Holy Spirit. Yeah. Scripture is really clear. Let no unwholesome word. Not, oh, I just I cuss once in a while. Or the old Brad Paisley song. I don't know why these things come to mind. It's not even in my podcast notes at all. I just, these these things come to mind. And I remember a day where, you know, country music was like my thing. And my wife and I met at a country concert. That's not an endorsement to go meet your wife or husband at a country concert. It's just where we're at in our life. And there's this old bad Brad Paisley song called She's Everything. That's the title. It's about a woman. It's romantic. It's how you love her so much. And it says she's a Saturday out on the town and a church girl on Sunday. Some of you remember this right now. I'm sorry that you're singing it in your head, but it's part of the illustration. This will play. She's a Saturday out on the town and a church girl on Sunday. She's a cross around her neck and a cuss word because it's Monday. That's that's the line. I needed to go, I need to go back and tap into the BC days to really remember. Why was that so popular? And why even now? I can go back and think of a country song because it was played off as cute. Ah, no big deal. It's kind of funny. Yeah, out on the town on Saturday, show up to church on Sunday. Crossarounders next, but a cuss word because it's Monday. How, how is that godly living? Oh, costy, you're just being legalistic, and oh, costy, you know, that's just life. You should come to my work. Maybe you spend too much time in the book and in your church office and hanging out with for the gospel stuff, and so everything's so sanctified. You're not normal. No, if we are in business, on a golf course, on a court, in a school, in a parking lot, wherever you find yourself on Monday, it is not a cuss word because it's Monday. It's not like no big deal, not because I'm so holier than thou or legal, but because Ephesians 4 29 says, let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth. So it stops being cute at some point when we begin to have deep concern for the way we speak out of a love for Christ. It stops being romantic and funny and innocent and oh, it's there, you're just hilarious. No, it's a serious issue. The issue is not whether or not a word is socially acceptable or culturally normal. The issue is not whether it's cute and funny, like rom-com style views on relationships and the way we talk and joke. The question is: does this build up? Is this edification? Does it give grace and reflect Christ? Jesus presses this down even deeper in his ministry long before the apostles started teaching. He says in Matthew 12, 34, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Jesus is emphasizing that our words are not neutral. They're not like random slips of the tongue. Speech is a diagnostic, it reveals what's going on inside of us. So when profanity or crude joking or harsh sarcasm or careless speech flows easily from our mouths, that's indicating something about the heart. It's not like, oh, that's just how I talk. It's a heart issue. Scripture consistently connects holiness with a transformed tongue. This gets really convicting because James actually says the tongue is small but powerful. James 3, verses 5 to 10 is such a convicting section of Scripture. And I want to turn over there and just read this to you. James chapter 3, 5 to 10. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire. And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity. The tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and it's set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of sea is tamed, and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. The tongue is a huge deal. James says that inconsistent speech, praising God while cursing people, should not be so among believers. With our mouth, he says in uh verse 9, with it we bless our Lord, and with it we curse men. From the same mouth, verse 10, come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. And so I do want to reason with you and argue this from Scripture. If we take it to heart, we can say that holiness needs to show up in the mundane, everyday conversations, our reactions, our jokes, our frustrations, our romantic expressions, and our casual talk, even our singing. Practically, cussing and unwholesome speech have no place in the Christian life. The Bible does not give us a little dictionary full of allowances. These words are okay. You know, everybody says it. No, it gives us categories to avoid. Ephesians 5, 4 says to avoid filthiness, foolish talk, crude joking. That's all on the heels of these verses here in Ephesians 4, verses 29 and then 30 with the grieving of the Holy Spirit. These are words that are degrading and degrading, sexualized, coarse, angry, careless. They're not just words. You can't say, oh, I didn't mean anything by it. No, you're gonna mean what you say and say what you mean. Scripture does not treat words as neutral. Proverbs 18, 21 says that life and death are in the power of the tongue. So words actually shape life. They shape habits, they shape relationships, they certainly shape our culture. You think about the way people talk to each other. And over time, what we normalize with our speech, we have normalized already in the heart because Jesus said the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So if what's coming out is coming out, something is already established as normal or a pattern in our heart. Paul says our speech in Colossians 4, 6 should be seasoned with grace. It should be seasoned with salt. We want to know what to say in the right moment. Our words need to be distinct and purposeful. They're not fake and stiff or thoughtless. They need to be measured. They need to be life-giving. And we need to remember our witness as well. It's really what Paul's talking about in Colossians 4.6 when he says our speech should be always with grace, seasoned with salt. The concept there is to conduct yourself with wisdom towards outsiders. So that's where we get the idea that speech must be thoughtful and measured and life-giving. We also need to remember our witness, and that's what Peter is talking about in 1 Peter 2.12. He exhorts believers to live honorably among unbelievers. When our speech is indistinguishable from the world, we are quietly, not with our tongue, but just slowly but surely, dulling the edge of our testimony. You think, ah, it's not that big of a deal. I'm not doing anything crazy. No, you're you are, it's it's in a way something you don't even notice, but it's killing your witness. People may never ask us about our theology. They're quiet as they watch and notice how we speak when we're tired, when we're frustrated, when we're joking, when we're under pressure. So we need to be careful. It's not just about behavior modification, it's about heart transformation. You can clean up your language and never grow in holiness. So what has to happen here? Oh, brother, sister, the heart has to change. The gospel has to reshape our hearts. I don't want to talk like the world anymore because I belong to Jesus. And when we're overwhelmed by grace and by gratitude, well, grumbling and complaining and coarse speech and firing off with our mouth begins to go out the door or the pattern of it, because no one's perfect. And all of a sudden, though, what flows in is edification. When we fear the Lord, reverence in your speech will replace recklessness. When we love our neighbor the way we love ourselves, that's what Jesus calls us to. Edification of others replaces insults. And Paul the apostle is driving this home early on in the book of Ephesians with Ephesians 2, 1 through 5, talking about when we were dead in our trespasses. And then when he makes that shift, he says, but now we've been made alive together with Christ. What is that? That's being made new. The new life touches everything. That's why the first three chapters of Ephesians are doctrine, gospel, transformation, redemption, moving to, hey, now the way we live is different. And so holiness has nothing to do with trying to earn your salvation or make God love you more or show off how spiritually you are. It's about reflecting the God who has already shown you mercy in transforming your heart, in changing your life, in making you like Christ by giving you salvation through Christ. And so, what does that look like? What is loving Jesus so much, your affection for him leading to transform speech look like on Monday afternoon? In traffic, at work, in the garage, on the field, in the gym, around your friends. Let me just give you some practical applications then here. First, it'll lead to you asking deeper diagnostic questions. We stop asking, is this word allowed? And we start asking, does this build up? Why? Because the word of God calls us to build up. That question is going to eliminate most unwholesome speech immediately. Does this build up my brother or my sister? Second, you begin to identify your trigger moments. You're on the alert. What leads me to sin? What gets my mouth really going? You're paying attention to when your language slips. Is it frustration, humor, stress, competition? Is it anger? Is it certain types of people and environments? Well, you start thinking of Ephesians 4, 22 to 24 and putting off the old self and putting on the new, and you realize, oh yeah, I've been kind of falling into some patterns here. And you can't put off what you refuse to notice. And so you've got to take inventory. That's what I mean. It's not inventory to make sure you're saved, it's inventory of your life and saying, I am saved. What is a pitfall or a temptation for my mouth that kind of brings out the old me? Third, replace language. Don't just remove language. Paul doesn't say, you know, stop speaking bad words, no more talking corruptly, and then what? Nothing. He's he actually says to give grace, words that edify. So in Ephesians 4 29, no unwholesome speech. Okay, but he doesn't stop there, like bad language, stop it. Unwholesome speech, bad. No, he says what's good: edification, the need of the moment, words that give grace. So think about this and ask for the Lord's help. God help me to think through a wider vocabulary of encouragement, a wider vocabulary that brings uh good humor, but in ways that edify. Remove vulgarity and replace it with clarity and jovial speech that encourages and can give someone a laugh, but I don't have to push it too far. Give me honesty in my speech, but without cruelty and a nasty edge and judgmentalism. Don't just replace, or rather, don't just remove, replace. Fourth, steward your influences. Who you're around is gonna influence you. What you consume is gonna become a portion of what you contribute. So if your humor, your media, the singing you listen to, the songs, your playlist, your friend group constantly feeds crude speech, it's gonna eventually shape your tongue. Holiness sometimes requires intentional distance from influences that are making you like them versus staying close to Christ, which will make you more like him. Fifth, repent quickly and openly when you fail. Not if, but when. Don't excuse it. It'll say, ah, it's no big deal. Don't let the conviction lead to this uncomfortable denial. Just confess it to the Lord. And when appropriate, confess it to others. You slip with some sinful speech. Ah, ugh. I right away just I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it that way. Or will you excuse me? That that just came out. It's an old habit. I I make no excuses for it. I don't want to make provision for the flesh here. I'm I'm working on that and catching it, repenting quickly, and confessing it to you right now is part of that process that God's called me to in 1 John 1, 7 through 9. And so I want to confess that. Will you forgive me? That's not who I am. It's beautiful. Repentance trains the heart towards humility. You get it out in the light, and it'll eventually go. Sixth, remember who hears you. We're Christians. Our assurance of salvation is wrapped up in Christ. Our affection leads us to follow Christ. We're responding to his love by loving him. And we remember he's involved in every conversation. He's the God who hears every word. And then also we think about those that God has called us to influence. Your spouse hears you, your children hear you, your church hears you, your coworkers, your coworkers hear you. Your words become patterns of your witness. And so we want to be mindful of who's around us. Notice that's not like the first thing. I only talk this way because I'm trying to impress people. No, down the list, after loving Jesus and understanding what's happening in your heart, yeah, I am mindful of the others around me. Because faith is not just personal, it is communal. We're a part of a community of faith. We're in this together. And so it matters the way we influence one another and talk and influence other people. Finally, pursue Christ, not just cleaner language. When your heart is captivated by Jesus, your speech is going to follow. Holiness flows from affection. I have said that before. I'm going to say it again. I want you to be thinking most about Jesus Christ, loving him, following him, obeying him because he is your savior. He's the one who owns you and has bought you. He has your heart like nobody else. So out of that, well, everything else changes. But you're not gonna just clean up your language and then think that gets you close to God. No, you grow close to the Lord and that'll clean up your language. In the same way, somebody could have a history of clean language and and very well-behaved moral living and have no relationship with Jesus Christ and that that is to be pitied most of all. Because to be moral, good, and well-behaved, but not have Christ is just the same. As someone who is wildly sinful and doesn't have Christ, they're all going to hell. That was the road we were on without Jesus Christ forgiving our sins and saving us. Whether that sin was, oops, I said a bad word one time, or that sin was murder. All sin is cosmic treason against a holy God. And all sin is given the same wage. That is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. And so I want to encourage you to look to Christ, to clean up your language. Don't just try to clean yourself up and think that's what's going to give you more Christ. All of these things that we're going to talk about in this series flow from a love for him and a desire to represent him faithfully. I hope this first episode has helped you think through the way that you speak. This is something I always want to be thinking about as well in my own life. I talk for a living, for a calling, what I do. And James 3 says, let not many of you become teachers lest you incur a stricter judgment. When you talk and you preach as a calling and for a living, there's a high bar. But brother or sister, I want to remind you, we're all in the ministry together. We all represent Jesus Christ. And so the way we all speak is important. This is not just for me. It's not just for you. It's for us together. Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching. Thanks for supporting. And above all else, thank you so much for praying. This year, we've been asking God already to transform hearts through for the gospel resources and to bring more gospel patrons into the ministry as valued partners to advance our mission. He's been answering both of those prayers every single month. So we are incredibly grateful to those of you who are partnering with the ministry. But again, those of you praying, the power of prayer is what fuels all gospel ministry under the glory of God. So let's keep trusting him together. If you're new to the podcast or new to our ministry to learn more about what we do, just go to forthegospel.org. Or if you have Instagram or social media, look us up on one of those platforms. You'll see everything there and get the hang of things pretty quickly. If you're looking for ways to partner with us, you can go to for thegospel.org and click give. All the information is there. I'll be back next Monday with another episode. Keep on living for the gospel.