Words Matter
The Bible tells us that God created everything by simply speaking His Word. “Let there be light,” God says, and suddenly the universe is bright and luminous. God speaks the word of “life” and fish, birds, wild animals, and human beings made in his image all spring into being.
As image bearers of God, God has uniquely gifted us with the power of creative, generative speech. Of course, many animals can bark, twitter, or moo in ways that convey basic information to other members of their species. But only human beings can create new realities with words: books, songs, Sci-Fi films, games. And amazingly, human beings can even transfer these new realities from one brain to another simply by sharing words. Language is an incredible superpower! A favorite hymn of mine* describes humans as “words within the Word.” So true and beautifully put.
The notion that words matter so deeply is a concept that the United States of America imported from Christianity and enshrined in the First Amendment to our Constitution. The genius of the First Amendment guarantees five basic freedoms of expression:
Freedom of religion
Freedom of speech
Freedom of the press
The right to peacefully assemble
The right to petition the government for a redress of grievances
As an American citizen who loves to write, compose songs, and preach sermons, I’ve always been pretty grateful to live in the world’s #1 pro-free-speech environment. In the wake of the shooting of Charlie Kirk earlier this week, my conviction has never been stronger.
As Americans, we believe (or, possibly used to believe) that our nation is made stronger through open assembly, lively debate, and viewpoint diversity. No one person or group has a corner on the whole truth, and certainly not on the political truth. We need each other, and arguments with each other, to better pursue the truth. Free speech is an essential, guaranteed right for me and you - and whomever our political opponents might be.
As Christians, we believe much the same, but on an even deeper level. Only God can see and comprehend the whole truth. So on a spiritual level, mature Christians ought to be committed to open discourse, heated debate, and peaceful dissent even on matters of biblical interpretation and truth; trusting that God will one day bring us into the real knowledge of God where “every thought is captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
Followers of Jesus argue and fight in the realm of ideas and spirits, not against flesh and blood. Words and ideas are our weapons, not guns or swords or missiles. In any Christian’s struggle for any truth, language is our most powerful tool. Words matter. Charlie Kirk once astutely said, “When people stop talking, bad stuff happens.” He was ironically and tragically spot on.
I’m so glad that at Elmhurst CRC, we have started on a year-long journey through the Word of God at the behest of our Elders. I’m trusting that this Walk-Through-the-Bible will truly help us to better hear what God is saying. His Word matters most. Heaven knows, our nation needs more of that right now.
– Pastor Gregg
*From the hymn, “All Are Welcome” by Marty Haugen