Taming the Tongue

Posted by expedition44 on May 15, 2026

This is a followup article to my good friend Paul’s at Cross and Cornerstone…

Great article! READ HERE: Taming the Tongue

Words That Build Kingdoms or Burn Them Down

Few things have fractured churches, damaged families, divided friendships, and undermined kingdom community more profoundly than the misuse of words. Entire relationships can be unraveled by a sentence. Trust built over years may collapse through gossip whispered in moments. Communities formed in covenant can suddenly become strained under the subtle poison of criticism, slander, accusation, or careless speech. Scripture consistently presents the tongue not as a secondary issue of spiritual maturity but as a central diagnostic of discipleship itself. The biblical witness repeatedly suggests that what exits the mouth often reveals realities deeply embedded within the heart.

We live in an age saturated with speech. Through social media, podcasts, texting, digital communities, and twenty-four-hour outrage cycles, humanity speaks more than any generation in history. Yet increased communication has not necessarily produced increased wisdom. If anything, the digital age has amplified what the apostle James warned against nearly two thousand years ago: the destructive power of an untamed tongue. Many believers have learned how to articulate theological positions, defend doctrinal tribes, and speak confidently about spiritual matters while simultaneously neglecting the deeper kingdom ethic of speech rooted in humility, gentleness, covenant faithfulness, and wisdom from above.

For the biblical writers, speech was never merely descriptive. Words were formative and relational not transactional. They shaped reality, cultivated covenant, reinforced identity, and carried spiritual consequence. This reality becomes even more striking when viewed through an Ancient Near Eastern and Hebraic lens. Within the world of the Hebrew Bible, speech was not considered cheap, casual, or disposable. Words possessed power because they flowed from the character and intentions of the speaker. A promise spoken established covenant. A blessing spoken carried generational implications. A curse uttered represented rupture and judgment. Speech was deeply connected to moral responsibility and communal flourishing.¹

This framework helps us understand why James devotes such serious attention to the tongue. James 3 is not simply moral advice about avoiding profanity or trying harder to “be nice.” Rather, James draws deeply from Jewish wisdom traditions, Proverbs, covenant ethics, and the teachings of Jesus to articulate something far more profound: the tongue functions as a spiritual barometer of kingdom maturity. One may profess theological orthodoxy, participate in worship gatherings, or possess extensive biblical knowledge, yet an untamed mouth exposes a heart still undergoing formation. James therefore confronts believers with uncomfortable honesty: maturity is inseparable from speech.

Speech in the Ancient Near Eastern Imagination

To appreciate the gravity of James’s warning, we must first understand the ancient worldview surrounding speech. In many Ancient Near Eastern cultures, spoken words were perceived as powerful extensions of authority and identity. While Israel’s worldview remained distinct from surrounding nations, the broader cultural context nevertheless recognized language as carrying performative force. Kings issued decrees that established legal realities. Priests invoked blessings believed to mediate divine favor. Oaths created binding obligations, and public declarations could reshape communal standing.²

The Hebrew Scriptures amplify this understanding through the doctrine of creation itself. The opening chapter of Genesis repeatedly emphasizes that God creates through speech: “And God said…” (Gen 1:3). Creation emerges not through violence, chaos, or divine combat—as was common in neighboring ANE myths—but through ordered, intentional divine utterance. God speaks, and reality responds. Walter Brueggemann notes that in Israel’s imagination, Yahweh’s speech is never empty rhetoric but effective action that creates and sustains covenantal order.³ Words, therefore, participate in the movement from chaos to flourishing.

This theological backdrop matters profoundly. Humanity, created in the imago Dei, reflects the Creator’s nature. If God creates through speech, human beings likewise participate in either creative or destructive realities through their own words. Speech can cultivate peace or sow chaos. It can encourage covenant faithfulness or fracture communal trust. Proverbs recognizes this tension repeatedly: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov 18:21). Such language is not poetic exaggeration. It reflects a worldview in which speech possesses formative force.

Hebrew itself reveals the interconnectedness of speech and action. The Hebrew word dābār (דָּבָר) may be translated as “word,” “matter,” “thing,” or “event.”⁴ Unlike modern Western distinctions separating speech from action, biblical Hebrew often understands spoken words as events that produce consequence. What is spoken enters reality.

A careless word does not simply disappear into abstraction. It enters relationships, communities, and spiritual environments carrying tangible effects.

This perspective should already challenge modern assumptions. Contemporary culture often minimizes speech under the banner of emotional reaction or personal authenticity: I was angry. I was venting. I was simply being honest. Yet biblical theology repeatedly frames speech as moral responsibility. Honesty devoid of wisdom becomes brutality. Truth without gentleness becomes violence. Correction absent humility often deteriorates into self-righteousness. James inherits this Hebraic imagination. He understands speech not as incidental but central to covenant living. The tongue, though physically small, possesses disproportionate influence because it reveals and shapes spiritual reality simultaneously.

Lashon Hara: Evil Speech and Covenant Breakdown

Perhaps one of the most illuminating Jewish concepts for understanding James 3 is the Hebrew phrase lashon hara (לָשׁוֹן הָרַע), literally meaning “evil tongue” or “evil speech.” While the precise phrase emerges later within rabbinic tradition, its theological foundations are deeply rooted in Scripture.⁵ At its core, lashon hara refers to speech that harms another person—even when the information spoken may technically be true. This distinction is vital. Biblical ethics does not merely condemn falsehood; it also challenges destructive truth-telling detached from love, restoration, or covenant responsibility. One may speak factual words and still participate in sin if those words unnecessarily shame, divide, humiliate, or fracture relationships. The issue is not only factual accuracy but covenantal purpose. The story of Miriam in Numbers 12 offers a striking example. Miriam and Aaron criticize Moses, ostensibly raising concerns about leadership and marriage. Yet Yahweh interprets their speech as rebellion against covenant order. Miriam is subsequently struck with leprosy, signaling the seriousness of destructive speech within the covenant community.⁶ Jewish interpreters later understood this narrative as foundational to teachings regarding slander, gossip, and careless criticism. Similarly, Psalm 34 exhorts believers: “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit” (Ps 34:13). Proverbs consistently warns against gossip (nirgan), slander, quarrelsome speech, and reckless words that pierce “like a sword” (Prov 12:18). Wisdom literature understands language as either healing balm or corrosive poison.

Importantly, biblical warnings concerning speech frequently emerge within covenant settings. The greatest damage rarely comes from enemies outside the community but from harmful speech among brothers and sisters walking together. Communities built upon trust are uniquely vulnerable to the wounds of words. Churches fracture. Friendships dissolve. Ministry teams splinter. Entire spiritual environments become shaped by cynicism, suspicion, or unresolved offense. James recognizes this danger. He writes not to pagan outsiders but to believers scattered among the nations. His concern centers upon the moral integrity of kingdom communities struggling to embody the ethics of Jesus in a fractured world.

James 3 and the Jewish Wisdom Tradition

James’s treatment of the tongue reaches its theological climax in James 3:1–12, a passage deeply saturated with Hebraic wisdom categories. Far too often, modern readers approach James as though he were merely offering practical self-help advice for Christian living. Yet James reads far more like Israel’s wisdom literature than contemporary moral instruction. Scholars frequently describe the epistle as “New Testament Proverbs” because of its emphasis upon embodied righteousness, covenant integrity, and ethical maturity.⁷ James is not interested in abstract theology detached from daily practice. Faithfulness must become visible.

He begins with a sobering warning directed toward teachers: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment” (Jas 3:1). This opening is hardly accidental. Teachers operate primarily through speech. They shape imaginations, frame theological realities, influence discipleship, and direct communities. Consequently, the misuse of words becomes especially dangerous when carried by positions of spiritual authority. Craig Blomberg observes that James recognizes how destructive speech often increases proportionally with influence.⁸ Leadership magnifies consequences.

This warning should strike contemporary ministry culture with unusual force. Churches often emphasize charisma, gifted communication, or platform influence while neglecting deeper questions regarding speech ethics. One may preach eloquently while simultaneously damaging people through sarcasm, divisiveness, unnecessary criticism, or relational manipulation. James refuses to separate giftedness from character. The mature teacher is recognizable not simply by doctrinal precision but by disciplined speech rooted in wisdom.

James continues: “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature” (Jas 3:2). The Greek term teleios (τέλειος) carries the idea of completeness, maturity, or wholeness rather than sinless perfection.⁹ James’s argument is striking: spiritual maturity becomes visible through the disciplining of speech. One cannot meaningfully claim formation into the image of Christ while consistently leaving relational destruction in the wake of one’s words. The apostle then unfolds a series of vivid metaphors. First comes the horse’s bit. Though small, it directs an animal of immense strength (Jas 3:3). Then comes the ship’s rudder, tiny in comparison to the vessel yet decisive in direction (3:4). James’s logic becomes unmistakable: small things often govern large outcomes. The tongue may seem insignificant, yet it steers relationships, ministries, reputations, marriages, churches, and communities. Perhaps his strongest imagery arrives in verse 5: “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!” James compares the tongue to wildfire, capable of devastating destruction disproportionate to its size. Anyone who has watched division spread through a congregation understands precisely what James means. A whispered accusation. A careless comment after church. A cynical text thread. A private offense left unchecked. Before long, suspicion spreads like fire through dry brush.

Within an Ancient Near Eastern context, fire imagery carried particular emotional weight. Wildfires threatened crops, livelihoods, and survival itself. Fire symbolized devastation beyond human control. James therefore does not exaggerate. Speech untethered from wisdom becomes spiritually combustible. He intensifies the metaphor further, describing the tongue as “set on fire by Gehenna” (Jas 3:6). Gehenna (γέεννα) evokes the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, associated with judgment, corruption, and idolatrous rebellion.¹⁰ James’s point is profoundly unsettling: destructive speech may become aligned not with the kingdom of God but with forces opposed to divine flourishing. Words participate in spiritual realities. This helps explain why Scripture speaks so seriously about gossip, slander, and divisive language. Such behavior is not merely personality conflict. It reflects deeper spiritual formation—or deformity. Speech either aligns with the kingdom of heaven or with the chaos opposed to it.

James then introduces one of the most convicting contradictions in all of Scripture: “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness” (Jas 3:9). Here the covenant problem emerges fully. Humanity bears the divine image (imago Dei).

To curse another image-bearer while worshiping God exposes spiritual incoherence. Worship disconnected from relational integrity becomes hypocrisy.

The Greek term James uses for “curse,” katara (κατάρα), evokes condemnation, denunciation, and destructive speech.¹¹ James is not speaking merely of profanity but of language that tears down, humiliates, or spiritually diminishes another person. This includes gossip masked as concern, theological arrogance disguised as conviction, and criticism baptized as discernment. How often do churches unknowingly sanctify this behavior? Believers sometimes share damaging information under the pretense of prayer. Others justify harshness in the name of “speaking truth.” Yet kingdom truth divorced from kingdom love quickly ceases to resemble Jesus.

James concludes his argument with an image rooted in creation itself: a spring cannot simultaneously produce fresh and bitter water, nor can a fig tree bear olives (Jas 3:11–12). Nature reveals consistency. Fruit corresponds to root. Speech, therefore, functions diagnostically. The mouth reveals what the heart contains. Jesus Himself teaches precisely this principle: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt 12:34). Speech is rarely accidental. Under pressure, fatigue, frustration, disappointment, or conflict, the tongue often reveals hidden interior realities we would otherwise prefer to conceal.¹² This does not mean believers never fail in speech. James himself acknowledges universal stumbling. Rather, maturity involves repentance, submission, and increasing awareness that sanctification includes language. Following Jesus requires discipleship of the mouth.

Jesus and the Ethics of Kingdom Speech

Jesus consistently frames speech as revelatory. In Luke 6:45 He declares, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good… for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Here speech becomes diagnostic rather than merely behavioral. The problem is not simply loose words but disordered affections. This perspective prevents superficial moralism. Taming the tongue cannot be reduced to behavior modification. One may temporarily restrain words externally while internally cultivating bitterness, envy, resentment, or pride. Eventually, what remains hidden emerges through speech. Jesus therefore addresses roots rather than symptoms.

The Sermon on the Mount intensifies this ethic. Jesus warns against contemptuous speech, equating verbal hostility with deeper heart-level violence (Matt 5:21–22). Kingdom righteousness concerns not only physical action but interior posture. Discipleship transforms speech because discipleship transforms desire. In a culture of outrage, instant reaction, and digital confrontation, Jesus’s words feel especially countercultural. Social media has created unprecedented opportunities for what Scripture consistently warns against: impulsive criticism, public humiliation, tribal hostility, and self-righteous performance. The digital world often rewards sharpness rather than wisdom, reaction rather than discernment, certainty rather than humility. Yet the disciple of Jesus is called into a different imagination.

Paul exhorts believers in Ephesus: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up” (Eph 4:29). The Greek term translated “corrupting” (sapros) refers to rotten or decaying matter.¹³ Speech may either nourish communal life or introduce decay. Words matter because communities are formed through language.

Kingdom Speech in an Age of Division

Perhaps one of the greatest spiritual challenges facing the modern church is not theological illiteracy but undisciplined speech. We inhabit a moment where outrage masquerades as conviction, harshness is rewarded as courage, and public criticism often receives greater affirmation than quiet faithfulness. Entire ministries have become platforms of perpetual reaction. Communities fracture not always because of major doctrinal failures but because careless words slowly erode trust. The church has not remained immune to this reality. Gossip often hides beneath the language of concern. Slander becomes baptized under the guise of discernment. “I’m just being honest” has become a convenient justification for words never filtered through wisdom, gentleness, or covenant loyalty. Yet honesty absent love frequently becomes brutality, and conviction detached from humility often deteriorates into spiritual arrogance.

This is where the Jewish notion of lashon hara remains remarkably relevant. Evil speech is not simply malicious lying; it includes words that unnecessarily damage another image-bearer, fracture covenant trust, or cultivate division within community. The issue is not merely whether something is factually true, but whether it is spiritually fruitful. Scripture repeatedly presses believers to ask deeper questions: Does this build up? Does this restore? Does this move toward healing? Does this reflect the character of Christ?

To be clear, biblical wisdom does not demand silence in the face of sin, injustice, or necessary correction. Jesus confronted hypocrisy. Paul rebuked error. The prophets spoke boldly against corruption. Yet kingdom correction always differs from fleshly reaction. The goal remains restoration rather than humiliation, healing rather than destruction, reconciliation rather than self-vindication. Even truth can become weaponized when wielded without love.

This distinction matters profoundly in covenant communities. Families, friendships, churches, ministry teams, and discipleship circles all depend upon trust. Once speech becomes corrosive, communities slowly become shaped by suspicion, fear, and fragmentation. A single critical voice can influence entire environments. One divisive conversation can redirect relational dynamics for months or years. James understood this reality well. Small fires spread quickly. It is relatively easy to worship together, serve together, or study Scripture together during seasons of encouragement. The deeper test of discipleship emerges when disappointment enters the room, when misunderstandings occur, when leadership feels imperfect, or when relational friction surfaces. What exits our mouths in those moments reveals much about the condition of our hearts.

The mature disciple learns that spiritual formation includes restraint. Proverbs repeatedly associates wisdom with slowness of speech: “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent” (Prov 10:19).¹⁴ Silence, at times, becomes spiritual maturity. Not every offense requires response. Not every opinion requires articulation. Not every irritation deserves audience. Likewise, kingdom speech involves intentional encouragement. The New Testament repeatedly frames language positively rather than merely prohibitively. Believers are called to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thess 5:11). The Greek term parakaleō (παρακαλέω) carries ideas of exhortation, comfort, strengthening, and coming alongside.¹⁵ Kingdom speech strengthens weary souls. It restores dignity. It calls out identity. It reminds people who they are in Christ.

One of the tragedies of modern discipleship is how easily criticism multiplies while encouragement remains scarce. We often assume people know they are valued. We presume gratitude is obvious. Yet Scripture continually models blessing as spoken reality. Fathers blessed children. Leaders blessed communities. Jesus blessed disciples. Paul regularly opened letters with affirmation before correction. Kingdom speech names grace before addressing failure. In many ways, the tongue becomes one of the clearest indicators of sanctification. Spiritual maturity is not merely doctrinal precision, charismatic gifting, or ministry effectiveness. According to James, maturity reveals itself through disciplined words flowing from transformed hearts. A believer may possess impressive biblical knowledge and yet remain profoundly immature if speech consistently produces division, cynicism, or destruction.

Conclusion

Perhaps James understood something we desperately need to recover in our generation: the battle of the tongue is never merely about behavior modification. This is not simply about trying harder, being nicer, or learning to avoid saying things we later regret. The deeper issue is discipleship. The tongue reveals allegiance. It exposes formation. It often uncovers what kingdom our hearts are quietly trusting when pressure rises. Scripture consistently presents the mouth as far more than a communication tool. Our words become instruments of agreement. They reveal what we are partnering with internally long before anything manifests externally. Proverbs reminds us that “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov 18:21). Notice, Scripture does not suggest that the tongue itself possesses magical power, as though Christians merely need better motivational slogans or positive confession techniques. Rather, the biblical vision is deeper and more covenantal. Words carry influence because they reveal where trust, fear, hope, and allegiance reside.

This is why Genesis begins with divine speech: “And God said…” Yahweh speaks order into chaos. Creation itself emerges through intentional, life-giving word. Humanity, bearing the divine image, likewise participates in either building or breaking through speech. Our words create atmospheres. They shape relationships. They reinforce faith or deepen fear. They strengthen covenant or slowly erode trust. Jesus understood this clearly when He said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt 12:34). Eventually what fills the heart finds expression through the lips. Fear eventually talks. Cynicism eventually talks. Unforgiveness eventually talks. Bitterness talks. Anxiety talks. But so do hope, peace, trust, faith, gentleness, and encouragement. Our mouths often reveal realities within us that we ourselves have not yet fully acknowledged.

This is why the enemy so often works at the level of exhaustion, disappointment, discouragement, and offense. Spiritually tired people frequently begin speaking beneath their identity. (Hurt people, hurt people.) We start narrating our lives through fear rather than promise, frustration rather than faithfulness, accusation rather than grace. We rehearse despair until it feels normal. We repeatedly speak hopelessness until it becomes expectation. Israel’s wilderness journey offers a sobering picture. Their downfall was not merely the existence of giants in the land but their persistent verbal partnership with fear and unbelief. Murmuring in Scripture is rarely portrayed as innocent frustration. It often reflects a deeper distrust in God’s provision, leadership, or character. The wilderness became as much a battle of speech as a battle of circumstances. The same dynamic exists for us today. The enemy rarely begins by changing behavior; he often begins by shaping agreement. Eden itself reminds us of this reality. “Did God really say…?” The first fracture began with distorted trust in God’s word, and shortly thereafter human speech itself changed. Before the fall there was confidence, openness, authority, and relational alignment. After the fall came blame, fear, hiding, and distortion. Speech revealed the fracture before anything else.

This is why spiritual maturity is deeply connected to governing the tongue. Not because God desires robotic disciples who never wrestle honestly, lament deeply, or feel emotion. Scripture gives us Psalms of grief, confusion, and even holy protest. Yet biblical lament always moves honestly toward God rather than away from Him. David models this repeatedly. Betrayed, exhausted, hunted, and discouraged, he nevertheless declares, “I will bless the Lord at all times” (Ps 34:1). That was not denial. It was trust. It was spiritual resistance against allowing pain to become the loudest narrator in his life. The warfare of the mouth is ultimately the warfare of agreement. Every day we are invited to consider: What story will shape our speech? Will our mouths continually reinforce fear, accusation, offense, and hopelessness? Or will they increasingly come into alignment with the character, promises, and goodness of God?

This does not mean pretending circumstances are easy. It does not mean suppressing grief or avoiding honest struggle. Rather, it means refusing to let pain write our theology. It means learning, slowly and imperfectly, to speak in ways that reflect trust even when life feels uncertain. Because eventually our words reveal something profound: the kingdom we truly believe carries the highest authority. May we become people whose mouths increasingly release blessing instead of bitterness, healing instead of harm, courage instead of fear, and hope instead of despair. May our speech reflect the way of Jesus, and may our covenant communities become marked by words that strengthen, restore, and call one another deeper into the life of the kingdom.

Notes

John H. Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2018), 87
Victor H. Matthews and Don C. Benjamin, Social World of Ancient Israel (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1993), 44
Walter Brueggemann, Theology of the Old Testament (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1997), 122
Willem A. VanGemeren, ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), 907
Joseph Telushkin, Words That Hurt, Words That Heal (New York: William Morrow, 1996), 43
Dennis T. Olson, Numbers (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1996), 75
Scot McKnight, The Letter of James, NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011), 31
Craig L. Blomberg and Mariam J. Kamell, James, ZECNT (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 153
Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, PNTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 148
Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2014), 721
Ceslas Spicq, Theological Lexicon of the New Testament, vol. 2 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 270
Darrell L. Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1994), 648
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 345
Tremper Longman III, Proverbs (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 241
Ben Witherington III, New Testament Theology and Ethics (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011), 553

DOES SIN SEPERATE US | FROM GOD?

Posted by expedition44 on June 4, 2025

When I was in High school attending a rather large evangelical free church, we had some missionaries come in to train us on street evangelism. The idea was to memorize a step plan for salvation that we could easily regurgitate on the streets. The core of it was based on convincing someone that according to Adams sin we had been separated from God and that only by professing with our mouth and praying the sinner’s prayer could we escape eternal torment and damnation. As there is arguably some truth to that statement, the presentation not only created some terrible theological implications of the gospel message (both to those presenting and those being presented to) but also wasn’t necessarily the best Biblical framework. Of course, as “good” kids we all just went along with it, at least initially. As you can imagine this led to some really awkward conversations in the street and left several students wondering if this is what Christianity is all about whether they really wanted to be part of it. The following year a different but similar group came essentially “training” us to try to do the same thing evangelizing our hometown. But then something happened, this time (likely based on their previous poor experience) several of the students started to transparently challenge the process. I remember it almost as if it was the enslaved rebels of Star Wars questioning the empirical ideals. Questions like, “where does it actually say this in the Bible?” and “Do you really think this is the action that the text had in mind when it was written?” Another student said, “I don’t think I want anything to do with a plan like this, I didn’t come to Jesus to force my friends into submission.” I could go on and on. The training group couldn’t really answer them with any kind of logical explanations, and I was quite disheartened by the whole thing. The night resulted in half the youth group leaving early bailing on street evangelism to go out for ice cream; while the other half (some likely afraid of their parent’s repercussions if they left) continued with the group to evangelize. I am sure there was a small percentage of the “good” kids that convinced themselves this was what good Christian kids should do. I was also skeptical of Billy Graham “crusades” as a kid. And before I continue, I want to say that even though I still don’t entirely agree with these crusades and this kind of step plan evangelistic plans I do believe God uses it in powerful ways. I know many that came to faith this way and then over the course of time found a better theology. But my heart desires to say, let’s start with a better theology!

This youth group interaction was a monumental occurrence in my life that made me start questioning why Christians do what they do and whether the Bible actually said things like the church traditionally claimed. Instead of driving me away from Christianity, as some thought questioning the faith would do, it drove me towards a lifelong beautiful “expedition” towards understanding the incredible word of God and His nature. I don’t know of anyone who has had such joy in the journey. This is my love language, and I pray that it becomes yours.

UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEMS WITH FRAMING SEPERATION FROM GOD THEOLOGY

The central question for your consideration is does the Bible actually say and teach what we have so often regurgitated that “sin has separated us from God?” I will start by saying any time you here a doctrine and you can’t find one verse that clearly states what the doctrine is attempting to “make the gospel say,” the best advice might be to run. If the intent of God was to give us some crafty 4 step plan of salvation wouldn’t that be clearly laid out somewhere in the text? Yet in the “ROMANS ROAD” plan of salvation we have to jump all over Romans back and forth to try to understand the so called laid out plan. Similarly, if a doctrine states something simply in one sentence such as “sin separates us from God” shouldn’t the Bible also state it similarly if it is true? That would make sense. Yet something as engrained in our head such as the statement, “sin separates us from God” doesn’t ever seem to be stated that way anywhere in the text. We deduce it. That doesn’t make it wrong or untrue, it just raises some hermeneutic red flags that should cause you the need or desire to examine it.

What verses then tell us that we are separated from God by Sin?¹ Here are the best ones coming straight from those that hold this type of framework:

Are there others? Well, if you think these are a stretch, the others that people claim support separation you’re going to have an even harder time with. These are the closest verses that the Bible has that state we are separated from God by our sin. If you google the question the first link will be “100 verses by open Bible Info”. I will say that almost none of them actually state we are separated from God², but such a simple search certainly shows that someone thinks or has been traditionally conditioned to tell us that.³

The only verse above that actually comes close to simply stating that sin has separated us from God is Isaiah 59:2. At first reading I can see this, however when you start applying textures of interpretation you see the verse differently. Basic laws of any hermeneutic design say, don’t ever make a doctrine off of one verse. In other words, if there is only one verse that seems to say something that can’t be found elsewhere in the pages of the Bible it likely doesn’t say what you mean what you think. If it did there would be supporting verses. SO then theologically you should be asking the question, if this verse seems to say this, but there isn’t another verse that says it, could there be a different meaning for this text? This kind of thinking leads to a better or more faithful interpretation and overall agreement in your theological lens. John Walton interprets Isaiah 59 as highlighting the necessity of a savior due to humanity’s iniquities and moral failures, yep, we need that!⁴ The Hebrew word used here that is interpreted as the English word “separated” is בָּדל (badal.) It is the same word used in Genesis one in the creation narrative used to describe the separation of the light, and water, day and night. Notice in these cases it isn’t a chasm that separates those things, and it is part of God’s order. In fact, the truth is that it is opposite to that way of thinking, day touches night beautifully. It is the most beautiful part of the day that we call sunrise and sunset. Where the land meets water is a beach! We all LOVE the beach. We want to dwell in beaches. We vacation on beaches. Do you see my point? To frame this word as division or a chasm that can’t be overcome isn’t Biblical. Sometimes beauty comes when the peace meets the chaos and that is often where God dwells in scripture. The Biblical picture is actually a “slice of heaven”, the most beautiful thing the world has seen. CS Lewis spent a great deal of time dwelling on this concept.⁵ Do you see what I am saying? Badal also is a form of setting something apart. You know the other Hebrew word that is used to say that? Kadosh – Holy. The context of Isaiah 59 is actually a word play in the form of a contranym. So yes, in one sense God is holy and sin is the opposite of Holiness, but God isn’t separated from us by that, He actually dwells close to it. The other problem with framing God so far away is that it is giving sin way too much power over you. I am not willing to give sin that kind of leverage or title in my life. God finds people in some of the darkest places. When you run away you think you are far from Him, but the Biblical truth is that God is right there for you. If you truly believe in the omnipresent of God than you have to take this theological perspective. To say there is a chasm between a person sinning and God doesn’t agree with the doctrine of omnipresence.

Furthermore, Isaiah 56 is a prophetic indictment to a people immersed in injustice, oppression, and violence. The “separation” here isn’t God walking away. It’s people who have closed their ears to God’s voice. It’s spiritual disconnection, not divine abandonment. There’s a difference between feeling distant from God and God actually being distant. God never leaves.⁶

Secondly, once we give our life to Jesus, sin doesn’t simply disappear. According to most plans of salvation logically that is what would make sense. If we are separated by God and we say the magic words than sin is no longer in our lives (the chasm would logically be bridged never to be empty again) but if sin truly separates, then it creates a theology that logically would mean that we would continually be in need of repetitive salvation prayers to bridge this gap over and over. We know that isn’t the case. It creates a poor theological framework. What is true is that we can make a heart and mind choice to live for Him and even though we are still in part of the earthly physical world we are free from the endearing result of sin which is death both in the physical life and eternally. That is grace. To actually believe in this great chasm, minimizes or does away with a Biblical concept of covenant grace. So, to frame sin as a separation from God logically and ontologically doesn’t make sense or follow the premise of the biblical story of God’s redemption of us. It misses the mark.

Furthermore, saying that sin has separated us from God frames the character of God in a way that doesn’t agree with the Bible. It leads us to thinks that from birth we naturally were being judged by the sin of those before us. Yet the Bible is clear that we are only responsible before the Lord for our own actions and not the actions of others. Yes, we are affected by others (perhaps even for generations) but that is slightly different. Affected and responsibility or having to earn something as a result of someone else’s past are different issues. This gets more into the original sin conversation than it does sin separation; but the two are certainly connected. If you haven’t watched or listened to the x44 series on original sin you should do that. Saying that we are always separated from God by sin assumes that when we “sin” God must turn his face or step away from us. That is not true. The overarching message of the Bible is that God does not leave us or forsake us. I wrote an article on this. Do you believe the nature of God gets angry and wrathful when you sin. Do you think God wants to smite you because you sin? That sounds monstrous doesn’t it, yet many peoples theology believes that. Yet God’s love for us couldn’t be more opposite of thinking that way. When we sin, God more than anything, grieves for us and wants to draw us closer to Him into His hand of providence. When we continue to sin God will eventually open his hand of protection and allow us to reap what we have sown. This is actually a more Biblical definition of wrath. We get what we had coming, God no longer protects. (Israel in exile is the archetypical picture of this, but God has always desired and welcomed them back with open arms, thus the prodigal son story and many more. There is no separation or barrier from God’s perspective.) When we think that God is separated from us by sin, we begin to believe that God loves us when we do good and leaves us when we don’t. Or perhaps we think that when we are in devotion to Him, He blesses us and when we are separated by sin He is done with us and can no longer use us for the kingdom. Those in the book of Job asked this question as a retribution principle and God was clear to answer at the end of the story that that is not His character. We have a series on that too. I am glad that isn’t the case. No one would have ever been used by God. Does God just leave us the second we screw up?

DOES SEPARATION OF GOD CHANGE AT THE CROSS?

This is a great question. If you are following along and thinking through the texts, you might realize that in the Old Covenant there seem to be examples of separation from God even though the text never really says it so simply. (As I previously made the point, it could be deduced from the text.) Romans 8 seems to support a notion that in the Old Covenant before the cross we were separated from God. That could be why the cloud came and went from Israel’s trail. It could also show the veil between the holy of holies and the need for a priest. But then when Christ comes as our once and for all great high priest and the veil is torn at the cross, we become the temple of the holy spirit to which the separation is broken. In this sense there MIGHT have been a separation between God and the people in the Old Testament but Jesus (not necessarily the cross itself) removed any sense of being separated. The only problem with holding a view that there was separation in the Old Testament is that the text never actually says it. If the text really intended us to take away that notion wouldn’t one of the 39 books clearly state that? Yet they don’t, it has to be deduced which then makes it a theology of humankind. That should always be problematic to your theology and possibly a dangerous place to dwell. Another great question that then follows suite would be, “Is there a separation for the unbeliever?” I don’t think so. If you take the view that in the OT there was a separation between God and humanity it would be with everyone, not just unbelievers. The cloud and the veil support that theology. If that foreshadows the NT then it would take on the same ideology. Neither believer nor unbeliever are separated then. They are all close to God, God is never far off. This may sound different than what you have always been told but there isn’t anything that would disagree with it; in fact, it takes on a far better lens of agreement within all the texts. I can’t think of one verse that would actually make this a difficult view to hold.

PERHAPS IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A SEPARATION BY SIN

Even though the Bible doesn’t seem to have the framework or state specifically that we are separated from God by sin wouldn’t that make sense. We have certainly always been told that -right? But since the Bible doesn’t say it, we would be left to deduce it. Is that faithful hermeneutics? Well, it can be, if you believe in systematic theology, you are already doing that sort of thing regularly. But Biblical theology questions those practices. In one sense it seems to follow logic that in a relationship if one side falls out of love or becomes distanced you might say they feel are even separated. We say that in broken marriages that grow apart all the time without micro analyzing it. But that doesn’t work biblically with God as one side of the relationship. We are told and shown this multiple times in the Bible. Jesus is the bride of Christ and even though the groom (sometimes viewed as Israel in the OT) was unfaithful, the bride remains completely faithful and therefore is not separated. The separation came from Israel creating a reason to be distanced but God Himself still never leaves or forsakes them in covenant love. Some would say God divorces Israel but that leaves some deep theological problems that need to be sorted if you go that way. The more accurate Biblical mosaic and unending motif of redemption is that despite the unfaithfulness of Israel God is near with open arms. To this design, even though someone distances themselves from God, (and in our human broken relationships) the same is not true of the character of God. God never distances himself from the lost, the divergent saved, the broken, the lost, or the unfaithful… God is always near (which is what the doctrine of omnipresence means, which is also a theology of humanity as long as we are making the statement.) It is important to have consistent theology. I have said many times that the reformed perspective of believing God is omnipresent and also believing that we can be separated from God doesn’t follow a logical pattern. The two views are at odds; they can’t both hold true. If you feel or sense that God is far away or you have severed your relationship, that is what you feel, but the reality and major thematic covenantal truth is that God hasn’t left you. This is true as a believer or unbeliever. God is always near; there is not a chasm between you and God.

UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLICAL TRUTH AND THE BETTER THEOLOGY

The Bible never once states that we are separated from God by sin, but it states over and over that nothing can separate us from God. And Jesus solidifies this regularly if there were any doubt.

Romans 8:38-39: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Something tells me you have sang loud “NOTHING CAN SEPRATE US” in the Your Love Never Fails song by Chris Quilala of Jesus Culture. Remember that? We sing it so confidently but then believe sin has formed a chasm? How does that work? You can’t sing a song like this and still theologically think that way.

Some say God can’t be in the presence of Evil. That isn’t true either. God clearly sees evil. He is involved, engaged, and working redemption in real time and space. The idea that God literally can’t be near sin is a misreading of the text, and a dangerous concept or doctrine.⁷

Jesus makes all things clear

Jesus shows us that God wasn’t separated from the sinful, that His heart was moved towards a deeper connection with those in sin than perhaps anyone else. Think about the relationship that Christ had with those in sin. How can you be separated and be in deep relationship at the same time? You can’t. Those two things are opposites. Yet Jesus had deep relationships and was NOT separated by sin to those dwelling in it. He drew a line on the ground for the woman in adultery turning back those who took offense, He touched and healed the unclean before they claimed any relationship with the father. He loved them before they had any semblance of knowing Him. He routinely shared a table with sinners and invited them to be in His sacred space. In other words, he didn’t build chasms between Himself and the sinful, rather He walked hand and hand with them shepherding them to Him. He entreated those that were immersed even drowning in their sin. That doesn’t sound like a cliff of separation to me. It sounds the opposite. It sounds and looks like relational love.

“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened…” (Matt. 11:28)

And when Jesus went to the cross, He entered fully into the consequence and depth of human sin, not to separate us from God, but to reveal how far God was willing to go to stay with us.⁸

CONSIDERING SIN

This article isn’t meant to diminish sin. Sin is the opposite of God, but as I have made the case isn’t impenetrable. Sin is infectious, it hurts, it cuts, it wounds, it severs, it destroys and requires spiritual healing. Make no doubt there. Continually giving into sin is the road to death both physically in this life now and also to come in an eschatological sense (already not yet). Sin masks our identity in Christ and creates worldly thoughts of shame, pride, fear, insecurity, hurt, doubt, trauma, and so much more. Sin hurts not only you but those in relationship and covenant with you. Sin can severe your ability to walk in the spiritual prosperity that God has for you. Sin inhibits the freedom that God gives. Sin is the opposite of the peace that God manifests in us. Jesus came to take away the sin of the world. I am in no way diminishing the effects of sin on this world.

Dr. Matt and I are writing a book on this, so I am going to keep the more theological section here brief, but I also feel like it needs to be shown in this article. The effect of Jesus’s death concerning humanity’s sins in 1 John (specifically but also every other reference) is to cleanse (kathatizo), or to remove (airo) sin, not to appease or satisfy. Thus, Jesus’ death as an “atoning sacrifice” functions as an expiation of sin and not the propitiation of God. This is exactly what is happening in the Day of Atonement, and it is the image John is using in the entirety of 1 John. There is not one image of God needing to be appeased in 1 John to forgive sin or cleanse.

What does “for our sins” mean? “For” can have many meanings. But Greek is specific whereas English is not. There are 4 words with 4 distinct meanings (with some minor overlap) in Greek for “for”:

Anti: this for that (substitution or exchange)
- Eye for (anti) an eye, tooth for (anti) a tooth (Matt 5:38)
- “Do not repay anyone evil [in exchange] for (anti) evil” (Rom 12:17)

Dia: Because of or on account of; from
- one agent acting against another agent or on behalf of another

Peri: Concerning, about (sometimes overlaps with Dia)
- Conveying general information about something

Huper: in some entity’s interest: for, on behalf of, for the sake of,
- the moving cause or reason: because of, for the sake of, for.

In 1 John 4:10 and 2:2 we see peri being used for “for”, besides Mark 10:45 (anti “this for that”- substitution or exchange)⁹ all of the other New Testament uses of “died for us”, “died for me”, and “died for our sins” and its cognates are huper -about a benefit, or as the Creed above said, “on our behalf”.¹⁰ I’m not saying that Jesus did not do something in our place (although I would be careful with using the term substitution doctrinally) but he did this on our behalf- for a benefit or to rescue us (but not from the Father).

Those 3 verses (Romans 3:25, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:10) are all of the references to “propitiation” in the NT. Hebrews 2:17 also uses a variation of this word and in context is about what the high priest does with the purification offering on the Day of Atonement. We’ve seen that all these mean expiations or show Jesus as the “mercy seat” when interpreted in the proper context of the Day of Atonement.

We do not see that the scapegoat or the purification offering had to be killed to propitiate God’s wrath. To interpret these in this way is going beyond the text and meaning of the Day of Atonement shadow. In other word’s framing the text that was is reading into it, it isn’t a faithful hermeneutic. The primary question about the Day of Atonement goats is whether God is being acted upon (changed?) or is sin being acted upon. As we saw with expiation, sin is the force being acted upon. But with propitiation, God is being acted upon. Yet, the noun’s use in the New Testament is about Jesus being the place where we connect with God because of his High Priestly and expiating function. This makes sense of Paul’s most popular phrase for salvation: “In Him”- Jesus is where (the place- Mercy Seat) we meet with God.

There are plenty of other corresponding verses that all agree with this methodology such as Leviticus 16; Romans 3:21-26, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:10; Heb 13:11-12; Matt 27:28-31; Heb 9:14-28; Heb 10:8-17; 1 John 3:5-8; John 1:29; Col 2:14; 2 Cor 5:21.

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT YOU?

If you believe sin separates you from God, then every time you fall short or miss the mark, you’ll think or believe that God’s love has left or betrayed you or has turned His face from you. That is such a poor image of God’s character and against everything the Bible says about His great redemption story. It is counter to almost every thematic motif in the Bible. Have you been harboring the lie that keeps you from experiencing what God wants most for you? Are you wallowing in your mess because you haven’t claimed redemption? God is always with you.

God’s grace for your sin is stronger than your worst nightmare or anything the world can dish out.