Is the Use of Profanity Consistent with Christian Character
The use of profanity is considered inconsistent with Christian character across various Christian traditions. The third commandment, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" (Ex 20:7), is often cited as a biblical basis for this stance [1]. This commandment is understood to prohibit not only perjury and blasphemy but also the careless or irreverent use of God's name.
In the view of John Calvin, the misuse of God's name includes "rash and unseasonable employment" as well as its use in "nefarious purposes, as is done by those who use it in necromancy, cursing, illicit exorcisms, and other impious incantations" [4]. Calvin's Institutes emphasize that the holiness of God's name is paramount, and its desecration through profanity is a grave offense [3].
The early Christian fathers also addressed the issue of profanity. Augustine, for instance, warned against "profane novelties of words" that lead to ungodliness, citing 2 Timothy 2:16-17 [2]. This concern with maintaining purity of speech reflects a broader emphasis on the importance of language in Christian life.
The biblical basis for avoiding profanity is not limited to the third commandment. Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:33-37, part of the Sermon on the Mount, instructs followers not to swear oaths at all, emphasizing the importance of truthfulness and integrity in speech. The apostle James similarly exhorts believers not to swear, "lest you fall under condemnation" (Jas 5:12).
In Christian theology, the character of believers is understood to be shaped by their relationship with God and their commitment to following Christ. According to Charles Hodge, Christian character encompasses not just conscious actions but also deeper dispositions and habits [7]. The use of profanity is seen as incompatible with the cultivation of godliness, which involves exercising oneself "unto godliness" (1 Tim 4:7) [8].
The Catholic tradition, as represented by Thomas Aquinas, understands the concept of character in relation to the sacraments and the believer's ordination to a life of worship and service [6]. While Aquinas does not directly address profanity, his discussion of character highlights the importance of being set apart for God's purposes, which includes the reverent use of language.
In summary, the Christian tradition generally views the use of profanity as inconsistent with Christian character due to its violation of the third commandment, its incompatibility with the values of truthfulness and reverence, and its reflection of a deeper spiritual condition. The emphasis on avoiding profanity is rooted in biblical teachings and has been reinforced by various Christian theologians and traditions throughout history.
The historical development of this doctrine is tied to the broader Christian emphasis on holiness and the reverent treatment of sacred things. As Calvin notes, ceremonies and practices in the Christian life should lead to Christ and promote piety, rather than introducing "profane entertainments" or unbecoming behavior [9]. The consistent witness against profanity across different Christian traditions underscores its significance as a matter of Christian character and discipleship.
The practice of avoiding profanity is thus not merely a matter of personal piety but is deeply connected to the Christian understanding of God's holiness and the believer's calling to reflect that holiness in their speech and conduct. As Torrey's Topical Textbook succinctly puts it, "Of all kinds [swearing, profane] is desecration of God's name and is forbidden" [1].
The connection between speech and character is a recurring theme in Christian ethics. Jesus' teaching on the subject emphasizes the importance of letting one's "yes be yes" and one's "no be no," indicating that the speech of a Christian should be marked by simplicity, truthfulness, and reverence [5].
The reverberations of this teaching are seen in the writings of the apostles and the early Church Fathers, who consistently warn against the misuse of language and emphasize the need for speech that is edifying and consistent with the gospel. This underscores that the issue of profanity is part of a broader concern with the cultivation of Christian character through the disciplined use of language.
Sources
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Swearing, Profane — Of all kinds is desecration of God's name and is forbidden -- Ex 20:7; Mt 5:34-36; 23:21,22; Jas 5:12. The wicked Addicted to. -- Ps 10:7; Ro 3:14. Love. -- Ps 109:17. Clothe themselves with. -- Ps 109:18. Guilt of -- Ex 20:7; De 5:11. Woe denounced against -- Mt 23:16. Nations visited for -- Jer 23:10; Ho 4:1-3. Punishment for -- Le 24:16,23; Ps 59:12; 109:17,18. Exemplified Son of Israelitish woman. -- Le 24:11. Gehazi. -- 2Ki 5:20. Peter. -- Mt 26:74.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 7: Augustine — Homilies on John — CHAPTER XVI. 12, 13 (continued). (part 5): such things, and gave salutary admonition about avoiding them, when be said, "Shun profane novelties of words; for they increase unto much ungodliness, and their speech insinuates itself as cloth a cancer."(3) He did not say novelties of words merely; but added, "profane." 376 For there are also novelties of words in perfect harmony with religious doctrine, as is told us in Scripture of the very name of Christians, when it began to be used. For it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christian”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: ingratitude and malice should impair, our audacity and petulance should as much as in them lies destroy, the glory of God? But though all the ungodly should burst with sacrilegious rage, the holiness of God’s name still shines forth. Justly does the Psalmist exclaim, “According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth,” ( Ps. 48:10 ). For wherever God hath made himself known, his perfections must be displayed, his power, goodness, wisdom, justice, mercy, and truth, which fill us with admiration, and incite us”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 44: Were there nothing worse, in being deprived of its dignity it is gradually brought into contempt. But if there is so much evil in the rash and unseasonable employment of the divine name, there is still more evil in its being employed for nefarious purposes, as is done by those who use it in necromancy, cursing, illicit exorcisms, and other impious incantations. But the Commandment refers especially to the case of oaths, in which a perverse employment of the divine name is particularly detestable; and this it does the more effectual”
- Matthew (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Matthew 5:13: We have here the practical application of the foregoing principles to those disciples who sat listening to them, and to their successors in all time. Our Lord, though He began by pronouncing certain characters to be blessed--without express reference to any of His hearers--does not close the beatitudes without intimating that such characters were in existence, and that already they were before Him. Accordingly, from characters He comes to persons possessing them, saying, "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you," &c. (Mat 5:11). And now, continuing t”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Other Effect of the Sacraments, Which Is a Character, Art. 3: Article: Whether the sacramental character is the character of Christ? I answer that, As has been made clear above (Article [1]), a character is properly a kind of seal, whereby something is marked, as being ordained to some particular end: thus a coin is marked for use in exchange of goods, and soldiers are marked with a character as being deputed to military service. Now the faithful are deputed to a twofold end. First and principally to the enjoyment of glory. And for th”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 28: sense of those words, but also to that which lies lower than consciousness. As the greater part of our knowledge is treasured up where consciousness does not reach, so the greater part of what constitutes our character as good or evil, is lower not only than the will but even than consciousness itself. It is not only however by direct assertion that this doctrine is taught in the Bible. It is constantly assumed, and is involved in some of the most important doctrines of the word of God. It is taken for granted in what is taught of the mor”
- 1 Timothy (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Timothy 4:7: But refuse profane and old wives' fables,.... Either Jewish ones, the traditions of the elders; or those of the Gnostics, concerning God, angels, and the creation of the world; or those doctrines of demons, and which forbad marriage, and commanded abstinence from meats before mentioned; which are called profane, because impious and ungodly, and old wives' fables, because foolish and impertinent; and which were to be rejected with abhorrence and contempt, in comparison of the words of faith and good doctrine. And exercise thyself rather unto godliness; either to th”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 92: and reverence, with which sacred things ought to be treated. Moreover, ceremonies, in order to be exercises of piety, must lead us directly to Christ. In like manner, we shall not make order consist in that nugatory pomp which gives nothing but evanescent splendour, but in that arrangement which removes all confusion, barbarism, contumacy, all turbulence and dissension. Of the former class we have examples ( 1 Cor. 11:5, 21 ), where Paul says, that profane entertainments must not be intermingled with the sacred Supper of the Lord; ”