Is it Okay for a Christian to Cuss?

Sometimes it's fun to be a pastor, especially when you are with a someone who doesn't know you are a pastor. I have seen more than one shocked expression when a person finds out the person they've just spent the airplane ride or cocktail table with is a pastor. I can see their mind racing through the events up to that point to see what they said and did.

Most people want to remember one thing--did I cuss in front of the pastor? I assure them that cussing in front of me is not the big issue. I'm not their judge. However, the fact that so many use profanity, including Christians, raises a question I hear often: Is it okay for a Christian to cuss?

Many will argue against cussing from Scripture in passages such as the taming of the tongue in James 3 or words that arise from what's in the human heart in Luke 6. Some have asked whether we want our lives to be more like an episode of South Park or like the vision of holiness from the book of Revelation. Some argue that profanity is culturally defined and any cultural standard of which words are not acceptable is arbitrary and therefore not binding.

Language is complex. Word usage and meanings are constantly evolving. However, this issue for me is not complex. I have a simple standard by which to measure the words that come out of my mouth. I think it is a useful one for all Christians.

Would I cuss if I were face-to-face with God?

That's it for me. If I were there when the glory of God passed by Moses, would I say "#@$#, would you look at that?" If I were in the scene from Isaiah 6 where Isaiah goes before God and it is awesome to see, would I cuss? If I was on the mountain of transfiguration with Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, would profanity leave my lips? I don't think so.

My litmus test: if you wouldn't use the word in front of God, don't say it. The fact is, God is always with us. We are always in front of God. So in the end, never say it.