Saturday, March 5, 2016
Taking every thought captive for obedience to Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 10.3-5)

Outcomes
Language
It’s surprising how much the Bible has to say about speech, the tongue, and the language we use as followers of Christ. Some time ago I began jotting down Scripture references on this subject, and my notebook is filling up.

James reminds us that taming the tongue could be the key to more consistent sanctification (Jms. 3.2). Jesus counseled us to make our words count, to mean what we say and say what we mean (Matt. 5.37). And Paul instructs us to use our words for building others up and ministering the grace of Jesus (Eph. 4.29; Col. 4.6).

Words can give clarity and substance to our speech, and minister grace and truth to others; but words can also be used to confuse, confound, manipulate, and mislead – especially when those words come from people recognized as having authority.

Apparently, universities today sport a hefty population of those who seem bent on such abuse of language. Leftist academic Peter Dreier released a broadside against the kind of Gnosticism that passes for scholarship among many liberal academicians in his “Academic Drivel Report” (The American Prospect [archive]).

He begins by confessing a hoax he pulled some years ago, when he submitted a meaningless abstract for a paper to be read and discussed by a scholarly society. Considering that the theme of the conference was nonsensical, he offered a 368-word abstract, filled with nonsense, featuring meaningless ideas and bogus quotes, and abounding in non sequiturs. His idea for the paper was accepted, but he could not bring himself to write it, as he says, “I wasn’t sure I had the fortitude to turn one page of gibberish into 15 pages of gibberish, which I would then have to summarize in 10 minutes before an international audience of academics.”

Mr. Dreier’s was an attempt to “pull back the curtain on academic pomposity.” And it seems there’s a good bit of such posturing and posing going on in academia these days, and the misuse of language is infectious. He writes, “As academia becomes more and more fragmented and balkanized into more narrow niches, an increasing proportion of what academics produce is unnecessarily obscure and obtuse, and, not surprisingly, poorly written. Graduate students read this drivel written by their academic elders, and then seek to emulate it, perpetuating the rule of pompous prose.”

Mr. Dreier has grown weary of liberal carping, obfuscation, abstract theorizing, and indifference to knowledge. He insists that scholars should write and teach in ways that are useful and helpful to society, and not merely to parade their erudition to secure their credentials as members of the educated elite.

This is sound advice for all who traffic in information, especially those whose mission is to speak the truth of King Jesus in love. Preachers who fill their sermons with sentiment and schmooze; writers who seek more to have readers feel good about themselves than deal with the truth of Christ; and Christians who are reluctant or inept at talking about Jesus and His Kingdom should remember that speech is a gift of God, and must be used for His glory and Kingdom.

We can train ourselves to use our tongues for the glory of God as we come before the Lord in prayer. The more we pray, and the more we follow the Lord’s own words in our prayers, as in the psalms, the better we will understand and practice the kind of language that pleases God and honors Him. Prayer can be our training ground for speech that clarifies truth, edifies others, and glorifies God.

The world may choose to play fast and loose with speech, but the Christian must not. We must at all times work to let our yes be yes and our no be no (Matt. 5.37), and to employ our speech as a vehicle of God’s grace. To do otherwise leads to an unbridled tongue and to abusing one of God’s greatest gifts.

For reflection
1.  Would you describe your prayer life at this time as an effective training ground for talking with others about the things of the Lord? Why or why not?

2.  Suggest some ways you might work to make sure your words increasingly express love for God and your neighbors.

3.  At present, what role does conversation with others play in your work as one who is called to being and making disciples?

T. M. Moore

What does it mean for a Christian to have his or her speech always seasoned with grace (Col. 4.6)? Talk with some of your Christian friends about this question.

Have you mapped out your Personal Mission Field? Download the free worksheet and begin working to become a more consistent and effective witness for the Lord.

The Week features insights from a wide range of topics and issues, with a view to equipping the followers of Christ to take every thought captive for Jesus. For more help in developing a clearer vision of Christ and His Kingdom, order the books Be Thou My Vision, 28 days of devotional readings and meditations, by clicking here, and The Kingship of Jesus by clicking here.