Building on the Foundation

  In the first three blog posts in this series, we’ve explored the deadly sin of reviling, which involves cursing, belittling, and using abusive language toward other people. In part 1 , we saw that this behavior is evil and demonic, and that such people will burn in the lake of fire if they do not repent: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10). In part 2 , we saw that God’s Word especially condemns reviling spirit beings, our parents, human rulers or authorities, our spouses, our children, fellow brethren, and people in general. In this life, God’s law prescribes the death penalty for reviling many of these, in addition to the eternal destruction that awaits those who persist in such wicked behavior. In part 3 , we explored...

When things happen without us really having to think about them, we don’t tend to pay them much mind. We flip a switch, and the lights come on without us ever considering the electricity that flows through the walls to make it possible.  Our heart was designed to beat automatically, our skin was designed to grow without management, and our stomachs were designed to nourish us without us even having to spend a single thought on it.  There is, however, one part of our body that we tend to think of as automatic, a natural part of the way we function, and we are inclined to handle it as something that is beyond our control. We treat it as though it will do what it will do, and we can't do anything about it. It is very much in our power to control, however, and we must make every effort to do so if we are to call ourselves Children of God.  The organ in question is the tongue, and it is capable of being controlled, though it is a great struggle for most of us to do so, becaus...