Often we talk about “speaking the truth in love.” Then you read some passages that can be characterized as nothing but pure trash talk. It’s crazy. So, is it ok or is it not?

One big thing to keep in mind when reading the Bible is the Book tells it like it is, warts and all. The Bible paints God as the hero, not the characters. They had flaws, they made mistakes and they even did things the wrong way at times. Given that they also had to deal with the consequences for their actions. It’s an interesting topic for sure.

I listened to a “sermon” recently on how Christians are weird and it oddly seemed to fit the trash talking meme. I’ve heard stories of trash talking in witnessing. We love wit and gotcha’s. They’re funny. But let us remember something: the goal isn’t the win. The goal is a soul enraptured by the Gospel. Much of the trash talking in the Bible did not end well for the person being spoken to.  Perhaps that’s a good reason to keep ‘speaking the truth in love’ at the forefront of our thinking.