Not too long ago, I was reading a book recommended to me by a friend, New Evangelicalism, by Paul Smith. It was a very interesting and eye-opening book, and gave me a lot to think about.

But in reading it, I came across this passage that just blew my mind: Smith is speaking here about the solid theological beginnings of Princeton Seminary, and identifying some of the fundamental issues that served as the foundation for the college as it started. He states:

Truth was a stable entity best expressed in written language that conveyed one message relevant for all times and in every place. At Princeton, as well as in many nineteenth-century Protestant American churches, the idea was held that persons of simple common sense could rightly understand Scripture. They also held the view that a genuine religious experience grew out of right ideas, and right ideas could only be expressed in written words.

That simple statement, stuck in the middle of a section that propounded upon the inerrancy of Scripture, has bounced around in my mind for weeks.

I see two striking truths in that paragraph.

First of all, words are sacred. Over and over, the Bible tells us that the things that we speak are weighty (See James 1:19; 3:1-12; Colossians 4:6; Ephesians 5:4 for a start). But most of those passages deal with the spoken word, our conversations. Because I was curious, I did a quick search for the words “write,” “written” and “wrote” in the Bible. Did you know that these word appear in English almost 400 times? And that doesn’t include any other variations of the words, or even look at the original languages and compare all the different forms from their roots.

What is more, the vast majority of those are in reference to God’s written word. The written word has a significance about it that I think we miss. God chose to use the written word to communicate the most important of messages to us. There is something sacred in that.

Second, the Words of Scripture and the Word himself are intimately connected. Jesus stated that he was the truth (John 14:6) and that God’s words were truth (John 17:17). Jesus was the Word made flesh. There is definitely something sacred when it comes to words, and especially the written word, the word made flesh.

This is why I write. Words are sacred. Words communicate truth. Words can bring life and light and healing. Words provide guidance. Words can bring joy.

And this is why words are such a serious business. Words can also tear down and hurt. Words can lead astray and deceive. Words can be poorly communicated and discouraging.

Words are critical, and possibly the most important aspect of how we are created. God created us as communicative beings, in his image.

Our job, is to follow his lead, and be creative, using words.

And this is why I write.

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