A greatest-hits list of the most sobering verses in the Bible might look something like this: 

“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’” (Matthew 7:22–23)

And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)

It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31)

I would certainly agree that these warnings are justifiably frightening and ought to make us examine our hearts. However, for most of us, I think there’s another verse that ought to stop us in our tracks: 

“I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak.” (Matthew 12:36)

Most of us speak thousands of words every day. Can you imagine standing before God to account for every single one? 

Yikes. 

Every Careless Word

If we’re going to be held accountable for “every careless word,” we better have a pretty good idea of what that means. The Greek word for “careless” is argos, and it’s not typically used to describe words. 

In Scripture, argos describes “lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12), “idle” people (1 Tim. 5:13), loafers in the marketplace “doing nothing” (Matt. 20:3), and “useless” faith that’s not accompanied by works (James 2:20). These examples paint a clear picture: like planting a rock and expecting a harvest, a “careless” word produces nothing.

Words like these—unnecessary, unhelpful, and lazy—provide no grace and yield no benefit. They come easily out of our mouths, require no thinking, and do nothing to edify the hearer. They don’t quite qualify as the “foul” words that Paul mentions in Ephesians 4:29—something that also means “corrupt,” “rotten,” or “putrefied” in the original Greek. 

We know those types of words clearly cross a line, but “careless” words feel more like junk food. Maybe they’re not the best, but they’re not that bad . . . right? If we’re honest, a lot of the words we speak each day fall into the “careless” category.

The Great Revealer

Before going any farther, let’s drill down to the heart of Jesus’ warning in Matthew 12:36. Earlier in the chapter, the Pharisees had accused Jesus of driving out demons in the name of Beelzebul (v. 25). In the face of this absurd allegation, Jesus addressed the Pharisees and their tendency toward hypocrisy in their speech. 

Just as it would be ridiculous for Jesus to cast out demons by the power of the ruler of demons—“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:25)—it’s preposterous for the supposed servants of God to bless Him with their mouths and deny Him by their actions. 

“A tree is known by its fruit,” Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 12:33. He then proceeded to call them a “brood of vipers” who tried to speak good things though they had evil hearts. Then He got to the crux of the matter: “For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart” (v. 34). 

Our words are the great revealer of our hearts. What we sound like reveals what our hearts are like. And in case you think your words don’t really matter that much to God, Jesus said, “On the day of judgment, [you] will have to account for every careless word [you] speak” (v. 36). Even the empty, careless, idle words—the ones that seem to do nothing—matter to God. There’s no such thing as a “throwaway” word. He hears them all, and each one matters. 

If that’s really true, I’m in BIG trouble. 

Can We Get a Little Hope, Please? 

Thankfully, that’s not the end of the story. While we shouldn’t dismiss Jesus’ warning, we don’t have to take a vow of silence. Instead, we can take comfort in the last three words He spoke before His death: 

“It is finished.” (John 19:30)

As Jesus hung dying on the cross, He called out these words not only because He accomplished the work the Father had given Him but also because His one sacrifice ended all payment for sin.

For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)

Jesus endured the full extent of God’s wrath, taking upon Himself every sin I would ever commit and every careless word I would ever utter. Paul says that God made His sinless Son “to be sin” on my account. In return, because I am in Christ, I receive His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). 

Not only that, but I’ve been given a new heart. A vow of silence would do nothing to fix my wayward heart; it would merely prevent the rest of the world from seeing my wickedness through my words. My only hope is a new heart that can produce good fruit. In Christ, that’s exactly what we’ve been given. 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Our words matter, and until we’re finally freed from the presence of our sin, we will battle a divided heart that sometimes utters careless and corrupt words. However, we don’t need to live in fear that we will be punished for this. Punishment for all our sin has been paid for once and for all. No further payment is necessary. 

If you, like me, struggle with sins of the tongue, take heart. You are a new creation. You are being sanctified. And the righteousness of Christ is yours. Seek to grow in grace with your words but do not live in fear of your failure. 

If this blog post by Cindy has been a blessing to you, would you consider partnering with us to provide more resources like this to women desperately in need of finding freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ? Revive Partners are part of a team of faithful monthly contributors whose gifts make it possible for Revive Our Hearts to produce biblically rich content to help women be fruitful in every season of life. Learn more by visiting ReviveOurHearts.com/partner.