What happens when our Christian etiquette exceeds the Bible’s?

[reformer]

There are pastors, who in their sermons from time to time, will mention how self-vindication (works righteousness) before a holy God will not save anyone. Many of them use Isaiah 64:6, “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” They may explain that the word “filthy garment” in Isaiah 64:6 is literally a “menstrual cloth.” It is offensive to think about—which is the purpose of it. I even had someone tell me that it was not proper to use the word "menstrual cloth". When asked why, the reply was, "because it is wrong." But why is it wrong? "It just is!" Really? Have we become so prone to coming up with our own system of ethics that we have a hard time with what the Bible says?

[mattfivefour]

I had a Christian woman tell me once that those words were offensive to women. I understand they are not pleasant ... but God did not intend them to be pleasant. He did not sugarcoat it to the Hebrews in their tongue, we do not need to sugarcoat it to our own English speaking people either. We need to fully understand just how unclean even our highest moral and religious acts are. Nothing whereof to boast ... but Jesus Christ ... and Him crucified.

[Obadiah]

We need to be sensitive to what's contextually appropriate and what isn't.

Would you read Ezekiel 16 to a room full of children?

[myinnuendo999]

I think we need to consider the purpose of God's word and use discretion. The purpose of Isaiah 64:6 is to show us how utterly disgusting all our righteous acts or works are to God so that we have a right assessment of our true condition before a Holy God.

In speaking to little Children obviously, we don't tell them it means "menstrual rags". Be prudent and use discretion. We wouldn't go showing them the human body fully unclothed from a Medical book neither and yet men and women who are studying to be Doctors have to because the purpose is for helping doctors learn the human body to help us get well. The purpose for a child is not..

Same goes with the Bible..You wouldn't start teaching them from the Song of Solomon until they grow up.

1 Corinthians 13:11 "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

[reformer]

There are children in church services when I have preached this text and I have explained the text. If I was preaching through Ezekiel I would preach right through chapter 16.

[reformer]

The point is that we have to be careful of having a higher standard than what Scripture has. The Bible is our standard to live by and our etiquette may be something that we hold to but we must be careful when we impose on others. For instance... I know families that are told never to use the word "stupid". But how do they respond when this verse is read, Proverbs 12:1 "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid." Do you see what I mean?

[Obadiah]

Have you ever read the Hebrew text of Ezekiel 16? The sexual metaphors are quite explicit. It's not something I would explain to children.

As to the use of "stupid" -- that word doesn't bother me. Apparently it bothers some people. It's not a bad translation of בער in Proverbs 12:1. I'd be OK with it. But words change in meaning, and especially in connotation, as the years go by. When I was a kid, people thought nothing of using the word "retard" as a mild insult. In recent years, though, that word has acquired some seriously negative connotations and is hurtful to persons with mental disabilities. It's possible that "stupid" is on the same path, and the day will come when it's also verbum non gratum -- despite its presence in certain versions of the Bible.

I guess my point is that just because a word appears in an English translation of the Bible doesn't mean the word carries some sort of divine sanction. KJV uses a number of words -- I'm thinking of Hebrews 12:8, for example -- which I believe are inappropriate for use in a church setting. This is not because I consider myself nicer than God; it's because appropriate word usage changes over time, and I believe we as Christians should be sensitive in our speech so as to adorn the gospel of Christ rather than detract from it.

I'm not at all unsympathetic to your concern. Christians have a tendency to view the God of Scripture through the lens of culture. Contemporary American culture exalts niceness over honesty, and, of course, the worst possible thing you can do in the opinion of the dominant culture is to judge someone. In contrast, Scripture commands us to make judgments (John 7:24). It's important for us to evaluate our culture according to the benchmark of Scripture rather than the other way around.