The bible speaks urgently and often about sins of the tongue—sins like angry speech, gossip, lying, vulgarity, boasting, and a host of others.

These sins can:

1. Tear down rather than edify (Proverbs 18:8).

2. Bring deterioration to their user (Proverbs 14:23).

3. Divide relationships (Proverbs 11:9; 16:28).

4. Tend to shift responsibility (Proverbs 29:19).

5. Distort truth, promote error (Proverbs 17:4).

So we should:

1. Speak words that edify and help (Prov. 10:21).

2. Speak words that show control (Prov. 16:32).

3. Speak words calculated to promote peace (Prov. 12:18).

4. Speak words that motivate us as well as our hearers (Prov. 15:23).

5. Speak words of truth, even if it means trouble (Prov. 15:28).

Source — Bowman, D. (1987). That’s Life! Christianity Magazine, 4(3), 23.