Tag: words

We Need To Watch Our Words

We Need To Watch Our Words

Marissa

In the aftermath of another polarizing United States election, I think it’s a good time to revisit the topic of how God’s people should use language, especially when speaking about other people. Even though most of us in the U.S. agree) that there aren’t any really good politicians we could vote for, we often have very strong opinions about which is the “lesser of two evils” and equally strong opinions about people who come to a different conclusion than we ourselves did. These other people are very likely in a similar position to us, not agreeing 100% with either candidate but coming to a different conclusion about which option is a little better.

There’s a temptation to mock, belittle, and despise others who vote differently than us or have different viewpoints (whether or not they chose to vote). But when we stand before Christ, we will answer for every idle or worthless word we speak (Matt. 12:36), the times we judged, despised and condemned other people (Matt. 5:22; Rom. 14:10), and our coarse jesting or foolish talking (Eph. 5:4). Our thoughtless, angry words or the things we excuse by saying, “I was just joking,” might be something that God takes very seriously.

Today, we’re going to look at three key areas where we need to be careful about what we say: 1) passing judgement on others, 2) despising them or calling them foolish, and 3) coarse jesting. Finally, we’ll look at one overriding principle for how we ought to interact with other people: love.

Image of a man and woman having a business discussion overlaid with text from Matt. 12:36-37, NET version: " I tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
Image by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pixabay

Passing Judgement

There’s a difference between passing judgement (condemning) and making a judgement call (discernment). That’s one reason that you see seemingly contradictory scriptures like “Judge not” (Matt. 7:1) and “judge righteous judgement” (John 7:24). We must be careful not to usurp a role that God reserves for Himself as judge, and so bring harsher judgement on ourselves (Matt. 7:1-5; James 2:13).

Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. One person believes in eating everything, but the weak person eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not despise the one who does not, and the one who abstains must not judge the one who eats everything, for God has accepted him. Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. …

But you who eat vegetables only—why do you judge your brother or sister? And you who eat everything—why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.” Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister.

Romans 14:1-4, 10-13 NET (bold italics mark a quotation from Isa 45:23)

Here, Paul used the example of disagreements about what we should or shouldn’t eat to make a point. When you disagree with someone about an opinion, your duty as a Christian is to refrain from passing judgement or despising them. Rather, you should guard your behavior to make sure you’re not putting a stumbling block in front of them.

To be clear, this does not mean we can’t make judgement calls about sinful actions. It is love (agape) to point out a sin in a fellow Christian for the purpose of restoring someone to a right relationship with fellow believers and with God (Matt 18:15-22; 2 Tim. 2:24-26). Our goal should always be restoration rather than condemnation, even when we have to stop associating with someone because they refuse to repent (1 Cor. 5). Even when Paul ” judged the one who” committed “the kind of immorality that is not permitted even among the Gentiles” (1 Cor. 5:1-2, NET), it wasn’t to mock the sinner or call them names. We should be grieved by other’s sins and moved by love to help them reach a point of repentance. How much more, then, should we withhold condemnation when we disagree with someone on an opinion?

Image of two older men talking overlaid with text from Col. 4:6, NET version: "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone."
Image by pxby666 from Pixabay

Despising Others

When someone disagrees with us on something we see as important, fails to see our point of view, or cannot be convinced by our arguments, the natural human response is to label them a fool. But despising someone else, particularly a “brother” (either by blood or because they’re fellow children of God), is not the way Jesus said to do things.

“You have heard that it was said to an older generation, ‘Do not murder,’ and ‘whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.’ But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults a brother will be brought before the council, and whoever says ‘Fool’ will be sent to fiery hell.”

Matthew 5:21-22, NET (bold italics mark a quotation from Exod 20:13; Deut 5:17)

Let’s look at two of the original words used in this passage. “Whoever insults a brother” could also be translated, “whoever says to his brother ‘Raca,'” which is “an Aramaic word of contempt or abuse meaning ‘fool’ or ’empty head'” (NET footnote “b” on Matt. 5:22). The word translated “fool” is the Greek moros, which is where the English word “moron” comes from. Most scholars assume it means “you fool” but a few argue it could mean “rebel” (NET footnote “e” on Matt. 5:22). God holds His followers to a high standard of conduct, higher even than what was outlined in the Old Testament laws like “do not murder.”

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.  They must not slander anyone, but be peaceable, gentle, showing complete courtesy to all people. For we too were once foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to various passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating one another. 

Titus 3:1-3, NET

In Paul’s letter to Titus, he instructs this pastor to remind the people he’s teaching that they need to be mindful of their speech. Specifically, “they must not slander” (“‘discredit,’ ‘damage the reputation of'” [NET translators’ note]) anyone. This verse is also translated with the instruction, “to speak evil of no one” (Tit. 3:2, WEB). When we’re considering how to talk about someone else, we must remember that if we think someone is foolish, misled, evil, or hateful that we were once like that too, and we’re not supposed to be like that anymore now that we have God’s spirit and have committed to following Him. We have to stop talking out of bitterness or malice, and remove slander and insults from our speech (Eph. 4:31-32; 1 Peter 3:9).

Image of two women sitting on park benches smiling at each other overlaid with text from Eph. 4:31-32, NET version: "You must put away all bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and slanderous talk—indeed all malice. Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you."
Image by svklimkin from Pixabay

Coarse Jesting

Humor is such a tricky subject (as I mentioned in my newsletter earlier this week). One person might find something hilarious that another person would find offensive, repulsive, or hurtful. What people find funny varies between cultures and individuals. Because it’s so subjective, people often say that if someone is offended by our humor they just “didn’t get the joke” or they “need to lighten up.” But just because we find something funny doesn’t mean it can’t hurt someone else. All too often, people use humor to cover up the fact that they’re being mean or thoughtless. Jokes that hinge on cruelly mocking, belittling, and hurting people shouldn’t be something we find funny.

You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it would give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. You must put away all bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and slanderous talk—indeed all malice. Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.

Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints. Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting—all of which are out of character—but rather thanksgiving. For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Ephesians 4:29-5:5, NET

In this passage, Paul covers a lot of sins that are related to our speech. These include:

  • “unwholesome word” (translated from sapros [G4550] and logos [G3056])– “unwholesome” refers to something that’s corrupt, rotten, putrefied, or worthless and “word” is speech or communication. Hebrews 13:5 tells us the “fruit of our lips” should praise God and acknowledge his name, but this is the opposite: disgusting, rotting, foul words.
  • “vulgar speech” (translated from aischrotes [G151])–obscenity, filthiness. Comprises “improper conduct whether in action or word or even thought and intent” that brings shame when it is “exposed by the light” (Zodhiates).
  • “foolish talk” (translated from morologia [G3473])–“silly talk, that is, buffoonery” (Strong). It’s from the same Greek root word as our English word “moron.” This is the “type of speech that betrays a person as foolish” (Zodhiates).
  • “coarse jesting” (translated from eutrapelia [G2160])–in a bad sense, this word for “humor” includes “scurrility, ribaldry, low jesting” (Thayer). Basically, it is someone skilled at twisting their words wittily, which can be used to amuse others or to manipulate (Zodhiates).

Clearly, there are some types of humor that God would not excuse as “just a joke.” If the words we’re speaking are rotten and disgusting, improper or shameful, moronic and foolish, or twisted to amuse others with coarse or scurrilous jests, then they’re not funny–they’re sinful. And right after telling us these things are wrong, Paul warns that we “can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Eph. 5:5, NET). This is a very serious matter. People who misuse their words to hurt others are not going to be in God’s kingdom.

Love

Image of a woman leaning over a table and talking, overlaid with blog's title text and the words, "As Christians, we should avoid passing judgement on others, despising them or calling them foolish, and coarse jesting. Instead, all our words should be motivated by love."
Image by Thiemo Brand from Pixabay

Now that we’ve looked at scriptures telling us what not to do with our words, let’s turn our attention to what we ought to do instead. It’s not enough to just take the ungodly types of speech out of our conversation; we also have to put godly speech in. Thankfully, there are plenty of guidelines in the bible for how to do that.

Some of the verses we’ve already looked at include instructions on how we should talk right alongside the instructions about what not to say. In Titus, Paul said, “be peaceable, gentle, showing complete courtesy to all people” (Tit. 3:2, NET). In Ephesians, he said, “be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another” (Eph. 4:32, NET). And if we keep reading in Romans 14, we come to this passage:

Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister. … For if your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy by your food someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you consider good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit

Romans 14:13, 15-17 NET

Here, Paul continues addressing the disagreement about whether to eat meat, the principle applies to how we interact with each other through our words as well. Peace, gentleness, courtesy, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, righteousn0ess, joy–all those should be characteristics of our speech. It’s summed-up by the second greatest commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:36-40).

 “I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.”

John 15:34-35, NET

We’re supposed to love our fellow Christians so much that people observing our interactions can tell that we’re followers of Jesus Christ. And it isn’t confined just to fellow Christians: it’s for our neighbors as well (i.e. anyone we’re aware of and have any sort of interaction with). As Paul said in Romans (shortly before the passage about not judging those with different opinions), “Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:10, NET). Unless we’re loving “in deed and truth” as well as in our words, we’re not Jesus’s disciples (1 John 3:18, NET; see 1 John 3:10-18; 4:20-21).

All of our words, thoughts, and actions have to be motivated by love. That’s how God is, and that’s how He wants us to be. Will we do it perfectly? Of course not, but we still need to try. We also need to study the Bible, learn what God expects from us (i.e. how to become more like Him and to walk in obedience with Him), and repent when we catch ourselves missing the mark. Ultimately, the goal is to “take every thought captive to make it obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5, NET) and then to speak out of the abundance of good and godly things in our hearts “for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned”(Matt. 12:37, NET; see Matt. 12:33-37).

Featured image by Petra from Pixabay

Song Recommendation: “Speak Life” by TobyMac

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Be Careful How You Listen

Be Careful How You Listen

Marissa

Are you a good listener?

Being a good listener is an important skill, and not one that everyone masters. There’s a difference between hearing something and really listening to it. I might hear that my husband is talking, for example, but if I’m distracted in the kitchen or thinking about something else I’m not really listening to him and might not even register what he says. The same is true when we’re interacting with God. We might hear or read His words, but unless we’re paying attention we aren’t actually listening.

As I was reading through Luke’s gospel in the Tree of Life translation, I noticed a phrase I hadn’t really thought about before: “So pay attention how you listen” (Luke 8:18, TLV). The other translations that I most frequently use say, “Be careful therefore how you hear” (WEB) and “So listen carefully” (NET). The New English Translation’s footnote says the Greek literally means “Take heed therefore how you hear” and it could also be translated, “Therefore pay close attention.”

God speaks to us. Most commonly through His written word, but also through other people inspired by His holy spirit and directly into our hearts and minds. We need to make sure we’re actively listening to His voice and acting on what we hear, not just hearing without doing.

Image of a man sitting at a table reading a Bible overlaid with text from Ecc. 5:1, WEB version: Guard your steps when you go to God’s house; for to draw near to listen is better than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they don’t know that they do evil.
Image by Matt Vasquez from Lightstock

Context for Hearing

Whenever we’re looking at a passage from the Bible, it’s helpful to look at the context. An isolated phrase like this might seem to mean something on it’s own, but mean something else when read in the context of the rest of the sentence or passage. Or it might mean just what it seems to mean, but take on deeper significance when we read what’s going on around it. The latter is what’s happening in the case of this passage from Luke. In this section of the gospel account, Luke records Jesus’s parable of the sower. After hearing that parable, the disciples asked Jesus what it meant. Notice how often He mentioned hearing in His explanation:

He said, “You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand.

“Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in a time of testing fall away. As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing the word, cling to it with an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance.”

Luke 8:10-15, NET (bold italics mark a quotation from Is. 6:9)

Hearing the word of God is a starting point. But just hearing it doesn’t guarantee a good outcome. Sometimes the word is snatched away before it makes anything more than a surface-level impact. Sometimes people respond joyfully when they hear, but they don’t actually let it take deep root in their lives. Others hear, but the word isn’t as important to them as other things. And then there are the ones who hear, really listen, cling to the word at the heart-level, and then do something with what they heard.

“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in can see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light. So listen carefully, for whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”

Luke 8:16-18, NET

If we do something with what we hear–if we listen and act on it–then that will become apparent in our lives. The more we use what we hear, the more God will give us to listen to.

Image of a young woman standing in church services reading a Bible with text from Deut. 5:1, NET version: Then Moses called all the people of Israel together and said to them: “Listen, Israel, to the statutes and ordinances that I am about to deliver to you today; learn them and be careful to keep them!”
Image by José Roberto Roquel from Lightstock

The Greatest Commandment

When someone asked Jesus what the most important commandment was, He famously answered it’s to love God and to love your neighbor. The instruction to “love the lord your God” is a quote from the Deuteronomy 6 passage known as the Shema, and in Mark’s account Jesus quotes more of the passage than He did in Matthew.

Now one of the experts in the law came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 

Mark 12:28-31, NET (bold italics mark quotations from Deut. 6:4-5 and  Lev. 19:18)

The instruction to “listen” or “hear” (depending on the translation) is an important part of the commandment. According to The Bible project, “The opening line, ‘Hear, O Israel,’ does not simply mean to let sound waves enter your ears. Here, the word shema means to allow the words to sink in, provide understanding, and generate a response—it’s about action. In Hebrew, hearing and doing are the same thing” (Tim Mackie, “What’s the Meaning of the Jewish Shema Prayer in the Bible?”). Though the New Testament was written in Greek, Jesus and the other Jewish people who wrote the Bible were steeped in Hebrew thought. When they talked about hearing or listening, they would have thought about acting on what was heard. James talks about this in his epistle.

But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror; for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom and continues, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:22-25, WEB

We need to “do” the law of God, not just hear it. The Bible–including the commandments and instructions–isn’t there just to be an interesting academic study. God shared His words to reveal His mind and character, and to show us how we ought to live in order to get the best outcome from our lives. Obeying His commandments is a way to connect with, understand, and become like Him if we really listen to Him and act on what we hear.

Hearing Builds Our Faith

Image of a woman doing Bible study, overlaid with blog's title text and the words, "We must actively listen when God speaks and act on what we hear, not just hear without doing."
Image by Anggie from Lightstock

Last week, we discussed a short phrase from Paul’s letter to Rome: “the obedience of faith.” Today’s post builds on that discussion in many ways, because faith is linked with what we hear from God.

 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely is the arrival of those who proclaim the good news.” But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.

Romans 10:13-17, NET (bold italics mark quotations from Isa. 52:7; 53:1; Nah. 1:15; Joel 2:32)

Faith is vital to our lives as Christians. According to Paul in this passage, faith comes from hearing the word of Jesus the Messiah. That would be all the words that came from Him (Old and New Testament) as well as the words about Him. Put that together with what James wrote and what Paul said here about obeying the good news, and we know that hearing the words isn’t going to provide faith on it’s own–it’s listening to and putting the words into action, just as is implied by the Hebrew word shema. Then, once we have a starting faith, we keep adding on to it as we grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

 May grace and peace be lavished on you as you grow in the rich knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord! …

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love. For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately.

2 Peter 1:2, 5-8, NET

As we continue to learn and grow as Christians, it’s vital that we put into practice what we hear. Head-knowledge isn’t going to cut it–we need to know Jesus and the Father, not just know about them. Living, vibrant faith is relational, and relationships involve listening closely and taking action to keep that relationship healthy.

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Song Recommendation: “Voice of Truth” by Casting Crowns

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When God Breathes

When God Breathes

Marissa

There are a few verses that talk about God’s breath. In 2 Timothy 3:26, Paul makes a famous statement about scripture. He says, “Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, correction, and for training in righteousness” (NET). Some translations use the more literal wording, “Every Scripture is God-breathed” (WEB). Another well-known verse describes God breathing life into Adam at creation, making him a living being.

The “God-breathed” translation of 2 Timothy 3:26 is what caught my eye to study this week, but there’s a lot more to this topic than I’d first realized. In both Greek and Hebrew, the words for breath are also connected to spirit and life. Amazing things happen when God breathes into something or breathes something out.

Life in the Word

In 2 Timothy 3:26, the Greek word translated “inspired by God” or “God-breathed” is theopneustos: theos (God) + pneo (breathe, blow). This is the only time that compound word is used in the Bible. Theos is, obviously, used frequently. Pneo is a verb that appears eight times, always in reference to literal wind blowing (Matt. 7:25, 27; Luke 12:55; John 3:8; 6:18; Acts 27:40; Rev. 7:1). In one of those verses, though, Jesus references wind to make a point about the spirit.

“Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’ The wind blows (pneo) wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit (pneuma).”

John 3:7-8, NET

Pneo is the root word for pneuma, which is translated into English as “spirit” and appears 385 times in the New Testament. Usually, the word refers to God’s holy spirit or to the spirit in human beings, though it can also be translated “wind” or “breath.” If you’re like me, then this line of thought might have you thinking of a verse way back in Genesis.

The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7, NET

This is another place where God breathed into something. In the first verse we looked at, He breathed out scriptures. In this verse, He’s breathing into man and turning him into a living being. This particular Hebrew phrase “breath of life” (nishmat khayyim) only appears here, but nishamah shows up in other places as well. This surprised me; I thought the only word for spirit/breath/wind was ruach (roughly equivalent to Greek pneuma) and the only word for soul/living thing/breathe was nephesh (roughly equivalent to Greek psuche). The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament states that neshama “is frequently found in combination with ruah ‘spirit’ and seems synonymous with nepesh” (TWOT entry 1433a) (see Job 27:3; 33:4; Ecc. 12:7; Is 42:5; Dan. 5:23).

The Spirit (ruach) of God has made me,
    and the breath (neshamah) of the Almighty gives me life.

Job 33:4, NET

There is life in God’s breath. Interestingly, there’s also a strong connection between life and the God-breathed scriptures. In the Old Testament, God revealed that His words bring life to people (Deut. 8:3; 32:46-47; Prov. 4:4). Jesus even quoted one of those verses when resisting Satan’s temptation, saying, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4, NET). Other New Testament verses talk about the spirit and word as living, life-giving forces (John 6:63; Heb. 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23). There’s something special and uniquely powerful about God-breathed words and the life that God breathes into humanity.

Image of a waterfall flowing over rocks overlaid with text from John 6:63, NRSVA version: "“It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
Image by Ivelin Donchev from Pixabay

Come To the Word

As I started pondering God-breathed words, another passage that I’ve been meaning to study came to mind. This passage doesn’t talk about breath specifically, but it does talk about the words that come out of God’s mouth.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    and your ways are not my ways,” says Yahweh.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways,
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky,
    and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth,
    and makes it grow and bud,
    and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
so is my word that goes out of my mouth:
    it will not return to me void,
    but it will accomplish that which I please,
    and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do.

Isaiah 55:8-11, WEB

I think this passage helps us see another connection between the two God-breathed verses (Gen. 2:7 with God breathing life into man and 2 Tim. 3:26 with Him breathing out scriptures). God has breathed out His words and breathed life into us; what happens when these two God-breathed things meet? In other words, when you (who have life because God breathed into humanity) encounter the words that God breathes out of His mouth, what happens?

Image of a waterfall, overlaid with blog's title text and the words, "Amazing things happen when God breathes into something or breathes something out."
Image by Jon Pauling from Pixabay

God says that His word “will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do.” Another possible translation would be, “it accomplishes what I desire, and succeeds in what I commission it with” (NET footnote on Is. 55:11). God’s word will have the effect that He desires. But when His word comes to us, He doesn’t force us to do things against our will. If we don’t respond, His word can go prosper in someone else who’s more willing to listen. That’s what happened for the Jewish people who rejected Jesus as the Messiah (Acts 13:45-46; Rom. 11).

You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time, nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent. You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me, but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

John 5:37-40, NET

Scriptures by themselves don’t give full and abundant life. For that, we also need a relationship with the One who breathed the scriptures–with the Word of God (John 1:1-5, 14) who is also the Word of life (1 John 1:1) and “has the words of eternal life” (Jn. 6:68).

Scripture is God-breathed. Our physical lives are God-breathed. If we want eternal life, we need God to breathe into us again, making His words, spirit, and life part of us. And we need to respond to His work in us, making sure that His word doesn’t end up “void” in us because of our apathy, neglect, or hostility. By responding to God’s breathed-out words and the life He’s breathing into humanity in the right way, we strengthen our relationship with Him and participate in the redemptive, transforming work that He’s doing here on earth.

Featured image by Karl Egger from Pixabay

Song Recommendation: “I Can Hear Your Voice” by Jean Watson with Michael W. Smith

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Give Us Today Our Daily Bread

Give Us Today Our Daily Bread

Marissa

Today, we’re continuing our study of Jesus’s model prayer. If you missed any of the others, here are the links: “Hallowed Be Your Name,” “May Your Kingdom Come,” and “May Your Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven.” As mentioned in those posts, we find versions of Jesus’s model prayer in two gospels. In Matthew, it’s part of the Sermon on the Mount when He’s talking about good and bad examples for how to pray, and that’s the one we’ve been focusing on (Matt. 6:5-15). In Luke, He uses a similar prayer to respond to a disciple’s request that Jesus teach them to pray (Luke 11:1-13).

So pray this way:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored,
may your kingdom come,
may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

Matthew 6:9-13, NET

You don’t have to repeat this prayer word-for-word to pray correctly, but it’s a very helpful outline for our own prayers. The first personal request included in this prayer is, “Give us today our daily bread.”

Image of bread loaves, flour, and grain on a table overlaid with text from Deut. 8:3, WEB version: “He humbled you, allowed you to be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you didn’t know, neither did your fathers know, that he might teach you that man does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of Yahweh’s mouth."
Image by marco aurelio from Pixabay

Daily Bread

One of the things we need to remember when reading the New Testament is how profoundly connected it is to the Old Testament. For the people of Jesus’s day, these weren’t two separate books. All they had was what we call the Old Testament. It was the the holy scriptures, and anytime Jesus or His followers reference the word of God that’s what they’re talking about. Even when they don’t reference these writings directly, chances are their listeners would have stories and principles from the Old Testament in the back of their minds. Everyone in Jewish society studied the scriptures as children and heard them read each week on Shabbat for the rest of their lives. When Jesus said, “Give us today our daily bread,” I imagine it would have been almost impossible for people not to think of the Exodus story.

They took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness; and the children of Israel said to them, “We wish that we had died by Yahweh’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots, when we ate our fill of bread, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. It shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”

Exodus 16:1-5, WEB

When Yahweh miraculously provided manna to feed ancient Israel, He gave them bread day-by-day. He didn’t dump a week’s worth of bread on them all at once, or give them extra that they could keep on hand “just in case.” The manna even rotted if they tried to save it over, making it impossible to eat anything but “daily bread.” The only exception to this rule was extra manna on Friday that would stay fresh until Saturday, so no one had to work to gather bread on Shabbat (Ex. 16). Ancient Israel had to trust God would provide for them each day, just like we still need to today even if it’s not as obvious as it was for them with the manna.

Image of bread loaves and grain on a table overlaid with text from John 6:26-27, NET version: Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted. Do not work for the food that disappears, but for the food that remains to eternal life—the food which the Son of Man will give to you.”
Image by marco aurelio from Pixabay

New Bread From Heaven

Later in His ministry, Jesus discussed manna directly. After miraculously feeding 5,000 people, Jesus tried to travel to a new place but the people who’d eaten the food followed Him. Even after partaking of that miracle, they had the nerve to ask, “what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’” (John 6:30-31, NET, quoting Ps. 78:24). It appears that they were challenging Him to keep providing physical daily bread for them, but Jesus redirected their focus.

Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the solemn truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!”

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.” …

 “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat from it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

John 6:32-35, 48-51, NET

It’s very possible that when Jesus told His followers to pray, “Give us today our daily bread,” He meant both physical necessities and spiritual ones. We need Him every day even more than we need actual food. Just like Jesus cared about providing food to the 5,000 AND teaching them about Him as the Bread of Life, so we should care about asking God to provide our daily food AND asking for the Bread of Life to feed us every day.

Don’t Worry About The Bread

Image of a man holding a loaf of bread, overlaid with blog's title text and the words, "We should ask God to provide our daily food and ask for the Bread of Life to spiritually feed us every day."
Image by Christos Giakkas from Pixabay

You might say that I’m reading too much into “give us today our daily bread” to say that it’s spiritual food as well as physical food. On the surface, it’s just a simple, straightforward statement: “Please provide the food we need for today.” But as Jesus points out just a short while later in this Sermon on the Mount, God already knows that we need things like food and clothing. He doesn’t really need the reminder, and we don’t really need to worry about it.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are? …  So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-26, 31-33, NET

There’s nothing wrong with asking for day-to-day necessities. Just because God already knows something and intends to provide it doesn’t mean He won’t appreciate us asking rather than taking His provision for granted. But we shouldn’t spend time worrying about what we’ll eat or drink, and especially not worrying about it long-term and borrowing trouble from tomorrow. And even if we’re famished, there’s still something more important than physical bread to focus on.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:1-4, NET (bold italics mark a quotation from Deut. 8:3)

Jesus was in a unique situation here, but the principle in the verse He quoted still applies to us. Like ancient Israel did with manna, we’re supposed to learn to rely on God every day and we’re supposed to learn that listening to His words sustains life. Food isn’t the only thing we need to keep us alive, at least not to give us the abundant life that Jesus wants for us (John 10:10). We also need the Bread of Life and the words of God.

Featured image by Couleur from Pixabay

Song Recommendation: “Word of God Speak” by MercyMe

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What Kind of Speech is Sinful?

What Kind of Speech is Sinful?

Marissa

I’ve been thinking about this question off-and-on for many years. Over a decade ago, I took an art class with some students who were so foul-mouthed that I asked the instructor for permission to work in another room. I still feel uncomfortable around people who habitually swear, though I wonder sometimes if that has more to do with being sensitive to the tone of voice (often angry) than with the words themselves.

Christians tend to describe swearing, profanity, and foul language as sinful. We often try to keep our kids from watching movies rated for language, avoid using it ourselves, and frown on people who do. But on the other hand, there isn’t a verse in the Bible that says something as clear as, “Thou shalt not say ‘shit’ when you are upset.” So how would we respond if someone were to say it’s okay to swear as long as they’re not taking God’s name in vain? I wonder if there is a distinction between speech that is culturally crude and speech that is sinful in God’s eyes.

I suspect, though, that as we study this topic we’ll find that God expects more from us rather than less. This isn’t an examination of the scriptures looking for reasons we can “get away with” swearing. As New Covenant believers, we need to keep the spirit of the law, not just the letter. God doesn’t simply expect us to avoid a few crude words. He expects us to guard our tongues all the time and avoid speaking in a sinful way.

Image of a campfire in the woods overlaid with text from James 3:5-6, NET version: “So too the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it has great pretensions. Think how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze. And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence—and is set on fire by hell.”
Image by Henning Sørby from Pixabay

Must Stop Speaking Sinfully

I decided to write on this topic now because a verse in Isaiah caught my eye as I read chapter 58 this past Monday as part of my daily devotional. In this chapter, God says, “Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet! Yell as loudly as a trumpet! Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; confront Jacob’s family with their sin” (Is. 58:1, NET). The people say they want to follow Him and lament that all their good things aren’t catching His attention, but God counters that they aren’t really following Him at all. They’re doing things their way, rather than worshiping and obeying God as He wants. God won’t respond to them the way they want until they change their behavior to align with His character.

Then your light will shine like the sunrise;
your restoration will quickly arrive;
your godly behavior will go before you,
and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard.
Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond;
you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’
You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you
and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.

Isaiah 58:8-9, NET

If we want to have “godly behavior,” then we must “stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.” The phrase “speaking sinfully” is translated from the Hebrew words dabar (H1696) and aven (H205). Let’s take a closer look at those words.

The noun (“word”) and verb (“to speak”) forms of dabar “occur more than 2500 times in the OT” (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament [TWOT] entry 399). The basic meaning includes “to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing, etc.” If you’re familiar with the Greek word logos, the two are roughly equivalent. Both have to do with communication, or speaking that has thought behind it.

The word aven has two primary facets: “A stress on trouble which moves on to wickedness, and an emphasis on emptiness which moves on to idolatry” (TWOT 48a). Authors of the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament note that this “word stresses the planning and expression of deception and points to the painful aftermath of sin.” Common translation choices include “evil,” “iniquity,” “trouble,” and “wicked.”

Putting the two words together, we get the idea of conversation/speaking that is troubling, wicked, empty, and even idolatrous. This is not the only verse cautioning us against sinful speech, but even looking at this verse on its own we already see that it encompasses much more than profanity and swearing. It has to do with the substance of what is said even more than the presence or absence of “colorful metaphors.”

Image of ___ overlaid with text from Isaiah 58:9, WEB version: “Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer. You will cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away from among you the yoke, finger pointing, and speaking wickedly”
Image by Dan Fador from Pixabay

Do Not Take the Lord’s Name In Vain

Probably the most common scripture we think of when discussining the Christian view of profanity is the 10 commandments (in Hebrew, the 10 dabar). The third commandment says, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold guiltless anyone who takes his name in vain” (Ex. 20:7, NET). While this does include a prohibition against speaking the Lord’s name in an empty or profane way (as one would if using it as a swear word), it is so much more than that.

“Take” is translated from the word nasah, which appears here in the Qal stem and means “to lift,” “to bear, carry, support, sustain,” and “to take” (Brown, Driver, Briggs entry H5375). The TWOT says nasah can also mean “to lift (anything) with the voice,” and they link that meaning with Exodus 20:7 (TWOT 1421). In general, though, it can mean lifting in the literal or metaphorical sense, including things like carrying something with you, such as the guilt of sin, or of lifting up your hand to take action.

In Hebrew thought, names are inseparably connected with reputation. When we lift up God’s name on our lips or by associating ourselves with Him as Christians, He’s trusting us to be good stewards of his reputation. You could avoid speaking God’s name as a swear word–or avoid saying it at all–but still be carrying His name in a vain manner if you say you’re a Christian but don’t act and speak in a way that honors God. If we want to obey the command not to “take the name of the Lord your God in vain,” then we need to pay attention to all our words and actions.

Image of sunlight shining from clouds overlaid with text from Psalm 19:14, WEB version: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart  be acceptable in your sight,  Yahweh, my rock, and my redeemer.”
Image by RÜŞTÜ BOZKUŞ from Pixabay

Avoid All Types of Sinful Speech

Paul also has several things to say about how we use our words. In both Ephesians and Colossians, he lists several sinful things that we must put out of our lives if we are going to live faithfully in obedience to God. These lists include several that are specific to how we use our words. We’ll focus on the one in Ephesians, since it is the longest of the two.

Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, because we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger. Do not give the devil an opportunity. … You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it would give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. You must put away all bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and slanderous talk—indeed all malice. Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.

Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints. Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting—all of which are out of character—but rather thanksgiving. For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Ephesians 4:25-27, 29-32; 5:1-5 NET (bold italics mark quotations from  Zech 8:16 and m Ps 4:4)

Here in Ephesians, Paul warns against several types of sinful speech. He covers slander and lying again in Colossians, when he says, “But now, put off all such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another” (Col. 3:8-9, NET). That passage in Colossians also adds one more speech-connected sin, “abusive language.” Let’s take a closer look at all the Greek words used to describe prohibited language in these two passages.

  • “falsehood” pseudos (G5579)–an intentional lie and “lying in general.” It also “refers to making a lie, i.e., making idols” (Zodhiates). This links us back to the Hebrew word aven (from “speaking sinfully), which includes “an emphasis on emptiness which moves on to idolatry” (TWOT 48a).
  • “lie” pseudomai (G5574)–“to speak deliberate falsehoods” (Thayer).
  • “unwholesome word” sapros (G4550) and logos (G3056)– corrupt, rotten putrefied, worthless + a word of speech; communication. Zodhiates points out that saphros usually refers to “vegetable or animal substances” (like fruit) rotting. Hebrews 13:5 tells us the “fruit of our lips” should praise God and acknowledge his name. This is the opposite–disgusting, rotting, foul “fruit” coming from our words.
  • “slanderous talk”/”slander” blasphemia (G988)–speech that injures “another’s good name” or reproaches “divine majesty” (Thayer).
  • “vulgar speech” aischrotes (G151)–obscenity, filthiness. Comprises “improper conduct whether in action or word or even thought and intent” that brings shame when it is “exposed by the light: (Zodhiates).
  • “foolish talk” morologia (G3473)–“silly talk, that is, buffoonery” (Strong’s). It’s from the same Greek root word as our English word “moron.” This is the “type of speech that betrays a person as foolish” (Zodhiates).
  • “coarse jesting” eutrapelia (G2160)–can mean humor, but in a bad sense it includes “scurrility, ribaldry, low jesting” (Thayer). Basically, it is someone skilled at twisting their words wittily, which can be used to amuse others or to manipulate (Zodhiates). In the negative sense, it makes me think of people who take things too far and hurt others just to get a laugh (and who, if you confront them, would say, “it’s just a joke; lighten up”), or those who purposefully make mischief and manipulate to amuse themselves or get out of consequences for something they did.
  • “abusive language” aischrologia (G148)–“foul speaking, low and obscene speech” (Thayer). It comes from the root words aischros (G150), “filthy or improper,” and lego (G3004), “to say” (Zodhiates). In the New Testament, it is only used in Colossians.

That covers a lot, doesn’t it? We could even expand it to add things like “speech motivated by anger,” “words inspired by lust,” and “things spoken when quarreling,” since those are all actions listed here as sinful and which are often accompanied by speech. But even just focusing on the ones Paul specifically connects with speech, the list is extensive.

Sinful speech includes profanity, but it also includes so much more. Telling a deliberate falsehood or crafting something to deceive others (especially if it’s to draw them away from God) is a sin. When we speak rotten, disgusting things, it’s a sin. When we slander another person or God’s good name, it’s a sin. When we say something obscene that we ought to be ashamed of if it were exposed in public, it’s a sin. When we speak foolishly and act like morons, it’s a sin. When our jesting turns course and we twist our words to hurt or manipulate others, it’s a sin. When we say something low, obscene, or filthy, it’s a sin.

How we speak is a very serious matter. As Paul reminds us at the end of the Ephesians passage we just read, “you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Eph. 5:5, NET). If our speech is characterized by any of these sinful things, we need to repent, ask for forgiveness, and change the way we talk.

A Better Way to Speak

Image of two people yelling at each other with the blog's title text and the words "There is great potential for sin and damage in our words, but there is also great potential for good."
Image by Afif Ramdhasuma from Pixabay

There should be a marked difference between how those in a covenant relationship with God talk and how those in the world think it’s okay to speak. Deception and profanity are things we know we need to get rid of. But we also have to put aside speaking with vitriol, slandering others, and being vulgar. We need to guard our humor as well, making sure that it’s not shameful, foolish, hurtful, or manipulative.

This does not mean we need to be serious all the time. But we do need to be very conscious of how our words reflect on God and how they affect other people. There are plenty of Bible verses that focus on how we should be talking, and we can turn to them for guidance on how to make our speech something that honors God and uplifts those around us.

Paul weaves instructions about how we should talk in with his instructions on the types of speech not to use. If you re-read Ephesians 4:25-5:5, you’ll see he tells us to “speak truth” and say words that are “beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it would give grace to those who hear.” When speaking together, we should “be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another.” Paul adds even more instructions about how to speak in Colossians, shortly after his warnings about how not to speak.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others. And to all these virtues add love, which is the perfect bond. Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body to this peace), and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:12-17, NET

Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.  … Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.

Colossians 4:2, 6, NET

Another good place to go when you’re studying how to use your tongue is Proverbs. Ninety-seven verses in this book use the keywords “tongue,” “lip,” “mouth,” “speech,” or “speak.” These proverbs advise us on how to speak, how not to speak, and contrast the righteous’s and the wicked’s use of speech. They also point out that we can trust the words that come out of God’s mouth, and use those words to get wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that will guide not only how we speak, but every aspect of our lives.

God wants us to use our words constructively. There is great potential for sin and damage in the tongue (James 3:1-12), but there is also great potential for good. We can use our speech to praise God and share His truths with others. We can use them to say kind, encouraging things to each other. We can ask for wisdom and grace to season our words, making them exactly what someone else needs to hear. The only person who ever perfectly controlled His tongue is Jesus, and He’s eager to help us learn to become like Him in how we speak just as in every other aspect of our lives. We just need to ask for His help and diligently apply ourselves to guarding our mouths and speaking things acceptable in the Lord’s eyes.

Featured image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay

Song Recommendation: “Speak Life” by TobyMac

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Speaking In Agreement With God

Speaking In Agreement With God

Marissa

A few days ago, a specific phrase in the book of Hebrews caught my eye. When I think of this verse, I usually picture the King James translation (or one of the many which follow it closely), which says, “let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb. 13:15). This time though, I read it in the World English Bible, which says, “the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name.”

“Proclaim allegiance” seems like quite a different thing than “give thanks,” so I looked up the Greek word this phrase is translated from. It’s homologeo (G3670), which comes from two root words: homou (G3670), “together with,” and lego (G3004), “to say.” Put together, this word means “to assent, consent, admit,” confess, and/or “be in accord with someone” (Zodhiates’s dictionary). It can also mean “to say the same thing as another” or “declare openly,” often specifically in the sense that you’re proclaiming yourself a worshiper of someone (Thayer’s dictionary). It’s about more than saying “thank you” or even “confessing” (LEB for Heb. 13:15) or “acknowledging” (NET) God’s name. There’s also an element of aligning yourself with God and agreeing with Him.

A Deep, Relational Commitment

How we speak about God–particularly whether or not we align ourselves with Him in our words–matters deeply to Him and affects our relationship with both the Father and Son. Jesus made this very clear early in His ministry.

Whoever, then, acknowledges me before people, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven.

Matthew 10:32-33, NET

There ought to be a “togetherness” in how we speak about God and with God. If we are acknowledging, confessing, and proclaiming allegiance to Christ, then He does the same for us, claiming us before His Father and “before God’s angels” (Luke 12:8-9). It can’t just be words, though. Our acknowledgement has to hit a deeper level than mere lip-service.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned that those who just say, “Lord, Lord” without doing God’s will won’t be in the kingdom of heaven. To them, Christ says, “I will declare (homologeo) to them, ‘I never knew you'” (Matt. 7:21-23, NET). Speaking together with God is not about good-sounding words that aren’t backed-up with actions. It’s about a confession that changes your life. It’s a commitment so deep that it can even be dangerous (which is what held some people back from aligning themselves with Christ when He walked on his earth, see John 9:22; 12:42).

Speaking In Agreement With God | LikeAnAnchor.com
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Aligning with God for Salvation

Confession of this deep, aligning together sort is something that’s connected to salvation. Homologeo is the word used, for example, in this famous scripture:

if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation.

Romans 10:9-10, NET

John makes a similar observation in his first epistle. First, he points out that “If we confess our sins, he [God] is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, WEB). John goes on to talk about the fact that “Whoever denies the Son doesn’t have the Father. He who confesses the Son has the Father also,” and that we can “know the Spirit of God” by this criteria: “every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God” (1 John 2:23; 4:2, WEB).

If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides in him and he in God.

1 John 4;15, NET

In a footnote on 1 John 4:15, the NET translators say, “Here μένει (menei, from μένω [menō]) has been translated as ‘resides’ because the confession is constitutive of the relationship, and the resulting state (‘God resides in him’) is in view.” For these translators, homologeo is a key component of relationship with God.

Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk

Speaking In Agreement With God | LikeAnAnchor.com
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The idea that this sort of confession is a life-long process of speaking and living together with God does not just come from a dictionary or a translator’s footnote. Paul connects Timothy’s “good confession” with fighting “the good fight of faith” and taking hold of eternal life (1 Tim. 6:12, WEB). Hebrews links homologeo to the people of faith who “confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims in the earth” and lived accordingly (Heb. 11:13, WEB). When done right, our confession is a life-long, transformative thing that involves the fruit of our lips matching our deeds, unlike the people Paul speaks of in this passage:

They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

Titus 1:16, NET

We want to live very differently than this–as people who profess God and also by our deeds “proclaim allegiance to his name.” Throughout his letters, Paul uses homologeo to talk about salvation and the importance of our verbal confession turning into an allegiance manifested in how we live. It’s about relationship, and choosing to use our words and our lives to align with God and let other people know that we walk with Him.

Featured image by Monika Robak from Pixabay