Matthew 15: 11: "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." Under the Old Covenant, a person could defile himself by what he ate. For example, pork and shellfish were forbidden so you could be unclean by what you took inside your body. The Lord Jesus Christ was speaking of a higher moral standard. He was drawing a distinction between ceremonial law and the moral law. Ceremonial violations could be dealt with ceremonially. However, moral defilement corrupted the soul. What one says reveals the condition of the heart. There is a Scripture, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12: 34) I preached a message once that warned people that had received unkind and hurtful remarks from someone. I would always tell them, "You do know there is a lot more of that in their heart. Remember, they spoke from abundance." Be mindful of what comes from your mouth.
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