What are idle words (Matthew 12:36)?

"Every idle word that men shall speak." An idle word is what has God in contempt. It is a lesson to show the solemnity of the right use of the tongue. It is an unruly member, but God can keep it in check. There is a proverb that says, "He that loves pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend." The heart and lips go together. While we are speaking of that, I should like to say that as far as words are concerned, if we say anything wrong we should judge it. But before the word is the intention, and it is better to judge intentions than words; before the intention is the thought, and it is better still to judge the thought in the light of the word of God which is living and powerful, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

ἀργός (perhaps from ἀεργός, α neg., and ἔργον, 'work') differs from the above in that it is applied to things as well as to persons, and involves blameworthiness. In Matt. 12:36, "every 'idle' word that men shall speak" will have to be accounted for. It is translated 'idle' in Matt. 20:3, 6, 6; 1 Tim. 5:13, 13. In Titus 1:12 the Cretans are said to be 'slow bellies,' or 'lazy gluttons.' In 2 Peter 1:8, in "using all diligence . . . . . they would be "neither idle nor unfruitful."

But that is not the end of the matter. Every idle word that men speak they will be called upon to account for in the day of judgment. This is true even of idle (that is, worthless or unfruitful) words. How much more so when the words are positively wicked! For by one's words (good words) he would be justified. and by his words (idle words) he would be judged. The world's government does not act an this principle: freedom of speech allows a shameful excess of evil words. Sometimes people are sued for libel of others; but the most repulsive language against God is considered of no consequence. God's judgment will specially expose all this, as Jude 15 & 16 bears strong witness, with swift, unsparing vengeance against men's hard words, no less than against their evil actions.

Hence the Lord pronounces them a generation of vipers. "The tree is known by his fruit." It was a bad tree, and no good fruit would He expect from it. "O generation of vipers," He adds, "how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word (that is, I suppose, everything betraying contempt for God) that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (vers. 34-37). What God insists upon is testimony to Jesus. These idle words betray the heart's rejection of Jesus, and slight the Holy Ghost's testimony to Him. "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." It is with the mouth that confession is made unto salvation; and the words that leave out Jesus prove that the heart prefers its sin to Him. The words of the mouth evidence the state of the heart. They are the outward expression of the feelings, and they show a man in one way as much as his conduct does in another. If the heart is evil, the words are evil, the conduct is evil: all therefore comes into judgment.

The leaven of the Pharisees is still at work. This leaven has leavened, indeed, the whole lump. Ritualistic, religious, moral Christendom, professing, and not possessing, is the direct descendant of the Pharisee of old and as such the offspring of vipers as much as they were. How little the radical, complete corruption of man is believed in Christendom, how little it is taught. Man with the good spark in him (as they claim), developing it by religiousness and the use of his own will, becomes and is his own Saviour. The Lord is looked upon not as Lord, but as Jesus of Nazareth, whose life is an example, while the atonement, the blood, is set aside and rejected. The wicked heart cannot bring forth good things. Fine and polished, sweet and harmonious, may be the language of the cultured, religious, unsaved man, but proceeding from an evil heart it can never please God. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man out of the good treasure brings forth good things and the wicked man out of the wicked treasure brings forth wicked things. But I say unto you that every idle word which men shall say, they shall render an account of it in judgment day; for by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (verses 35-37).

These words have been misunderstood and much misapplied and all this by wresting these words out of their connection. They are mostly applied in connection with that unscriptural phrase and doctrine, "universal judgment." According to this, even the words will be weighed and judged, and only then in that hour of judgment, will it be known, according to this teaching, who will be saved and who is lost. Our Lord did not teach this here nor is it taught anywhere else. These Pharisees were proud of their works and were self-righteous. If they relied on their works as a means of their justification and salvation they have to expect a judgment accordingly; every idle word is to be judged, which means utter, absolute condemnation. Their words could not be good because they were wicked. May the self-righteous, religious man remember this. Absolute condemnation awaits him. Salvation is by grace, and by that salvation man receives a good treasure and brings forth good things. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth then speaks. Furthermore, the word "idle" means useless, barren. All that which man speaks out of himself is barren and useless. The believer, however, living after the Spirit, will not utter useless words, but that which is in honor of the Son of God. As believers, we should bear constantly in mind that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, not for a decision of eternal salvation, this was settled when the believer trusted in Christ, but for rewards. Surely then our deeds, our works and our words will be either approved or disapproved.

"By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." This has also a reference to the familiar passage in Romans 10: "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." And wherever there is not this confession springing from the belief of the heart there is condemnation.

(4) That generation had proved its condition; the tree was known by its fruit. It was a viper's brood, from which no good thing could be expected any longer. Their mouth was speaking now out of the fulness of the heart. The treasures of the good man were good things, but the treasures of the evil, evil. Thus an idle word might prove a man's condition, and in the day of judgment all such would be taken into account, ― by his words a man be justified or condemned. How impossible, then, for any to escape, who has not found his shelter in Him whom Israel here refuses!

The sad fact was that these Pharisees were utterly corrupt trees, a generation of vipers, and their evil words had been just the expression of the evil of their hearts. In verses 33-37, the Lord unmasked their hearts in this way, and declared they would be judged by their words. If men will have to render account of even idle words in the day of judgment, what will evil words such as these merit? In that day by their words they would be utterly condemned.

But it may be that the reader finds it difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile this entire exemption from judgment with the solemn fact stated by our Lord, that "for every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." But there is really no difficulty in the matter. If a man has to meet judgment at all, he must give account for every idle word. How awfully solemn the thought! There is no escaping it. Were it possible for a single idle word to be let pass, it would be a dishonour to the judgment-seat. It would be a sign of weakness and incompetency which is utterly impossible. It were blasphemy against the Son of God to suppose that a single stain could escape His scrutinising gaze. If the reader comes into judgment, that judgment must be perfect, and, hence, his condemnation must be inevitable.

After showing in a lecture, the other evening, the impossibility of the justified believer ever standing in judgment as a sinner, a christian lady came up to me, and tremblingly asked, “But does not the word say, that we shall have to give account, in the day of judgment, for every idle word?” Yes; and I doubt not, many a person who reads this, and who has believed on God — who raised Jesus, the substitute, from the dead, and who is justified from all things — still, like this lady, will say: “and does not the word say, that we shall have to give account of every idle word in the day of judgment?” I turned to the passage the following night, and showed this lady that the word said a very different thing. These are the words of Jesus, “But I say to you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” (Matt. 12:36.) This is exactly what is said in another place, “And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after death the judgment; so (now mark the contrast) Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and to them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin to salvation.” (Heb. 9:27-28.) As the Lord enabled this lady to see the immense contrast between men who, having rejected mercy, must give account in the day of judgment, and those who have heard now the word of Christ, and believe on God, who sent Him, and therefore have everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment. So may my reader know the reality of that testimony that assures the believer, that Christ having borne his sins, God will remember them no more for ever. (Heb. 10.)

These passages, and many more which might be adduced, teach us distinctly, that men will be judged for their sins, and not merely for the rejection of the gospel. "For every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account at the day of judgment." The reception of the gospel takes the soul completely off the ground of judgment for sins. The rejection of the gospel leaves the soul on the ground of judgment; but the judgment will be, in every case, according to a man's works. To deny this is to remove a great moral embankment, and make way for a rushing mighty tide of lust and passion.