WHAT IS EDIFYING SPEECH?

God had created mankind, made in His image, with the ability to speak. Human beings have a voice to express in words their deepest thoughts and feelings. As Christians we need to use our voice or speech for that which is good and godly, and not for what is sinful and wicked. The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:25 and 29, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. … Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

What is “edification”? The Greek word for edification is oikodomeo which literally means “to build a house”. It is used 20 times in the Scriptures to mean the building up of a believer’s faith in Christ and His Word. The word “edify” has often been abused and misused today to dismiss anything that pricks our conscience and convicts us of our sins. Any word, spoken or written, that does not make us feel good, we dismiss as “unedifying.”

It is sad that the pulpit ministry in general today is utterly man-centred and flesh-driven, embracing the worldly philosophy that “the consumer is king.” People today crave for the self-love and self-esteem pep talk. They want to hear things that make them feel good about themselves, make them love themselves more and more, that they are not really that bad after all, that they are actually pretty good even though the Bible says without equivocation that all are very bad, born in sin, and by nature utterly sinful and wicked (Jer 17:9).

It is no wonder that the Apostle Paul warned about what people will be like in the end-times, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers …” (2 Tim 3:1–2a). In order to protect the church from the end-time man-centred and self-exalting mindset, he commanded all faithful ministers of the gospel to do this: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Tim 4:2–3).

So, what constitutes edifying speech that will cause us to have a correct view of ourselves, and to build us up in the most holy faith and in obedient love for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? In Ephesians 4:25 and 29, we are told that for our speech to be edifying, it must be:

Truthful

Ephesians 4:25 says, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.” This statement must be read in the context of the previous verses, “But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph 4:20–24). Note that it is not addressed to the “old man”, the unbeliever who is outside of Christ and void of the Holy Spirit, but to the “new man”, the believer who has been regenerated and sanctified by Christ and indwelt by His Spirit. We have already put away old uniforms to put on new ones. A policeman must behave like a policeman and not a thief. Since we have “put off” the old man and the old way of life which was sinful and deceitful, let us “put on” the new man which seeks to reflect the righteousness and holiness that is in Christ. Hence as believers, we should not be telling lies but speaking truth.

What is the truth that we must speak? It must surely be the Word of God and everything that agrees with the Word of God. The Word of God is a means of grace, for God uses it to sanctify us, to cleanse our minds and purify our hearts. That is why Jesus prayed to His Father, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). So every preacher who delivers God’s Word from the pulpit must make sure he preaches the truth and not falsehood and error, for only the truth will build up the faith of the saints and cause them to love the Lord more and more. Heresies, falsehood, errors, lies on the other hand seek to tear a person away from Christ by causing them to have a low view of God and His Word.

Some people say the doctrine of the Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP) of the Holy Scriptures is “unedifying” and even condemn it as “heresy.” But what is heresy? A heresy is any and every doctrine that causes a person to have a low or diminished view of God and His Word. A heresy is any and every doctrine that seeks to tear a person away from Christ and His words. Does VPP belittle Christ and His words? No, not at all! VPP says God has not only inspired His words 100% but also preserved His words 100% so that the Bible we have in our hands today is 100% perfect without any mistake. It is the truth as taught in Psalm 12:6–7, Matthew 5:18 and many other passages in the Bible. VPP speaks of an all-powerful God who is not only able to protect and preserve His people but also His inspired words. It causes the saints to have the utmost confidence in the Holy Scriptures and in the ability of their God. The doctrine of VPP edifies and encourages the faith of the saints. That is why we know it is the truth. The denial of the perfect preservation of the Scriptures is, on the other hand, destructive. It will only discourage and destroy the faith of the saints. For “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps 11:3). That is why believers who desire to be faithful to Christ must keep on teaching and defending the truth of VPP for it is good for our souls and for the church, “For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth” (2 Cor 13:8).

Note that truth may not be pleasant to hear. Truth sometimes does the work of building up by means of tearing down the bad. Since we are not perfect, we should be open to criticisms. Reproof, rebuke, correction are very edifying, and we should welcome them. Just like medicine, it may be bitter, but it cures our sickness. That is why the Bible says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Prov 27:6). A friend tells you the truth because he desires for you to live, but an enemy flatters in order to trap and to kill. “A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet” (Prov 29:5). May the preacher never be a flatterer to tell the people they are well and good when they are not. The flatterer is a false preacher, a deceiver. A true preacher will not be afraid to rebuke sin and to expose error for this will bring a good result. Proverbs 28:23 says, “He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.”

However, we must ensure that what we speak is truth and truthful and free of all lies and falsehood. We must speak the truth in love, and not with a self-righteous or hypocritical spirit: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (Eph 4:15–16).

Uncorrupted

Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” The word “corrupt” here has the idea of something bad, dirty and rotten. We should not be using our mouth to lie, to gossip, to slander, to backbite, to sow discord. Proverbs 6:16–19 says, “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” What we say often reveals the kind of heart we have. If we have an evil heart, evil words will come out of our mouths, “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matt 12:34). In another place, Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45). And so, it is important that we learn to listen to ourselves, and to examine what we say, and chide and chastise ourselves when needed, “Did I just say that? I should not have said that! I am wrong and I am sorry.”

Corrupt words proceed from a corrupt heart. Bad words stem from a bad spirit. That is why we are told in Ephesians 4:31–32, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” It is only when we have a Christlike heart of charity, filled with kindness, gentleness, and forgiveness, that we will find ourselves having the ability to control our tongue. This will happen only when we are spiritually mature and wise in Christ. “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. … Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom” (Jas 3:2, 13).

Corrupt speech such as lying and slandering, cursing and swearing, using vulgarities, cracking dirty jokes, making racist remarks etc serve only to demean, degrade, discriminate and destroy people. They do not in any way contribute to the wellbeing of others. That is why verse 31 says, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.” “Bitterness” makes a person to use the tongue like a razor blade, to use cutting words in order to hurt the hearer. “Wrath” here is fury or strong antagonistic feelings which result in uncontrollable outbursts. “Anger” here refers to pent-up feelings of hatred which finally explode with murderous words. That is why verse 26 warns us, “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” “Clamour” is losing one’s temper that leads to yelling and screaming. “Evil speaking” refers to slanderous and blasphemous words, and “malice” produces words aimed at harming others.

As Christians, our speech should be pure and sincere, and aimed to protect the hearer and provide him with the knowledge and wisdom he needs to improve himself. The Apostle Paul says, “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Col 4:6). In another place, he tells us to “[speak] the truth in love, [so that we] may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Eph 4:15–16). May the Lord help us!