Do Our Words Matter?
We are surrounded by words. People chattering on our commute to work. The 24/7 rotation of social media videos. The constant background noise of our televisions. Our world is so full of words that we’ve become desensitized to it all.
But in the Bible, words meant much more than we might experience in our world today. In the original Hebrew language, “word” represented the real character of the speaker. Humans frequently speak empty, insignificant words that do not reflect their character. But when God speaks, His words have power. His words have meaning. Everything that God speaks is the purest and truest expression of who God is.
Can you imagine if our words were that careful, that thoughtful, that pure? As humans, created in the image of God, we have the capability to reflect our Creator through our ability to speak. We were created to communicate in ways that far extend the abilities of the rest of creation. Our voices are not merely survival mechanisms like the other animals of the earth. We reflect our Creator by using our words to create beauty, to deepen relationships, to proclaim truth, and to worship our Lord. So, if we can speak in a way that reflects our Creator, why is it so difficult for us to speak words that honor God’s original creation?
The Trouble with Our Words
We don’t have to look any further than social media to see the trouble with our words. We see words that slander one another, words that are profane, words that are false, words that cut deep like a sword. Though you may not be actively fighting in the comments section, we have all experienced times when we have said careless, cruel, or hurtful words.
We often excuse the sin of our speech as a “small and insignificant” problem, but the Bible does not share the same apathy toward careless speech. In fact, the book of Proverbs addresses the issue of our words more than anything else in our lives—more than it talks about family, money, or power. Why? Because we all know that words cut deep.
We have to recognize that the words we speak are never just words—they reflect what we worship. Jesus tells us in Matthew 15:18, “But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person.” If we are not worshiping God with our speech, then who are we worshiping when we speak words that do not honor Him? We worship ourselves.
Why do I gossip? I want to feel better about myself by verbally positioning another person (and their problems) below me. I am idolizing myself in the comparison game and tearing down another person in the process.
Why do I use foul language? I want other people to think that I’m bold or cool or risky. I want people to think I can fit in with their conversations, so I change the way I speak to be accepted by them.
Why do I lash out in anger? Because I am so consumed with building up my image, satisfying my desires, or pursuing my goals that I’m appalled when someone else disrupts me in this self-focused pursuit.
Indeed, our words are deeply troubled. But praise God—we are not without hope.
The Hope for Our Words
Genesis 1 gives us a grand creation story about a God who can speak simple words and cause all of Creation to come into existence. However, we know that soon after this creation story, Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and allowed sin to enter God’s good creation.
But we are introduced to another creation story. This time, we find a God who not only speaks words, but who has become the Word. John 1:1 tells us that Jesus is the Word of God. He is the physical embodiment of all that God has spoken, promised, prophesied, and He has come to earth to initiate a new Kingdom on earth.
In Genesis 1, God speaks light into the darkness of earth’s empty void. And in John 1, Jesus speaks the light of the gospel into the darkness of earth’s sin and brokenness. In Christ alone, we not only find redemption for our words, but redemption for our hearts. And from a worshipful heart flows words that honor God and others..
Through Him, we are given hope beyond our self-focused worship. Through the power of His Holy Spirit, we are given His patience, His joy, His love, His self-control, and His kindness in the way that we speak to others. As a Christian, you are not powerless against the battle to control your words. You have the ability to control your tongue. If you find yourself speaking troubled words, ask the Lord to reveal the false worship that lies at the heart of your words and fix your gaze upon the Word of God who has redeemed both your heart and your speech.
Sources:
Eugene E. Carpenter and Philip W. Comfort, Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew Words Defined and Explained (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 213.
