Idle Words
by Morris Norman
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 1, 31 March 1991
"And I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matthew 12:36).
Jesus emphatically stated that men shall be judged by "idle words." The word "idle" denoted "inactive, unfruitful, barren...worthless, as a word, Matthew 12:36; of faith unaccompanied by works, James 2:20" [Vines]. James McKnight in his "Harmony of the Gospels," Vol. II, page 61, says it comes from a Hebrew idiom signifying a lie and, in general, any vain, sinful, profane speech; and then adds, "a sophism or any false reasoning, used with a view to deceive, especially in a matter of importance, such as the Pharisees used on this occasion (Matthew 12:34) most maliciously to deceive the people, and hinder them from being effected properly by Christ’s miracles."
Christ had cast a demon out of a blind and dumb man. Some had concluded from this that Christ was the son of David, the expected Messiah. But the Pharisees, wanting to discredit Jesus, stated that He had cast the demon out in the name of Beelzebub. Christ, to show their sophism, or false reasoning, answered by pointing out that for Him to cast the demon out in the name of Beelzebub would cause the house of Beelzebub to be divided and ultimately to fall. He described their inconsistent reasoning by demanding that they make the tree and its fruit both good or both bad. This is the same kind of arguing James made about the tongue in James 3:9-11. If Jesus were of Beelzebub, He could not produce the good fruit of casting out demons, and vice versa.
These were in danger of blaspheming the Holy Spirit by attributing the good work that Jesus was doing, by the Holy Spirit, to the Devil. They could reject the message of Jesus at this point and still be saved when they accept the truth. In John 5, Jesus said that if He bore witness to Himself, His witness was not true (John 5:31); but He stated that another bore witness of Him (John 5:32), namely His Father, and that through the works Jesus did, as well as through the Scriptures (John 5:36-39). Both of these were the work of the Holy Spirit. They could reject His claim if witnesses did not confirm it. But to reject these claims when both the scriptures and signs witnessed them was to reject the Holy Spirit and hence the Father. To attribute the works that He did by the Holy Spirit to the devil was to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. They could not deny the signs, so they attributed them to the devil.
Their problem was in the heart. These idle words betrayed a corrupt heart; "How can you, being evil, speak good things" (Matthew 12:34)? They were prejudiced against Jesus because He was not the Messiah they had expected out fo their false conceptions, so they rejected Him and maliciously tried to void every sign He gave with false reasoning.
Today, we see the same attitudes manifested in those who oppose the truth. The Holy Spirit has done His work in revealing truth and confirming it with signs (Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:1-4; II Corinthians 12:12). How shall we escape if we "neglect so great a salvation?" "How much sorer punishment, think ye, shall be judged worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:29-30). Their rejection of and speaking against the revealing and confirming work of the Holy Spirit is a rejection of the only means of salvation; there can be no forgiveness, nothing but judgment.
When truth is preached, there will be those who will make an effort to undermine the truth with "idle words" and false reasoning, perhaps because of preconceived notions presented by false teachers. The New Testament teaches that the alien sinner must be baptized for the remission of sins. In an effort upon the part of prejudiced people to void this truth, we hear reasoning that is false: "What about the heathen in Africa who doesn’t know how to be baptized?" What about he heathen who doesn’t know how to believe in Christ? Does this make faith void? Of course not. Again: "What if a man is killed on the way to baptism, will he be lost?" What if he were killed on the way to hear the truth to believe, would he be lost? Again, "Wouldn’t baptism make salvation by works and not grace?" Isn’t faith a work (John 6:29)? Grace is not voided by meeting conditions necessary to obtain grace. None of this reasoning refutes the force of Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21 and a host of other passages where baptism is a condition of salvation. Such reasoning highlights prejudice and preconceived notions that blind one to accepting the truth; they are idle words.
Brethren, let us be careful that we are not guilty. There is much dissension abroad. Everyone thinks he is right, but there is an error somewhere. I need to be as objective with the testimony of God as is humanly possible. My goal is to be right with God, not to promote a party or win an argument. I know of scores of folk of the same thought and who are ready to reason, not to accuse. Surely, with such a desire, we can come to the unity God desires for His people. I pray that God will not cause me to hold onto past conclusions so that I may not miss the truth when it is presented. Present your reasoning with love. If we miss the truth, we miss it all, even though we may "win an argument" and be applauded by those who may agree with us. My prayer is that I will eliminate every idle word from my speech and every motive of heart that would promote it, considering every argument in its proper context so that Christ may be sanctified in my heart as Lord.
