God Doesn’t Like Dirty Jokes
“But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.” -Ephesians 5:3-4
In the verses above, we see two condemnations: one is recognized as sin by the church, while the second is frequently ignored.
First, Paul condemns immorality and sexual impurity. He says that those who call themselves Christians ought not to be caught up in such uncleanness. On this point most will agree, that fornication and its related sins are self-destructive and ought not to be practiced by anyone in the church of Christ.
Second, the apostle Paul condemns even the speaking of these same sins. It is not to be named even once among the church, and quite bluntly, Paul states that we ought also to avoid any type of joking or foolish talking about the subject. On this point, Christians break this command all the time, and with willing happiness.
Yet the Bible condemns the unclean acts of the world, and repeatedly warns against even speaking of unclean things. “For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret” (Ephesians 5:12).
Jesus Himself warns against many inward sins that make one guilty by association. For instance, not only are we to avoid murder, but we are not to be even angry with our brother without cause. And when we are angry, or lustful, or covetous, it is as if we had been a murderer, or an adulterer, or a thief.
God raised the bar in include our inward thought life, and the things that we think about or enjoy. We may never commit the filthy things that we hear about in the world, but do we secretly love them? Do we secretly take joy and find humor in them? Do they entice us? The Lord Jesus has said that in God’s eyes, our heart has already committed such abominable acts, and we are guilty.
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” -1 John 2:15-17
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