I work with a guy who goes to church every time the doors to the church are open and he professes to be a Christian. And yet he says "s**t" and "d**m" practically every day. I realize that God is the only accurate judge of what is in a person's heart, but do you think that he is really a Christian?
2007-03-14 13:24:45 · 29 answers · asked by Kidd! 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Can a person who overeats be a Christian (considering the number of pot-lucks and barbecues that promote gluttony)?
Can a person who is addicted to nicotine be a Christian?
Can a person who stares lustfully at girls be a Christian?
Can a person who smiles at people at Church, but think critically of them be a Christian?
Can a person who finds their own gender sexually attractive be a Christian?
I don't think it is fair to say that 'this shortcoming' or 'that shortcoming' is grounds for saying "no.. .they're not a Christian."
I say 'damn' often. And a few other words. It's partly cultural, as in Australia there is a much higher tolerance and use of the word 'damn', even in the church itself! However, it's not as acceptable to be 'pissed off' or call anything 'bloody'.
Yes, absolutely he can be a Christian, and could even be a better Christian than you! Remember the story of the Apostle Peter when he denied Christ. Potty mouth! Did that keep him from being who he ended up being?
I worked with a guy who speaks at churches from time to time, sharing whatever message was on his mind. I was shocked when the drain pump we were working on didn't go his way. "Get in there you piece of SH**!" He later asked me if I was offended. (I wasn't, I thought it was hilarious!) Then went on to explain that he grew up on a sheep farm, and sh** was on the ground, and that's what sh** was, and they called it sh**.
Let God work on him for his language. Who knows how many other things God has changed in his life already.
2007-03-14 13:39:26 · answer #1 · answered by Mike E 2 · 5⤊ 1⤋
It's possible, but he certainly has a major swearing problem that needs to be worked on. Maybe he is a backslidden Christian who doesn't know he's a backslidden Christian. I hope he figures out soon that he is not a very good Christian. I realize that sounds harsh and judgmental, but I used to have a swearing problem too, and I have been saved since I was 3. When I became a teenager, I thought I sounded cooler if I swore, and boy, is that a hard habit to break. Now I say things like "Holy Mackerel" and "Oh my gosh!". You have to replace the swear words with benign phrases with purpose, and you HAVE to ask God for help. He needs to know this, so he can have a closer relationship with God. Also, you can't do a very good job witnessing to anyone if you swear. It just doesn't work. And he is supposed to be doing that; it's called The Great Commission.
2007-03-14 20:32:14 · answer #2 · answered by Iamnotarobot (former believer) 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
He may not be at the same level of maturity in his Christian walk that others are, and he just doesn't realize that his swearing is damaging to his witness. We all did things when we were new in Christ that we now know weren't appropriate or that didn't reflect well on our Lord.
My suggestion is to pray for him and ask the Lord to bring the problem to his attention, rather than confront him directly. Unless you're his pastor or an elder, you run the risk of offending a brother in Christ. And if you are in a position of spiritual authority, then pray about the best way to handle the problem.
Don't be surprised if he asks you or someone else, "Do you think I swear too much?" or a similar question. God has a sense of humor about these things when people pray. God bless both of you, and just remember to love him, not condemn him.
2007-03-14 21:09:28 · answer #3 · answered by Wolfeblayde 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Well it all comes down to the fruit that his walk with Christ is producing. Check out Philippians 4:8 (NIV) this is what the heart and mind should look like, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Check out this past Sundays sermon at www.ccmodesto.com. Damian the pastor talks about anger and how it is a product of the heart, it also kind of works with the swearing thing.
God Bless!
2007-03-14 20:33:43 · answer #4 · answered by All 4 His Glory 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I really wouldn't know. Every other word for me before Jesus was the F word. I will occasionally slip when I get in the flesh and real angry but those times are few and far in-between. I don't cuss anymore. It just went away. Our Christianity is about out relationship with Jesus not political correctness. Just because you and I don't cuss doesn't mean it's a requirement for Christianity.
2007-03-14 22:02:26 · answer #5 · answered by Bye Bye 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is possible. Sometimes when you have been doing a certain habit like swearing for a long time, you do not get delivered from it immediately. Sanctification is a lifelong process. I did not quit drinking for 8 months, and then one night I just totally lost the desire for alcohol. I have now been alcohol free for 12.5 years, and it was God, not some 12 step program.
2007-03-15 08:41:18 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I dont think we should looking at people like that. Everyone sins and we all have these sins that are just our weakness. You sin everyday just as I do. Instead of trying to judge him why not pray for him in this area. It could be an area he already knows hes weak in. If he is a Christian why not just ask him about it and try to relate with him about a recurring sin for you also
2007-03-15 00:19:04 · answer #7 · answered by kittykat 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God knows that we are not perfect and all of us have sinned in our lives practically every day in someway. I am a Christian but I have used curse words sometimes and later asked God to forgive me especially if it was out of anger or frustration. I'm a strong believer in what God says which is "Judge not lest thou be judged" which is certainly something God does not want any of us to do. We all fall short of the glory of God. God understands each of our hearts and loves us all anyway.
2007-03-15 01:56:23 · answer #8 · answered by toughguy2 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
He could very well be a practicing Christian and have a personal relationship with the Lord. His swearing is one of his sins. He perhaps needs someone to point it out to him and he can work on stopping that.
He needs to call on God's help and to try to not commit this sin anymore. As Christians, we all are sinners, we are not perfect. Only God is.
Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.
2007-03-14 21:21:37 · answer #9 · answered by girlnamedmaria 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
A true Christian will not curse like that...
Its important to have a clean heart and when you have that, your thoughts are on God and away from earthly things.
Christians are supposed to be in the world BUT not of the world... blessings
2007-03-15 17:09:28 · answer #10 · answered by karen_03625 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋