Account For Idle Words

“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt either be justified or condemned.”

—Matt. 12:36 —Jesus speaking to Pharisees/vipers who said He cast out devils by Beelzebub.

“All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven of men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.”—The Pharisees had just witnessed Jesus casting out devils and called the works of the Holy Spirit to be of Beelzebub.

Christians believe they will be judged by God in heaven. Where, then, is the power of Jesus’ blood? Is God made a liar when He said He would no longer remember our sins?

To "give account" and "day of judgment" are two financial terms. "In financial context: 'Day of judgment' typically refers to the moment when the accumulated financial records of individuals or entities are evaluated, leading to a final assessment of their financial status." In this case: eternal life status. Jesus giving His life on the cross was to fulfill a debt. Believers have had their debt paid. There is no account being given of believers' sins (idle words) because Jesus already paid it all and they are covered by His blood.

“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isaiah 43:25

“Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of His people, Behold, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink of it again: But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee;” Isaiah 51: 22,23

“Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

"For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

"For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

"No weapon formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 54: 4, 7-10, 14-15, 17

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested...Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: "Being justified (made righteous) freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins (removed sins) that are past, through the forbearance of God… That He might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. (God is just in making us righteous for believing in His Son) Therefore, we conclude that man is justified without the deeds of the law.” Romans 3:21-31

Note: This all happens without your efforts/willpower to refrain from idle words. Your power of will and self-effort does not manifest the lack of idle words. In fact, while you are in your imperfect body, you will assuredly let loose some form of idle word. However:

“Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” Romans 5:1

Question: If we are to be held accountable and judged (condemned) for every idle word spoken, is there peace between us and God?

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also described the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” - Romans 4:5-8

Note: God imputes righteousness on us because of Jesus’ work at the cross. “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.—For He hath made Him [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him [in Christ. Which we are.]” 2 Corinthians 5:19, 21

“But God commendeth His love towards us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more, then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” Romans 5:8-9 (!) Keep reading Romans 5:10-21 It keeps saying that the life we received through Jesus Christ is much more greater than our mistakes.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 Present tense. Even now. Even though five minutes ago you bewailed and spoke idle words, God does not condemn you. There is not a judgment waiting for believers in heaven. Judgment is for the world who rejected Christ.

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2 The “law of sin and death” is judgment after making a mistake. But we who are in Christ do not fear the judgment of God, because Jesus took our judgment already at the cross.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1

Question: How is claiming we are being held accountable for our idle words having a yoke of bondage?

Answer: Such a belief is a claim that God holds you in condemnation all the way up to your time in heaven where “they shall give an account.” Believing are condemned means you have to pay for it. The bondage: believing Jesus' blood doesn't cover your idle words and there is a punishment waiting for you in heaven. Since you keep on spouting idle words daily, one can only imagine the more they say the greater the judgment/punishment. Try living with joy and peace while believing that in your future an unknown punishment awaits you.

There is only one reference from which stems the idea that Christians will be held accountable for their idle words, and yet after the book of Matthew, the New Testament is fraught with declarations of our righteousness in the eyes of God through Jesus’ work on the cross.

This knowledge does not and will not “give people liberty to curse with their tongue or say other nonsense to their heart’s content because they have a “Get of Jail Free Card.” This knowledge of God’s love frees people from condemning themselves and others for every little thing that pops into their head that they freak out about for not having their idea of perfection that will never be theirs until Christ returns. We are perfect in the eyes of God because he sees us clothed in His Son’s righteousness.