Ephesians 5:4–No Foolish Talk

Ephesians 5:4–"Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving."

There is an entire sermon series here.  This verse comes to us as part of a sequence that is concerned with answering the question of how Christians are to live.  But the reason this verse stands out so much is not because it seems so obvious that Christians would protect their speech from vulgarity; rather, what makes this verse so profound is the phrase: 'which are out of place.'

In a world that is dominated with every form of vulgarity and filth, particularly when it comes to language, it is completely counter-cultural to promote a lifestyle like this, one that takes speech and communication so reverently, so seriously.  Yet this is precisely the intent behind this passage and those like it.  Christians are called to live differently.  At the very least, we must accept that this means how we talk and the content of our speech.