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Simple Sermon Outlines, Columbia, TN (2026)

05/21/2026

Sluggards: Wishers Not Workers
By: Clay Gentry

The Bible doesn’t call the lazy person a “lion taking a nap” or an “eagle resting its wings.” It calls them a sluggard. A slug is a common name for any apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. A creature that consumes much, moves little, and leaves a trail of slime everywhere it goes. The tragedy of the sluggard isn’t a lack of vision; it’s the hallucination that wishfulness can replace work, that a harvest is reaped where no seed was sown. He craves a full life while living like a slug. But God didn’t design your soul to crawl in the mud of “what-if;” He designed it to thrive in the diligence of “what-is.” To find the satisfaction we crave, we must move past the slimy trail of our excuses and step into the fields of faithful labor.

1. The Sluggard in Proverbs:

a. Wisdom paints a humorous, yet haunting, portrait of the sluggard.

b. He’s married to his bed; He has a hard time getting “up and at it.” | 6:6-11; 26:14

c. Once up, he can’t find the strength to do anything constructive. | 19:24; 24:30-34; 26:15

d. Imagines unreasonable fears to rationalize unreasonable laziness. | 22:13; 26:13

e. Considers himself wiser than all others. | 26:16

f. He’s a burden to anyone who depends on him. | 10:26

g. Because of his ways, he’s headed for serious trouble. | 13:4; 15:19; 20:4; 21:25

2. The Sluggard’s Cravings:

a. “The soul* of the sluggard craves and gets nothing…” | Pro 13:4a

b. The sluggard has needs and desires, but he refuses the means to satisfy them - work.

c. So, he “gets nothing.” Either by his own hand or by others.’ | cf. Pro 20:4; 2 Ths 3:10

d. The soul-rot of constant desire without fulfillment leads to bitterness and envy.

3. The Sluggard’s Shadow:

a. Sluggardliness is a spiritual condition we’re all susceptible to.

b. Spiritual: They want the “peace of God” but refuse the practices of personal devotion.

c. Relational: They want closeness, without the cost of sacrificial investment.

d. Evangelical: They want packed pews but make excuses to avoid proclaiming the gospel.

e. Instructional: They want meatier teaching but aren’t willing to do the work required to digest it.

4. The Diligent are Satisfied:

a. “While the soul* of the diligent is richly supplied.” | Pro 13:4b

b. The diligent person works hard and intentionally. They reap because they sow.

c. Spiritual: They train themselves “for godliness” for this life and the next. | 1 Tim 4:6-10

d. Relational: They pay the price of self to get to the prize of us. | Php 2:1-4

e. Evangelical: They pray, then go labor in the field for a harvest of souls. | Mat 9:35-38

f. Instructional: They’re “nobel-minded” students of the Word. | Act 17:10-12

The “rich supply” promised in Proverbs 13:4 isn’t a reward for the “lucky” – it’s the harvest of the diligent. The only thing missing is the sowing. In your Spiritual life: Stop waiting for a lightning bolt of holiness to strike. In your Relationships: Stop waiting for the other person to change first. In your Witness: Stop fearing the “lion in the street.” God has given you the seed, the soil, and the strength. The only thing missing is the sowing. God has given you the seed, the soil, and the strength. Don’t leave here today with a heart full of cravings and a life full of nothing. Step out of the slime of the someday and into the work of the today. Pick up the shovel, grip the plow, and trust that the God of the harvest will satisfy your soul.

* Or “appetite” as in Pro 13:4 NIV (twice); same word, H5315 as in Pro 16:26

05/14/2026

The Mary Magdalene Model
By: Clay Gentry

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark” (Jhn 20:1). Before the sun breaks the horizon, there is a moment where the world is no longer pitch black, but it isn’t yet full of color. It’s called the “gray hour” when light is low, and everything is awash in shadow. The landscape matched Mary’s mood as she walked toward the tomb. She’s carrying the heavy weight of burial spices. In this grey hour, Mary isn’t just a follower of a movement; she is a woman whose world has collapsed. Today, we aren’t looking at a legend or a myth. We’re looking at a woman who stayed in the grey until the Light found her. We’re looking at Mary Magdalene – the woman Jesus chose to be the first witness of the resurrecting hope of the first day of the week.

1. Who She Was and Who She Was Not:

a. From Magdala/Magadan (Western shore of Sea of Galilee) | Mat 15:39

b. She was a woman of means who had been delivered from “seven demons.” | Luk 8:1-3
i. No record of her being a pr******te or the woman in Luke 7:36-50. (The origin of this is with Pope Gregory in 591 AD).

c. But like the woman in Luke 7:47, her devotion didn’t come from a perfect background, but a deep sense of gratitude.

2. Last at the Cross:

a. While the Apostles (sans John) fled in fear, Mary was at the foot of the cross. | Mat 26:30-35; 27:55-56, 61; cf. Jhn 19:25

b. The old spiritual, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” echoes in Mary’s story.
i. “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” The others denied Jesus; she boldly stood by the cross of her Savior.
ii. “Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?” She didn’t just hear the report; she heard the hammer.
iii. “Were you there when the sun refused to shine?” When the world went dark at midday, she stood her ground in the shadow of the cross.
iv. “Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?” When others left, she followed to the end.
v. “Were you there when He rose from the dead?” When others didn’t believe, she proclaimed the resurrection of hope.

c. The test of loyalty isn’t shouting “Hosannas” with the jubilant crowd; it’s standing at the foot of the cross when all feels hopeless.

3. First at the Tomb:

a. She wasn’t expecting resurrection when she came to the tomb. | Luk 23:53-24:1

b. Seeing an empty tomb and suspecting theft, she ran to tell Peter and John. | Jhn 20:1-2

c. The resurrection wasn’t announced with a trumpet blast but a whisper: “Mary.” | vv. 11-16

d. Jesus entrusted her with the first resurrection proclamation | vv. 17-18; cf. Mrk 16:8-11
i. From a 1st century perspective, women were unreliable witnesses, yet He chose her.

4. The Mary Magdalene Model:

a. Gratitude is the Engine of Devotion: Mary served because she never forgot the darkness she was rescued from. | Psa 103:1-5; Act 1:14

b. Loyalty Stays When Logic Fails: Mary didn’t stay because she had the answers; she stayed because she loved the Savior. | Rth 1:16-17; Gal 6:9

c. Your Past Is the Platform of His Message: The enemy wants to use your past as a prison; Jesus wants to use it as evidence of a transformative gospel. | Mrk 5:19-20; 1 Tim 1:12-16

Maybe you walked in here today carrying your own heavy weight of burial spices – reminders of what you’ve lost or who you used to be. Maybe your world feels muted and cold. If that’s you, look at Mary. She didn’t have the answers, but she had loyalty. She didn’t have the full picture, but she had gratitude. And because she stayed at her post, she heard the one thing that changes everything: the Voice of the Savior calling her name. Jesus is still in the business of choosing “unreliable witnesses” to carry the most reliable truth in history. Don’t leave here just thinking about a woman in a garden; leave here being that witness. The sun has risen. The gray hour is over. Go and tell them: “I have seen the Lord!”

05/12/2026

United with Him: The Why Behind Baptism
By: Clay Gentry

** This is a little different than my usual simple sermon outlines, but I thought the topic was important enough to share it in this expanded format. **

Have you ever wondered why baptism holds such a prominent place in the early church? Throughout the New Testament, baptism is the expression of one’s initial faith in Jesus, the Christ – the point when one receives the blessings of salvation in Him, including the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Act 2:38). Being "clothed" with Christ to become children of Abraham and heirs of the promise (Gal 3:27). Far from being a work of man, it’s a work of God, where we receive the “circumcision made without hands” (Col 2:11-13), and it’s the “washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5). As the Apostle Peter boldly declared, “baptism... now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 3:21).

However, the broader religious world discounts the importance of baptism as the starting point of faith, replacing it with praying Jesus into one’s heart, saying the ‘Sinner’s Prayer,’ or a spiritual experience. But if we want a salvation that matches the Savior’s work, we must look at how He actually saved us.

The Savior’s Experience vs. The Savior’s Work:

In the life of Jesus, He encountered both intense prayer and spiritual experiences, yet neither secured our salvation.

• His prayers: In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed with intense, agonizing fervor, yet that prayer did not save us (Luk 22:41-44). Even His plea from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luk 23:34), revealed His heart, but the blood work was yet to be finished.

• His Experiences: He witnessed the heavens torn open and the Holy Spirit descending upon Him in the form of a dove (Mat 3:16-17). Then, on the Mount of Transfiguration, He was revealed in blinding heavenly glory (Mat 17:1-5). These were profound moments, but not salvific.

Rather, Jesus saved us through His substitutionary death, burial, and resurrection. If He had saved us by a prayer, we could be saved by a prayer. If He had saved us through a spiritual experience, we could be saved by a spiritual experience. But, because He saved us by a death, burial, and resurrection, He calls us to join Him in that pattern.

Interestingly, Jesus Himself referred to His death as a “baptism” He had to undergo (Mrk 10:38, Luk 12:50). Because He saved us by a “baptism” into death, He calls us to join Him in that pattern.

The Why of Baptism:

The Apostle Paul makes this connection incredibly clear in his letter to the Romans:

“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Rom 6:3-4)

Notice the active verbs: buried and raised. Baptism is not a human work we do to earn God’s favor; it is the divinely appointed moment of faith where we step into the story of salvation. We are plunged into the waters to unite with Christ’s death and burial, and we rise from the water to share in His resurrected life.

The Call for Baptism:

When we look at the instructions given in the New Testament, we find a consistent pattern that transcends personal experience or religious background.

• Saul, the Jewish “Chief of Sinners”: Saul saw the resurrected Christ in a blinding light and spent three days fasting and in intense prayer (Acts 9:1-11). However, on the road, Jesus had told him, “Arise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do” (Acts 9:6). Despite his vision and intense prayers, Saul remained in his sins. When Ananias arrived, he revealed what Saul “must do” – “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16). And so, “Immediately… [he] rose and was baptized” to wash away his sins (Act 9:18).

• Cornelius, the Devout Gentile: Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, was a man who “gave alms generously to the people and prayed to God always” with fasting (Act 10:1-2, 30). He, too, was blessed with a heavenly vision of an angel (Acts 10:2-3). The angel told him to send for Peter, who “will tell you what you must do” (Acts 10:6 NKJV) and bring words “by which you and all your household will be saved” (Acts 11:14). Despite his devotion and his angelic vision, Cornelius was not yet saved. Even after a miraculous sign of the Spirit (which was for Peter’s sake), the Apostle declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus, the Christ” (Act 10:47-48; cf. 11:15-18).

If these two men – one a repentant persecutor and the other a devout seeker – were both called to the waters of baptism despite their experiences and prayers, then no one can claim that our feelings replace the command to be baptized.

The Urgency of Baptism:

Until one is baptized, they do not yet enjoy the blessings of salvation. One of the most striking features of the New Testament is the immediacy of baptism. In Acts, Luke never describes a scheduled baptismal ceremony; rather, he describes a race to the water.

• The Pentecost Crowds: Those who received the word were baptized that day (2:41).

• The Ethiopian Eu**ch: As soon as they came to water, he stopped the chariot to be baptized immediately (8:36-38).

• The Philippian Jailer: He did not even wait for sunrise but was baptized “the same hour of the night” (16:33).

• In Ephesus, “As soon as they heard” about the baptism of Jesus, they were baptized into the name of Jesus (19:5).

This urgency proves a vital point: Prayer and spiritual experiences don’t hold a person over until baptism is scheduled. If Saul’s three days of prayer had saved him, there would have been no rush for the water. If Cornelius’s angelic vision had saved him, Peter wouldn’t have “commanded” an immediate immersion.

The apostles viewed being outside of Christ (not baptized) as a state of emergency. They understood that baptism is the point of union with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection; there is no reason to wait.

Baptism-The Great Equalizer:

Basing salvation on a “spiritual experience” divides believers, making some feel holier if their experience is more dramatic and others feel less holy if it isn’t. But baptism is the great equalizer because there’s “one baptism” (Eph 4:5).

Through immersion, all hierarchies are washed away - your ethnicity, nationality, socoeconimic status, even your place in history. The Apostle Paul and the Philippian Jailer were saved in the same way as anyone is today. As Paul explains, for those who have been baptized into Christ, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:27-28). We all come to the same Savior through the same act, receiving the same salvation promise.

Ultimately, baptism is the biblical mode that honors every aspect of faith. In the waters of baptism, we pray, calling on the name of the Lord” (Act 22:16; cf. 1 Pet 3:21). In the waters of baptism, we have a profound spiritual experience as we’re “raised by the power of God” (Col 2:12). Baptism does not exclude prayer or experience; it is the God-given moment when they are realized. If you have questions, I’m here to listen. Let’s explore the Bible together. If you are relying on prayer or a feeling but have never joined Jesus in His burial, we would love to show you how to have the biblical assurance of salvation today.

05/06/2026

God Remembered Noah
By: Clay Gentry

When it feels like the floodwaters of life have swallowed your world and silence is all you hear, you are not forgotten. God’s remembrance is not a mental recall; it is a covenantal commitment to rescue, restore, and redeem. Imagine the scene: weeks turn into months inside a wooden box tossed upon a seemingly endless, watery grave. The sound of rain gives way to the deafening silence of the deep. It is easy in those moments to wonder, “Does God know where I am?” The turning point of the entire Genesis flood narrative hinges on four words: “But God remembered Noah.” (See a chiastic structure of the flood in the comments) God never suffers from memory lapses – His remembrance is an action. Today, we are going to unpack how the God who remembers makes covenant promises, and what it looks like to live in the light of His remembrance.

1. Defining Biblical Remembrance: More than Not Forgetting

a. In the original languages, remembrance (Hebrew: zākar) is never about mental recall or overcoming forgetfulness.

b. It is a covenantal term: When God “remembers,” He’s actively keeping and fulfilling His promises to His people.

2. The Covenant in Action:

a. When God remembers, He acts fully and completely toward His covenant people.

b. Noah: God brought Noah safely through the floodwaters and gave him a new beginning on dry ground. | Gen 8:1-19

c. The Bow: God established a physical covenant, remembering His promise never to destroy the earth by water again. | Gen 9:8-17

d. Abraham: God remembered Abraham's faith and rescued Lot from the destruction of S***m and Gomorrah. | Gen 19:29

e. Israel: God remembered His covenant with the patriarchs and sent Moses to lead His people out of Egyptian bo***ge. | Exd 2:24

f. The Silver Trumpets: God promised to remember His people during times of battle and when they offered sacrifices, granting them victory. | Num 10:9-10

g. Our Sins No More: In the ultimate act of covenant non-remembrance, God chooses to remember our sins no more. | Psa 25:7; Isa 43:25; Jer 31:34
i. There is no glory in mere forgetfulness, but there is immense glory in an all-knowing God remembering our sins and actively choosing not to act upon them. | Psa 103:10

3. We Remember: Our Call to Respond

a. Just as God actively remembers, we’re called to remember His faithfulness and act.

b. We Remember Others: We’re called to actively care for and pray for the marginalized, the struggling, and our community. | Heb 13:3; Gal 2:10; Eph 1:16; 4:25

c. We Remember Our Past Faith: We look back on the initial love and zeal of our faith and recapture it, allowing the memory of that devotion to fuel our repentance. | Rev 2:5; 3:3

d. We Remember the Lord: We anchor our weekly assembly in partaking in the Lord’s Supper, to actively re-center our lives on Him and His ways. | Luk 22:19; 1 Cor 10:20–22; 11:24–25

God’s remembrance is not passive – it’s an active, rescuing, and redeeming force. Because He remembers us, we can place our whole faith, hope, and trust in His promises. This week, don’t let your circumstances dictate your theology. Act on God's promises by serving others, repenting of where you have drifted, and remembering His sacrifice at the communion table as motivation to live for Him. You’re not defined by the floodwaters you’re surviving; you’re defined by the God who remembered your name before the foundations of the earth.

05/01/2026

Will Many or Few Be Saved? Yes
By: Clay Gentry

There are several biblical doctrines that, on the surface, seem opposed to each other, but both are true at the same time: We are secure in our salvation, yet we can sin so as to fall from grace (Jhn 10:28-29; Gal 5:4). God the Father is love, but He is also a consuming fire (1 Jhn 4:8; Heb 12:29). We are saved by grace, by faith, and by works (Eph 2:8-9; Jms 2:24). Then comes the question: Will many or few be saved? The answer is Yes. God’s kingdom is bigger than our prejudices and narrower than our culture’s comfort. To understand the heart of God, we must hold two truths in tension: the narrow path we are called to walk, and the vast harvest He has called us to reap. Let’s look at how Scripture resolves this tension together.

1. The Few Will Be Saved Only Perspective | Mat 7:13-14; Luk 13:22-30; 1 Cor 1:26-31

a. Scripture clearly indicates that few find the narrow gate that leads to life.

b. Biblical Examples of the Remnant:
i. The Flood: Only Noah and his family (8 people) were saved. | Gen 7:7
ii. The Exodus: Only 2 out of the 603,550 entered the Promised Land. | Num 1:46; 14:30
iii. The Time of Elijah: Only 7,000 who had not bowed to Baal. | 1 Kgs 19:18
iv. The Church in Sardis: Only a few people had not defiled their garments. | Rev 3:4

2. The Many Will Be Saved Perspective | Mat 8:10-11; Rom 5:19; Rev 7:9

a. The scope of God’s grace and redemptive work is expansive and vast.

b. Biblical Examples of the Multitude:
i. Gentiles: Many will come from all over to sit with the patriarchs. | Mat 8:10-11
ii. Abounding Grace: The gift of grace covers many. | Rom 5:19
iii. Heavenly Worship: An innumerable multitude stands before the throne. | Rev 7:9
iv. In Corinth: The Lord had “many people” in that city. | Act 18:9-11

3. The Danger of an Imbalanced Mindset:

a. When we elevate one perspective over the other, we miss the fullness of God’s Word.

b. A “Few Will Be Saved" only mindset breeds self-righteous contempt. | Luk 18:9-14
i. It can create an exclusive, elitist attitude rather than a humble, Christ-like heart.

c. A “Many Will Be Saved" only mindset breeds a philosophical universalism. | Act 17:16-34
i. It can create a casual, lax attitude toward the one true God – “I’m okay, you’re okay.”

4. Balancing Both Mindsets:

a. How can we hold a “Many” and “Few” mindset at the same time without contradiction?

b. Use “Few Will Be Saved” as motivation for personal faithfulness. | Luk 13:22-24; 1 Cor 9:24-27
i. We must strive to enter through the narrow gate and run to win the prize.

c. Apply “Many Will Be Saved” as motivation for gospel proclamation. | Acts 18:9-11.
i. It gives us the courage to proclaim the gospel, knowing many others can be saved.

One day, we will all stand before our Master to give an account of our lives. The final verdict – whether we hear “Well done, good and faithful servant” or “You fool” – will hinge on whether we lived by the full counsel of His Word rather than shrinking it to fit our prejudices or cultural comforts. If we hold the “few” mindset, we risk standing before the Lord with a heart of self-righteous contempt for those we were meant to love and save. If we hold the "many" mindset, we risk standing before the Lord empty-handed, having embraced a casual complacency that ignored the narrow path of personal holiness. Today is the day to align your life with the fullness of God’s truth: Strive with the faithful few to walk the narrow path while proclaiming the King’s gospel to the many. Do not let the narrow gate lead you to pride or despair, nor let the great multitude lead you to complacency. Which verdict will it be for you?

04/30/2026

The Sin of Achan: The Anatomy of Secret Sin
By: Clay Gentry

There is a certain kind of exhaustion that comes from trying to live two lives at once. There’s the life we want everyone to see – the perfectly curated Christian life. But then, there’s the life we’ve buried under the floorboards of your heart. The tragedy of the hidden life is the belief that we are getting away with something when, in reality, that something is getting away with us. Today, we’re going to see that what we bury in the dark eventually comes into the light, and every secret will eventually be shouted from the rooftops. There is a way out of the exhaustion of the double life, and it begins with a hard look at a man named Achan. Let’s turn to Joshua 7.

1. Israel’s Defeat at Ai:

a. Following an unexpected rout at Ai, Joshua fell on his face before God. | vv. 1-9

b. God informed him: “Israel has sinned... they have taken some of the devoted things.” | vv. 10-14

c. The Lord then commanded a process of elimination to identify the individual responsible. | vv. 15-21
i. Note the progression: Tribe of Judah, Clan of the Zerahites, Family of Zabdi, then the man Achan.
ii. Achan had every opportunity to confess his sin, but he waited until he was cornered.

d. The result of the secret was a public ex*****on; Achan and all he possessed were stoned and burned in the Valley of Achor. | vv. 22-26

2. Achan’s Temptation and Sin:

a. Achan’s temptation and sin echoed Eden:
i. “I saw… a beautiful cloak of Shinar… then I coveted… and took… they are hidden...” | vv. 19-21
ii. “The woman saw… good and a delight... desired… took and ate… hid…” | Gen 3:6-8

b. Anatomy of a Fall: Achan’s temptation mirrors our own battles. | Jms 1:12-15

i. Lured and Enticed: “I Saw” | Psa 119:36-37; Pro 4:25
1. Achan experienced God’s miracle at Jericho but was blinded by a robe.
2. It was the moment when a passing glance became a lingering gaze.
3. What you feast your eyes on will eventually famish your soul.

ii. Desire has Conceived: “I Coveted” | Exd 20:17; 1 Jhn 2:15-17
1. Achan decided the spoil was worth breaking God’s command.
2. We tell ourselves lies in the dark to justify what we want in the moment.
3. We covet when we stop trusting God’s hand and start grabbing what we want.

iii. Gives Birth to Sin: “I Took” | Pro 28:13; Luk 12:1-3
1. For Achan, the taking was the birth of a sin that would eventually destroy him.
2. By the time your hands move, your heart has already moved away from God.
3. You don’t fall into sin; you walk into it one look, and one wish at a time.

iv. Brings Forth Death: “Israel stoned him with stones” | Rom 6:23; Gen 4:6-7
1. When Achan’s secret was “fully grown,” it produced a harvest of death.
2. We often imagine sin as a pet we can keep in a cage, but it eventually grows into a monster that devours the cage and its owner.
3. Sin doesn’t just want to take your secrets; it wants to take your life.

3. The Valley of Achor and Jesus

a. It’s no coincidence that both Achan and Jesus came from the Tribe of Judah.
i. While one son of Judah brought trouble upon the people, another Son of Judah came to take that curse upon Himself. | Hos 2:14-15

b. Jesus overcame the “Seeing – Taking” temptation of Satan, so we could too. | Luk 4:5-8

c. Jesus endured God’s judgment so we could walk through the door of hope. | 1 Pet 2:24

Achan waited until he was caught to confess. He waited until the lot fell on his tribe, then his clan, then his family, and finally on him. His story ends with a heap of stones in a valley called Trouble, but your story doesn’t have to end there. You don’t have to wait for the “process of elimination” to find you out. You don't have to wait until your hidden struggle becomes a public disaster. Your sin has brought reproach to the name of God, but your confession will give God glory. Bring it to the One who overcame the temptation, endured the judgment, and now stands as the Door. Give God the glory today by bringing your secret life into His light.

04/23/2026

The Sin of Reviling
By: Clay Gentry

Perhaps you know what it feels like to be hit – the thud of a beanball, the whiplash of a fender-bender, or the sting of a slap. We remember the bruise, the soreness, and the flinching memory. Because it hurts, we keep our distance from things that hit us. But there is a different kind of “hit” that leaves no physical mark yet dismantles a soul just as effectively as a blow to the body - it’s reviling. In 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, Paul lists those who are barred from the Kingdom of God. We usually scan that list for the “moral monsters” – the sexually deviant, the idolaters, the greedy, the drunkards, and the swindlers. But standing right in the middle of them is the reviler. A reviler is someone who uses their words as a whip to belittle or crush another person simply because they can. Up front, I want to be specific about what this looks like, because we are experts at making excuses for our words. Here is what reviling sounds like:

• Labeling Someone: “Stupid,” “Idiot,” “Worthless,” “Trash,” or “Pathetic failure.” (Not to mention profane or socially unacceptable labels and terms.)
• Using Domestic Daggers: “You’re just like your mother/father.” or “Why on earth did I marry you? You’re useless to me.”
• Injecting Political Poison: Labeling groups as “heartless,” “MAGAt,” “braindead,” “libtard,” or “infestations.” (The Constitution might give us freedom of speech, but God doesn’t.)

Here is the hard truth: You can be a pious person in every way – sexually pure, a worshipper of the one true God, content with what you have, never touch a drop of alcohol, and honest in your dealings – but if you use your tongue to tear others down, your words will damn your soul in the end.

1. Why is Reviling so Sinful?

a. It belittles and attacks the one made in God’s image. | Jms 3:5b-12

b. It’s a “Heart-Reveal” of deep-seated pride and a lack of love. | Mat 12:33-37

c. It mimics the Serpent rather than the Savior. | Rev 12:10; cf. Luk 6:22; Jhn 9:28; Act 13:45

2. How to Handle Reviling

a. Bring it into the light. | Mat 18:15-17; 1 Cor 5:9-13
i. Sin and shame grow in the dark; repentance and healing can begin when the church family says, “This is not how we treat one another.”

b. Follow Jesus’ example: don’t revile in return. | 1 Pet 2:23; 3:9a; cf. Mat 27:39-44
i. This isn’t about being a doormat; it’s about refusing to let the reviler turn you into a reviler. You protect your soul by refusing to adopt their weapons.

c. Trust the Just Judge for vindication. | 1 Pet 3:9b-12; Rom 12:17-21
i. Replace the desire to “curse” with the choice to “bless.” Your gracious words aren’t a sign that the other person is right; it’s a sign that your God is just.

3. The Call to Repent of Reviling

a. You can’t claim to be a citizen of Heaven while using the words of Hell. | Php 3:17-4:1
i. Based on your speech, would God or Satan claim you as their own?

b. Confess: Don’t call it being blunt; call it what God calls it: a sin that damns. | Mat 5:21-26
i. If God played back your words, would you still dare to call them “blunt”?

c. Repent: It’s more than “I’m sorry” – it’s a change of heart and actions. | Mat 3:8*; Eph 4:22-23
i. Will others see a changed heart, or just a temporary silence until the next outburst?

d. Accountability: Pride says, “I can fix this alone,” but humility says, “I need others.” | Jms 5:16
i. Are you humble enough to let others see how you speak to your family in private?

Paul ends his list of those barred from the Kingdom with a pivot that changes everything: “And such were some of you…” (1 Cor 6:11). He reminds us that while reviling may be our past, it doesn’t have to be our future. For those who have been “washed, sanctified, and justified,” our language must reflect our new identity. Your voice now belongs to the King; use it to speak His language. You can’t talk like the devil and expect to live like a saint. So, lay down your whip, pick up your cross, and let your tongue finally speak the words of the grace that saved you.

* Some may point to John the Baptist calling the Scribes and Pharisees “vipers” (Mat 3:7), Jesus calling Herod a “fox” (Luk 13:32), or Paul calling false teachers “dogs” (Phil 3:2) to justify harsh speech. However, we must distinguish between prophetic denunciation and the sin of reviling. These inspired men spoke with divine authority to expose the character of those standing in the way of the Gospel; they weren’t using their words as a personal whip to win an argument or soothe their bruised egos. We’re not Jesus, and our neighbors are not the Pharisees. As followers of Christ, our mandate remains: “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt” (Col 4:6). We are called to mimic the Savior’s mercy, not to audition for the role of a Judge we were never meant to be.

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