Words Matter

The Tower of Babel: humanity’s early attempt at a marvel of engineering, using the most cutting-edge technology of the time: bricks. Stacking one upon another, the whole world united in a single purpose: instead of waiting for the Messiah, reach heaven with a tower. The Bible has a sense of humor; God had to come all the way down to inspect their “tall” tower. His response: confusion. The people spontaneously began speaking different languages. Unable to communicate or coordinate, they dispersed throughout the world. Foreign tongues became a reminder of God’s judgment against human sin.

Fast-forward to Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus rose from the dead and 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven: the same miracle as Babel, but with the opposite purpose. The Holy Spirit comes down and gives His people the gift of tongues, spontaneously speaking in different languages, so that the diverse crowd gathered in Jerusalem heard the Gospel preached in their own tongues. Instead of a tower as an alternative to God’s plan of salvation, God used language to build up the Church as the way in Christ. God caused people to speak in different languages again, this time to end confusion and to unify in the Gospel.

Because of this, in that first era of the early church, some Christians had the gift of tongues: miraculously speaking foreign languages to evangelize. The problem was that these Christians were still sinners, and sometimes, like the builders of Babel, they used the gift to build themselves up. This is what Paul called out the Corinthians for: they were using their spiritual gift to show off, to brag, to be holier-than-thou. And just like Babel, the Corinthians turned a gift and tool for the Gospel into an act of judgment.

Today, we may not see tongues very often. That’s okay—most prophets in the Bible never did miracles. John the Baptist never did. It’s likely that most of God’s people in history never witnessed a supernatural act and only had faith because of the Word. Miracles—and supernatural abilities like tongues—were never the point. The point of miracles that Jesus or the Apostles did was to give authenticity to their authority to speak God’s Word, but the power was always in the Word itself.

So, you don’t see tongues all that often today because God has given a greater gift: us! Jesus tells us that we are not fishers of fish but fishers of men. You and I are the Priesthood of all Believers because we have direct access to God and His Word. We act as mediators who connect others to Christ. We are the tongues of the Church. We translate the eternal truths of God into the everyday language of life. It’s not mystical “tongues” that hold power, but the Word of God. You are a priest in the Priesthood of all Believers, and that means everything you say is spoken in the name of Christ. When you speak, it is as if Christ Himself is speaking.

And that means how we speak, the words we choose, matter. From our mouths flow words of encouragement and hope and affirmation and forgiveness, but also, anger and condemnation and discouragement and judgment. If we are in Christ, then how we speak distinguishes us from the world more profoundly than speaking a different language. Just as the Corinthians misused the gift of tongues, so too can we misuse our words. When you speak against another—your child, your spouse, your neighbor, even yourself—you’re not building up the Church, you’re building your own tower and echoing God’s judgment of Babel.

But here’s the truth: Jesus is God’s Word translated into human flesh, and He has translated you into a heavenly being through His cross and resurrection. You belong to heaven. God’s judgment is no longer against you. Isaiah, overwhelmed in the presence of God’s holiness, recognized his sin and unworthiness and cried out, “Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips!” But a seraph touched his lips with a burning coal from the throne of God, delivering Jesus’ forgiveness. Isaiah’s lips are purified to proclaim God's holiness. And so also for you. Cleansed by Jesus, the Word made Flesh, your lips are now redeemed to proclaim the Word.

So, how do you speak? How do you speak to others, but also, how do you speak to yourself? Your baptism is your Pentecost. You are joined to the 3,000 who were baptized that day and received the Holy Spirit. That means that the Spirit changes how you speak, too. When you read Scripture, you remind yourself of God’s truth about you. Who are you to condemn yourself when your Lord has set you free? Does your self-talk conform to who Jesus says you are? How often, when you sin, or you fail, or when you criticize yourself, or you are embarrassed, do you remind yourself, “I am a baptized child of God. He will not abandon me. Everything is going to be okay”? Would you say the things you say to yourself to another Christian?

So also, you speak God’s truth to others. You remind them who they are in Christ. Sometimes it’s a hard truth, a call to repentance. Sometimes it’s a joyous truth, a word of comfort and absolution. You don’t bicker, you don’t pick fights, you don’t put down or demean, you don’t explode with anger, or speak contempt. Our families are ground zero for this. Kids, it’s hard not to fight or complain or talk back. Parents, it’s hard not to lose our temper or speak poorly about our kids or exasperate them. Spouses, it can be hard not to get in the last word, make snide comments, or bring up *that* one issue all over again. It’s hard. But let your words be a source of encouragement and love. Build up your spouse and your children with words of affirmation. Speak the truth in love, even when correction is necessary. Offer grace and forgiveness. Speak the truth of the Gospel with boldness and compassion. Always, you speak for Christ. You’re not building up a tower brick by brick. You’re building up His Church, word by word. So, speak the Word of Jesus, dear Christian.