The War of the Words

The Eternal Word

When God created the Universe, the Scriptures say that He spoke everything into being out of nothing. Seven times in Genesis 1 it reads, “God said,” and then creation came into existence. Now, we know that God is Spirit, and He doesn’t have a body, let alone a mouth, so it’s not as if God said some words and made the world. The Apostle John gives some insight and clarification to the anthropomorphism and poetry of Genesis 1.

In the prologue to his Gospel, John writes this, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-3, 14). The Apostle Paul affirms these truths in his letter to the church at Colossae. “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17).

The Eternal Son of God, The Logos, the Preincarnate Christ – He is the Word that was spoken, the Word that brought creation into existence. If the Father speaks, and if the Spirit hovers over the earth, it is the Son of God that brings everything into existence, because He is the Word that creates and sustains.

Better than gold, sweeter than honey

In addition to the Word of God, the eternal Son of God, the Lord has much to say about His revealed Word – His laws, commands, and revelation given through the Prophets and Apostles. In fact, other than God Himself, there is nothing the Lord elevates and exalts more highly than His Word. I’ll offer just a few examples.

“Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord“ (Deuteronomy 8:3b). “You have exalted above all things Your name and Your Word” (Psalm 138:2b). “Forever, O Lord, Your Word is firmly fixed in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89). “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth” (John 17:17).

Suffice it to say, God takes His Word seriously, and we are also required to take the Word of God seriously. The Lord has no problem letting humans know that His Word is to be revered, honoured, obeyed, and held close to the very core of our beings. But there is something else we can learn from God’s intentionality regarding His own Word. I believe we, made in His image, are required to take our words seriously. That is to say we must be intentional with what we say – not the tone – but the actual words.

A broken vocabulary

We throw around words in our learned “Christianese” without, sad to say, many knowing what they actually mean and what they communicate about God and reality. People will refer to worship, when what they really mean is singing songs in praise to God with instruments and music. Worship has an incredibly deep meaning, and, interesting enough, the Old and New Testament use words for worship that actually contain different nuances and applications. But Christians continue to sloppily say, “The worship (again, music) was so great at church today.”

How about repentance? It’s not just saying sorry, and it’s not promising never to sin again. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of heart that will lead to a change in direction. Forgiveness is another completely misunderstood word. Forgiveness is not an internal disposition ready to make amends with someone and not let their sin against you rob you of joy and peace. Forgiveness requires two people - one person asking for it and one person offering it. Without confession, there is no forgiveness.

I could go on and on, so I’ll just list several more. Line up ten Christians ask them to define the Kingdom of God, and you’ll get ten different answers. Atonement, joy, love, Messiah, fellowship – all examples of words Christians use without knowing or caring how the Lord has defined them. There is much room for growth and discipline in using Biblical words Biblically.

From the church to the world

This is where I am going to take a hard left turn, and I hope no one falls out of the car when I do. God takes His Word seriously. He deals in words. God exalts His Word highly. God requires us to take His Word seriously. He expects us to take our words seriously, especially when we use the words He has given us. Being accurate and precise with our words matters to God, because in case you didn’t notice, we also deal in words. We also communicate in words, unlike every other creature, because only human beings have been made in the image of God.

As bad as Christians are at using Biblical words when surrounded by other Christians, we do an awful job of using words well when dealing with those outside of the church. It’s no surprise that the world has been on a mission to redefine words and exercise dominion over the dictionary. In our culture, purveyors of godless ideologies have successfully redefined a lot of the words God has given us. Progressives have emptied of all meaning and filled with their own wickedness words such as marriage, love, sex, justice, humility, spirituality, truth, and joy, just to name a few. They have bombarded us with redefined words such as diversity, inclusivity, equity, tolerance, oppressor, and fascist, and their new definitions share no resemblance with their actual meaning.

Don’t give up the dictionary

Rather than concede verbal ground, Christians must reclaim the words the Lord has given us. We must also use accurate and precise language in communicating truths and discussing concepts. We must deploy Biblical words instead of tiptoeing around God-haters and pagans. We must cut through euphemisms with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

It’s not abortion – it’s the murder of innocent pre-born babies. It’s not pro-choice – it’s pro-infanticide. It’s not Social Justice – it’s State-forced Marxist theft and redistribution. It’s not homosexual – it’s Sodomite. It’s not gay marriage – it’s a Sodomite union. Many professing Christians are uncomfortable using these words, and yet God has no problem using them. The truth is that many professing Christians are ashamed of the Lord and His Word, and they are embarrassed to label things as the Lord labels them. We must reject the inane “love is love.” Love is clearly defined in the Scriptures in places such as 1 Corinthians 13. Freedom is not autonomous Libertarianism. Freedom is when we truly desire to do that which God commands us to do within certain boundaries. We have effectively given up the dictionary to the pagans. They have taken ownership of the words. But God owns the words, and we must declare His ownership over His Word and our words as well.

Commands over our speech

Just to be clear, the requirement for Christians to be accurate, precise, Biblical, and truthful with our words is not a hobby horse of mine. I don’t have an axe to grind. This is not something I came up with. In fact, God makes his expectations around the use of words very clear in one of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). Jesus said, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37). “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices” (Colossians 3:9). “My brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation” (James 5:12).

We must be serious about the Word of God. We must be serious about our words. We must be truthful, accurate, and Biblical with our language. We must not shy away from using the words the Lord has given us out of fear or embarrassment. We must not give pagans dominion over the words that have been given to us by God.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Post Script

Below is a helpful graphic for navigating Leftist propaganda and euphemisms. Download and share at your own risk.