The Importance of Words, Part 2

Words are funny things that mean differing things to differing people. Words take on connotations that do not seem to have any real connection to the original meaning. Words have implications and even numerous implications. Words have different implications depending on a person’s worldview and even depending on a person’s theological view. Words are infuriating in that when they are spoken you cannot delete them as you can when writing a paper before it is published. Words are infuriating because the people who hear them hear you saying things you don’t mean or hearing implications of things you don’t mean. Yet, God speaks to His people in words and actually revealed and reveals Himself in the Bible through words. God has revealed Himself in some manner through words and yet people twist His words to their own purposes and to their own destruction.

Despite the problems with words and languages, God has also commanded that His Word be preached and taught.

II Timothy3:16- “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 4:1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

The Scripture is the very words of God because it is breathed by God. It is the words of God that men are to preach to others and train others as well as have preached to them and be taught to them. It is the words of God alone that will make human beings adequate for every good work. Paul charged Timothy in the text above to “preach the word” which is to really say that he was to preach the very words of God. Why must Timothy preach the words of God? It is because men do not want the sound words of God that sound doctrine consists of. Men want to hear words that tickle their ears in accordance to the words that fit their own desires. Men will follow their own desires and turn away those ears that love to be tickled and get for themselves teachers who will teach doctrines in words that they like. These people will not listen to the words of truth and instead listen to words about myths. Why is that? Because their hearts do not want the words of God and will only settle for words that tickle their ears.

The words of men convey the thoughts of the minds and desires of men. The Word of God (Christ) conveys the thoughts and desires of God. As men express themselves in words, so Jesus Christ (the Word) is the very expression of the mind and desires of God. When men hear true words about the true Word, their hearts don’t want to hear the truth of the mind of God and so they search for men who love idols instead of God so that those men will preach and teach words that convey thoughts about gods that do not have the Word Himself. Human beings are born dead in sins and trespasses and they love words that build them up as they are. The Word Himself is the very Word of God and His words are focused on manifesting the truth of God in words of truth because He is the Truth of God Himself. When Jesus said that He was “the way, the truth, and the life,” He was not just uttering words to make people feel good about themselves. He was stating that He is the truth of God incarnate.

Whenever men stand up to preach or speak for God, what they must realize is that words are vitally important. The words that men speak must be words that come from the words of truth (Scripture) and are expressions of the shining forth of God’s truth (Christ) who is the Truth of Truth Himself (God). If every careless word will be brought into judgment (Mat 12:36), then how awful must the judgment be for preachers and anyone else who use language that God created to express thoughts about God that are false. We must be students of the words of God to know the Word who alone is the way to God. Could it be said that the words we speak are either expressions of truth and Truth or they are expressions of error that opposes Truth? Our worldview must be growing to be like God’s or our worldview will not be God’s. Our thoughts must be growing to be more like Him or our thoughts will be more like the devil. God created language as a means so that human beings could speak forth true words that manifest His true glory. After all, the glory of God that shone in Christ was the glory of grace and truth. Words are frustrating at times, but we must remember that God has given them for His own sake. Christ has died to save us from the sins of our words and make a people who will speak forth words of truth for the glory of Truth.

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