Profanity is the apparel of the heart which is paraded before men to show the weakness of the mind.  Language is the means by which thoughts and emotions are transmitted.  When our language is filled with profanity, we convey our thoughts of irreverence and contempt for those things that are sacred and holy.  Our hearts are filled with unholy thoughts and profane emotions in the use of profanity.  Jesus reminded His disciples in Matthew 15:17-20, "Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

Profanity finds its origin in a heart filled with defilement.  The words of a wise man express themselves by his ability to hold back from the tongue those things that should never have been on the mind in the first place. The Lord said in Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." Our tongues are eternally connected to what is found in the heart and as the heart goes, so goes the tongue.

Numerous admonitions are given for children of God to refrain from profanity.  "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  (Ephesians 4:29-31)  Profanity grieves the "Holy Spirit of God" and this kind of language is to be put away from our lives.  Shortly after this, Paul wrote:  "But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God."  (5:3-5)

A person that uses profanity will not inherit the kingdom of Christ and God - they will lose their soul in Hell!  This is the serious nature of the use of profanity.  God long ago established that His name was to be kept holy and sacred.  From the Law of Moses we read, "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."  (Exodus 20:7)  While the Law of Moses has passed away, God still feels the same way about His name.

Under the Law, the penalty for blaspheming the name of God was clearly understood.  "And whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the LORD, he shall be put to death."  (Leviticus 24:16)  The Law stated in Leviticus 19:12, "And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD."

Today, the profaning of God's name is common place in almost every facet of society.  As we noted in last week's article, it is common place in the movies.  Will God hold us faultless who allow this kind of profanity to be accepted in our hearts?  Can we be acceptable to God when we knowingly allow God's name to be used in vain and do nothing?  The example sited last week was the movie "Titanic" that used God's name in vain 22 times.  "The Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."  Without repentance, a person is damned to Hell who participates or condones the use of God's name in vain.