The Dangers of Idle Words and Their Biblical Meaning

"But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment." Matthew 12:36

What Does Jesus Mean by “Idle Words” in Matthew 12:36?

What is an idle word or idle talk? Biblically, in Greek, the phrase is rema argos, meaning “careless or inactive or unprofitable words.” They are meaningless, harmful, or careless words that can wound others and even reveal the state of our hearts. The dangers of idle words are many, but for Christians they primarily harm our witness to others and our relationship with God.

Prior to this verse, the Pharisees had just accused Jesus of casting out demons using the power of Beelzebub (another name for Satan). Jesus tells them in Matthew 12:34,

"For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

Idle Words Reveal the Condition of the Heart

The Pharisees had blasphemed our Lord. Instead of recognizing His power came from God, they were accusing Him of being in league with the Devil. The idle words they spoke betrayed their hearts. The words coming from our mouths are not easily controlled.

The Bible on Taming the Tongue (James 3 Explained)

James discusses the terrible problem of taming our tongues in James 3:1-12.

"But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God." (James 3:8-9)

Idle words have no place in the mouths of Christians. The Holy Spirit alone can help us overcome them.

What Are Idle Words? Practical Examples of Careless Speech

Idle words, according to vocabulary.com are, "empty rhetoric or insincere or exaggerated talk synonyms; jazz, malarky, nothingness, wind." Everyone has heard, for example, people on television expounding on a subject and actually saying very little. We often use the expression, "talking to hear themselves talk", to describe this. Idle words serve NO good purpose.

The Dangers of Idle Words in Everyday Life

Idle words can destroy lives. People have literally had their families destroyed, their jobs lost, and even sometimes their very lives lost because of idle words. When we speak we need to pause and ask ourselves, "Does what I am about to say serve a good purpose?" That old adage, "think before you speak", has a lot of value.

Words don't have to be evil to be sinful. Paul teaches us in Ephesians 4:29,

"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."

The New Living Translation says it this way: "Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." So bad language, language that is hurtful, name-calling, all are wrong, but instead we should be the type of person who encourages and helps others. Our spoken words are a reflection of our inner life. Our purpose is to encourage each other.

Idle Words in the Digital Age: Social Media, Gossip, and Self-Talk

Idle words are everywhere on the internet. People seem to feel as though, since they don't know you and will never see you, they can say anything and it's okay. How about speaking about someone behind their back—even if it's true? How about lying to someone just to make them happy or avoid an argument?

We can even speak idle words to ourselves. Have you ever spoken to yourself in a derogatory way? Tearing yourself down with your own words. God never tells us to do this. That voice is not His.

Have you ever tattled on someone at work for not doing their job properly? It may be very tempting to share something bad about a colleague just to make ourselves look good. All of these are examples of idle words.

Do we brag and boast of our accomplishments? Maybe we insincerely flatter people around us that we deem important and helpful to us. On the other hand, perhaps we demean or make fun of people we don't value. Do we use our Lord's name as an expression that has nothing to do with worship?

The more we listen to foul language, the more we are exposed to it, the harder it becomes to not use it. Are the movies we watch ridden with foul language? Have we heard G-- D--- so many times that we don't even notice it anymore? Do we say, "Oh my G--" and not think twice? We should be a Christian witness in a divided world.

When we were children and others would bully us, we used to recite a little poem, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Sadly that is usually not true. Bullying, demeaning others does hurt people and often does have lasting effects.

An example of the danger of idle words is the following story. There was once a person who was very passionate about their work and loved what they did. They had worked hard to get to where they were. They were proud of their accomplishments. One day, they received some feedback from a colleague that was not only negative but also very hurtful. The colleague had criticized their work in front of others and had used harsh words that left the person feeling embarrassed and ashamed.

This incident became a turning point in the person's life. They started to doubt their abilities, lost their confidence, and began to second-guess themselves at work. They became much more reserved and avoided speaking up, even when they had valuable insights to share.

They stopped enjoying their work and became much less productive, which eventually led to them losing their job. The person's life had been impacted by the idle words of their colleague, and it took them a long time to regain their confidence and find their passion again.

How Christians Can Guard Their Words and Reflect Christ

My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will bring to my attention the times I say "idle" words. Then I can ask forgiveness and try to continue to be more like Jesus. I want a heart that is loving, one from which kind words can flow. I have failed desperately many times, but my goal is to have the heart of Jesus, to build up and not tear down, to encourage and not discourage the people around me.

James warns us to bridle our tongues, and if we don't, we are deceived about our heart. To be religious, he says we must show restraint in how we speak, if we don't our religion is useless (James 1:26). Those are strong words. Those are difficult words to hear. We should be so different from the world around us that we are like a stranger in the earth.

We can all think back to moments in our lives when we have been on the receiving end of idle words. You know how it feels. We say we are Christians. As an old hymn says, "They will know we are Christians by our love." Our words are a window into our hearts. Do we truly love? We should pray with David for God's help as he does in Psalm 141:3,

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips."

The Dangers of Idle Words