Why is it wrong to say bad words? Does the Bible say not to cuss?
"Don't let any evil talk come out of your mouths. Say only what will help to build others up and meet their needs. Then what you say will help those who listen" (Ephesians 4:29).
"Keep your tongues from speaking evil. Keep your lips from telling lies" (1 Peter 3:10b).
All our words should be pleasing to God and kind to others.It’s wrong to say bad words or cuss for several reasons. First of all, the Bible says that our words have power, and we have the ability to either build up people or tear them down by how we speak to them (see Proverbs 12:6; 18:21). An example of this would be if a friend constantly tells you that you’re worthless. This would tear you down and make you feel horrible about yourself.
Second, the Bible says that using bad words makes us look silly (Proverbs 12:16; 29:11) because it shows the people around us that we can’t control our emotions and that we aren’t very wise. Even if we aren’t angry when we say the bad words, we’re still showing that we don’t have control over what we say.
Third, the Bible tells us that whatever comes out of our mouth shows what’s in our heart (Luke 6:45). So when people cuss or call someone else names to communicate how they feel or what they think, they’re showing that their hearts have some pain, anger, and unkindness.
Bad language comes from an unhealthy heart. Good language comes from a healthy heart that is filled with love, goodness, gentleness and self-control, which are fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22–23).
Every day offers a chance to choose anger or compassion, bitterness or forgiveness, darkness or light, and the choices we make reveal the truth about our character.
