Good Speech: One of Life's Important Lessons

Among the many important life lessons that I have learned from my mother, the one I have benefited from most since my conversion to Christadelphianism is, “If you don’t have anything good to say, then don’t say anything at all.” It is from this advice that I now realise the true wisdom of this statement, “Let he who truly believes in Jesus Christ and the Last Day, say something good or be silent.”

Speech is the main method of communication among human beings. It is how we convey our desires and emotions. Our speech reflects our ‘true’ personalities because the tongue is the vessel from which the contents of the heart pour forth.

If a person’s heart is good and pure, good will be reflected in their speech. But if a person’s heart is corrupted and evil, this too will be reflected in their speech. Good speech is among the signs of true faith and it will be a source of success.

Many believers do not enter into conversations or discussions intending to commit major sins, yet every so often even lawful speech leads to undesirable results. This is a common pitfall for many believers, especially those who indulge in idle and unnecessary talk. God has not left us unarmed in this battle. For our benefit, He has enclosed the tongue in its own small prison between our teeth and lips. Human nature demands that we feel the need to make these speeches, but before we open the prison doors and uncage the beast, we should remember that silence is often a virtue and the rewards for silence can be great, as a saying goes, “Whoever guards what is between his jaws will be guaranteed paradise by God.”

It is most unfortunate that indecent speech, backbiting and slander have become common place among Christians today, by both men and women.

The main consequence of vain and indecent speech is that it puts one under the threat of God’s punishment. Among the other consequences is that it corrupts and hardens the heart. God has given us the ability to perform both good and indecent speech. And it must be remembered that speech is a blessing from God. We must show gratitude by using it for teaching, preaching, spreading peace, reading the Bible, enjoining good, forbidding evil, sincerely advising our brothers and sisters in faith and for all the other things that bring us closer to God.

The best lessson if we are in doubt, is that we should remain silent.

Bro. Wilo Wise (Mazowe, Zimbabwe)


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