God gives us many instructions regarding good conversations. We would do well to pay particular attention to our own conversational abilities.
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." – Ephesians 4:29
God has ordained that a believer’s conversation should be different than the rest of the world. A believer’s conversation should never contain
anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, jesting, backbiting, talebearing, slander, gossip, hatred, bitterness, critical spirit, neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, – Colossians 3:8, Hebrews, Ephesians 5:4
Rather our conversation should be seasoned with salt, filled with thanksgiving, thinking on those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, praiseworthy, etc. Philippians 4:8
An Exercise
A good exercise for those training their conversations in godliness is to study the "one another" passages. Those are the commands of God for what believers should or should not be doing one to another.
Scripture
Matthew 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
John 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.John 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Romans 14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
Romans 15:14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
Romans 16:16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.· 1 Corinthians 16:20 All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.· 2 Corinthians 13:12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.· 1 Peter 5:14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Ephesians 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Galatians 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
Galatians 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
1 Thessalonians 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1 John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
1 John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
2 John 1:5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
Now this study would not be complete until you have done a biblical word study of each of these commands. Ask yourself, "what does it mean to _______?" Start by now listing the commands one by one. Divide the negatives from the positives.
To facilitate such a study we have given you the corresponding Greek number for the word in Strong’s Concordance. One way to study the meaning is by tracking that meaning through the New Testament. This will take you some time so plan to make it a month-long study on your own, perhaps in your devotional time.
(Edify, exhort, admonish, instruct, correct, encourage, strengthen, love, prefer, be kindly affectioned, honor, receive, bear, tenderhearted, forgive, sing, comfort, provoke, forbearing, serving, kind, greet, envy not, teach, provoke, betray not, betray not, lie not, not judge, no stumblingblock, not hating, provoke not,)
Knowing all this is one thing. Putting it into practice is quite another. We are creatures of habit. Bad habit die slowly. Bad conversational habits in many instances have become trademarks of who we are. People may avoid us because of your conversational habits.
How will you change your conversational habits?
- Know what those habits are.
- Know what pleases God and what does not.
- Make every effort to be a conversationalist that pleases God.
- Hold one another accountable for our conversations that turn sour.
"And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us,
while he talked with us by the way,
and while he opened to us the scriptures?" – Luke 24:32
"Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another:
and the LORD hearkened, and heard it,
and a book of remembrance was written before him
for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name." – Malachi 3:16