Practical Tips for Godly Speech

A while back, I was speaking to someone on the phone who held completely different views than I do on a worldly issue. Talking to them made me feel so angry inside and I couldn’t help but quickly respond in a tone that conveyed this. 

When I look back, I wish I had practiced Godly speech. It would have made all the difference to show them Jesus. 

If you have also struggled with this, the Bible tells us how to talk to others. You can learn what I have, so the next time you talk to someone you can respond as God desires. 

Our conversations with others are such optimal opportunities to show others Jesus’ love. How we respond matters in these difficult talks. 

We want to love our neighbors, always, and our words are a powerful means to do this. 

What Is Godly Speech?

Godly speech in the Bible is speech that honors God and loves others. God calls us to obey him in this manner: to love him, and others, following the Greatest Commandment. 

What Does the Bible Say About Speech?

There are many Bible verses about speech that provide us with wisdom on how to talk to others to love them. 

One of these Bible verses about talking is seen in the book of James, which is a book in the Bible that shows us that genuine faith is one that produces actions. 

One of the ways to do this is via obeying God in what we say. 

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger…”  (James 1:19, ESV)

Practical Tips for Godly Speech

In this verse, James gives us three ways to practice Godly speech. This is wisdom to live morality right, as God wants us to. They are to be:

1. Quick to Listen

Being quick to listen means not jumping in and talking right away… be someone who listens to people first. Be quick to do this instead of talking. 

Jesus listens to us wholeheartedly, and we need to love others in this manner as well. We don’t need to be talking or trying to solve people’s troubles. We need to make a decision to listen, instead. Listening is a significant way to serve someone.

Listening is showing that you are present with somebody, which is a gift to them and models how God listens to us when we come to him with our hurts and questions. 

Being present means giving somebody your undivided attention. It means fully empathizing with the person you are listening to. It means coming without bias. It means bearing their burdens.

People need to know that they are not alone in their hurt and pain, and you can show them this by listening.

2. Slow to Speak

Being slow to speak means we should speak with intention after thinking carefully, considering what we will say. 

It means relying on the Holy Spirit to give us the words we should say. They don’t need us, they need him. Reply in this way.

We should talk only if we understand what they are saying. Don’t be hasty and just jump in to talk. 

Our tongue can get us into trouble, and is hard to control, so we want to be thoughtful and careful. 

We don’t want to just jump in, saying whatever pops in our minds, when we don’t have a grasp of what they are saying to us.

3. Slow to Anger

Lastly, we need to be slow to anger. The anger in this section is in regard to wrath, unjustified anger, that is deep. 

Our anger will make us not listen but speak quickly. If we listen and are slow to speak, we can avoid this. 

We need to take charge of anger, controlling it by doing these two things. Most of the time, when we respond quickly with words, it is due to not being able to control our anger; this is not good. 

What Is Self Control in the Bible?

In biblical speech we need to practice self-control, which is leaning on the power of the Spirit to enable us to do the three things listed in James 1:19 and communicate well. 

We all need to practice being quick to listen, being slow to speak, and slow to anger, to walk in this Fruit of the Spirit of self-control. 

The Fruit of the Spirit of self control is necessary in speech, as controlling what you say is walking in self-control. 

Our anger will quickly come out in our speech if we are struggling with listening. Christian speech with others demands we closely listen to the viewpoints of one another. 

This verse can also denote how you need to take in the Bible. We need to be quick to listen to it, slow to speak, and slow to anger. We need to obey God in this manner. 

Listening instead of speaking quickly allows you to take it in, contemplate it, to do it, and not be angry about it. If we are angry, the Bible can’t change us… and we wouldn’t obey it. 

Instead, we need to be quick to listen and slow to speak to accept it—free from anger—so it can refine us. 

What Does the Bible Say About Anger?

In James 1:20, we read about what the Bible says about anger in regard to communication in the Bible. 

“… for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:20, ESV) 

Anger doesn’t allow us to walk in righteousness, living rightly for God. 

If you want to live rightly for Christ with others, pleasing him, then you will forgo anger by first listening to them and not talking right away.

If we have anger, we can’t be living as the Lord wants us to in righteousness: this is the right conduct for God. Also we can’t have any anger towards scriptures, or we won’t obey them. 

Godly speech is speech that honors Christ and loves others. This is done via following the wisdom James gives us: to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. 

 

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Barton, R. Ruth. Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community. 1st ed. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2014.

Blomberg, Craig L, and Mariam J Kamell. James: Zondevan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2008.

deSilva, David A. An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods & Ministry Formation. Second Edition. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2018.

Moo, Douglas J. James: An Introduction and Commentary. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2009.

Scazzero, Peter, and Geri Scazzero. Emotionally Healthy Relationships Workbook. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2017.

Swindoll, Charles R. Swindoll’s Living Insights: New Testament Commentary: James, 1 & 2 Peter. 1st ed. Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2014.