The Importance of Words
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The English language (which we don’t speak here in America, and especially not here in Texas where either “Amurhican” or “Texican” is the native tongue) is difficult, complex, cumbersome and frustrating, and yet can be wonderfully precise if one really knows how to use it. Although I work at the task, I fear my efforts often fall woefully short.
We are told that a high percentage of our communication is “non-verbal.” This supposedly refers to body language such as hand gestures, overall posture and facial expressions, rather than “texting” or “tweeting.” But words are still the primary “vehicles of thought” in any language, or form of that language. English (and other languages as well), properly understood and utilized, can convey messages with amazing specificity. For instance, we might use “infer” and “imply” synonymously, but we would be wrong to do so. To “imply” something is to suggest it without specifically stating it. But to “infer” is to conclude something that has not been specifically stated. These two are actually on opposite ends of the same process. You “imply” something, and from your words I “infer” a conclusion- all without anything being specifically stated!
The uncanny power of words is not accidental. The first man did not have to grunt and gesture with non-opposable-thumbed hands for centuries while evolving. He was spoken to immediately and intelligently by His Creator, and responded with an intellectual prowess invested within him by that Creator (Genesis 1:27-28ff). And both used words! Words were as much a gift from God as the ability to creatively produce and perceptively receive them.
But these words were not just a part of God’s creative gift to Adam so that he could talk to his wife (yes, that began there in the Garden also ladies). God wanted a way to be able to communicate His will to man, and man needed to be able to express himself to God, cf. Genesis 2:16-17,23.
Initially, and for hundreds of years, God spoke to the heads, or patriarchs, of families through dreams and visions, or even directly, to reveal His wishes to man. This is what is commonly called the Patriarchal Period of biblical history. Then beginning at Mt. Sinai, Jehovah used codified words to communicate His Law to Israel. He gave those laws through His prophet, Moses. Therefore, that dispensation is referred to as the Mosaical Period because God communicated His laws primarily through Moses, though other prophets were also utilized. Hebrews 1:1 described these periods this way, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways…”
Then, in the first century (A.D.), God began to reveal His laws to all mankind through Christ, “in these last days has spoken to us in His son…” Hebrews 1:2. Therefore, and logically, this is referred to as the Christian Period. But God didn’t speak to man just through Christ, He also utilized the Holy Spirit to reveal His will to mankind. In fact, the word “inspired” is from the Greek theopneustos, which is a compound word derived from theos (God) + pneo (breath). Thus literally, “inspired” means “God-breathed” in the New Testament.
From these things, a couple of points need to be made. The inspiration of the New Testament was very specific in that the words were carefully guarded by the Holy Spirit to ensure that they conveyed the thoughts of God to the minds of men. Note 1Corinthians 2:12-13 on this point, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those (meaning, words) taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” As such,the words of the Bible matter because they were specifically chosen to reveal God’s will to man! Therefore, we shouldn’t alter them (Gal.1:6-8); add to or subtract from them (Rev.22:18-19); or ignore them (Heb.2:2-4); because they will be the words by which we are judged when life is over (John 12:48).
Biblical words and their meanings matter because eternity hangs in the balance. Read and study your New Testament like your spiritual life depends on it!
The most important part of intellectual adventure is to understand importance of words.
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