As disciples of Christ, our speech matters. While the expression “holy crap” has become commonplace in our culture today, Jeff challenges us to re-evaluate the use of this expression by explaining the meaning of the word “holy” and the reverence we should have for it.
Snippet from the Show
Part of being a disciple of Christ is being able to clearly distinguish between that which is holy and that which is unholy.
Shownotes
Our actions and language matter because they reflect what we truly value and believe. As disciples of Christ, we are called to honor God with the words we use. Although expressions like “holy crap” or “holy cow” may seem trivial and innocent, they are misleading and inappropriate because they fail to recognize the true meaning of the word “holy”. Today, I challenge you to say what you mean and mean what you say.
The word “holy” in Hebrew is “Kadosh”. Kadosh means separate, special or set apart. Throughout Scripture, we see that God alone is holy:
“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”- Lev 19:2
“And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.’ ” – Luke 1:46-49
“Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.”- Psalm 93:5
In the Gospels, Jesus reminds us that our words matter:
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”-Matt 5:33-37
Resources
- Email us at tjcs@ascensionpress.com
- Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get added to Jeff’s shownotes email list!
- Hebrews: The New and Eternal Covenant Study Program
- https://www.jeffcavins.com/
- The Activated Disciple by Jeff Cavins
- The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
- As parishes plan for the fall, Ascension is pleased to offer our new and improved online bible study programs and sacramental preparation programs digitally to help you minister with flexibility. Go to ascensionpress.com to view all our offerings
This was a very enlightening podcast! It has given me much on which to reflect and a reason to change a habit of speech.
Thank you, Jeff.
If a person says holy hell , like if they get mad at someone and say the will beat the holy hell out of someone is that blasphemy against the Holy Spirt ?
yes it is. It is the same like people using LORD Jesus Christ name as a cuss word
I agree. Thank you for the reasoning. What do you think about swearing an oath for court testimony?
I said holy smokes not out of anger is that a sin
Yes & Amen!!!
I have never realized how horrible saying ‘holy cow’ or ‘holy crap’ is. It seems innocent but when you dive deeper into the bible you realize it’s not.
Praise God! It’s really helpful to know what we’ve done wrong, God bless and Jesus appreciates you all! 🤍 “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.”(Romans 1:16 NLT)
Let’s share The Word Of God and the beauty of Jesus always! 🤗 God bless and Jesus loves you always!