“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God….”
Ephesians 4:29 ESV
What makes our words corrupt? Helps Word Study gives us insight into the original meaning of this Greek word translated as “corrupt":
4550 saprós – properly, rotten (putrid), over-ripe; (figuratively) over-done (ripened); hence, corrupt. "4550 (saprós) is (akin to sēpō, 'to rot'), primarily, of vegetable and animal substances, expresses what is of poor quality, unfit for use, putrid" (Vine, Unger, White, NT, 49); sapros – "of poor or bad quality"
Charles B Williams produced a New Testament translation, of which his publishers noted, “In the minds of many exacting Greek scholars, this is the best translation existing in the English language today. The significant contribution of this translation and the sphere in which it surpasses the majority of others is in its bringing out the revealing tense distinction in the Greek verbs.” I've really been appreciating his work.
When it comes to Ephesians 4, Williams rendered the passage as follows:
“You must stop letting any bad word pass your lips, but only words that are good for building up as the occasion demands, so that they will result in spiritual blessing to the hearers. You must stop offending the Holy Spirit of God by whom you have been stamped for the day of redemption. You must remove all bitterness, rage, anger, loud threats, and insults, with all malice. You must practice being kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has graciously forgiven you.”
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We see from this that grieving the Holy Spirit occurs through the words we speak - words spoken to others, and even words we speak about ourselves. Where there is disagreement with God, there is disorder, and disorder breeds every evil work (James 3:16).
The Apostle James in 3:6 said the tongue was a fire and soils the whole body and sets on fire the course of one’s life. Moses said death and life are in the power of the tongue. We eat the fruit of what we love. If you love an unrestrained mouth, we will eat that fruit. If we love life, we will restrain our mouths from speaking evil.
Since Jesus spoke only what he heard the Father say, we too can do the same. “ Quick to hear, slow to speak,” is James 1:19's admonition and gives us the pause needed before speaking quickly.
Because our words are simply an expression of what is going on in our hearts, it serves us well to pay attention to what is going on both within and without. After all, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks….Matthew 12:34.
Proverbs offers much wisdom when it comes to our words ~
Proverbs 17:27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
Proverbs 10:19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
‘Ready, aim, fire’, is the proper sequence for hitting a target. Some of us are more prone to fire first, without taking the time to ready, and aim, ensuring that our words minister grace to the hearer.
William's translation of Ephesians 4:30 highlights the ongoing action ‘stop letting bad words pass your lips’, ‘stop offending the Holy Spirit.’
The Apostle Paul’s instruction is our daily reminder that we can please the Holy Spirit by guarding our hearts and the words we speak.
Psalm 141:3: "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.”