There’s an idea making the rounds these days that being sweet, soft and agreeable somehow makes you good. That the talkative guy who’s in touch with his feminine side is somehow virtuous. That the young woman who’s agreeable to anything and everything is somehow tolerant and compassionate.
The idea floating in the background is, “I’m harmless, therefore I am good.”
But, to quote Jordan Peterson, “Being harmless doesn’t make you good. If you’re harmless you’re not good, you’re just weak. And if you’re weak you’re not going to be good. You can’t be good because it takes strength to be good. It’s not easy to be good. It’s hard.”
If you’re not capable of intimacy then there’s no morality in your self control. If you’re incapable of getting angry then not getting angry isn’t a virtue.
Likewise, incompetence is not the same thing as humility. A humble man is a man in submission to the word of God. An incompetent man is, at best, ineffective. Unless he’s a plumber or an electrician, in which case he is positively a liability.
King David was a humble man, but he was also competent. He was skillful. And that skill made him very useful. It also made him dangerous.
Jesus was not harmless. He knew how to roundhouse a change table in the temple. Jesus was not devoid of passion. He was filled with passion and was tempted in every way as we are. But those passions were under control. Jesus was sinless.
As spirit filled believers, we are not looking to raise passive, or harmless, or incompetent sons and daughters. We are working to raise children who might be a force for some genuine good in this world.
Goodness takes courage. Goodness takes strength. And the cultivation of that courage and that strength requires wisdom. And that wisdom begins with words. The words of God.
It’s no accident that those who come to Christ tend to develop a love of reading. They cultivate a love of words. And no wonder. Words are what created the universe (John 1:1-3). Words are what hold it together and keep it in place (Hebrews 1:1-3).
And so, if our children are to contend with the world they are going to need words. True words. Wise words. Formidable words.
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ… (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
In practise, this means we need to be well read. It means cultivating a love of words. It means training young Christian men and women so that they have the ability to marshall logical and coherent arguments with which to defend the faith. It means knowing the times we live in by reading Plato and Nietzsche as well as Solzhenitsyn and Stott.
It means developing a masterful understanding of language so you can deflect error and not be taken in by crafty lies. It means having a vocabulary that can break a bone, and a gentle answer that can turn away wrath (Proverbs 25:15).
Jesus, the Word of God, was no harmless mumbler. He knew what words were for. With wise words, true words, words under control and spoken from a pure heart, He silenced His enemies and He comforted the downhearted.
Jesus had words for prayer with His Father and He had words for men. He had words for widows and words for war. His words could offend, and they could also give life.
His words were formidable yet fitly spoken, like apples of gold in a setting of silver (Proverbs 25:11).
No doubt, as we seek to imitate the character and wisdom of Christ in this, we will make many mistakes. And so James 3:8 warns us about the destructive potential of our tongue. We also have the truth that it’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
That said, words are inescapable. The gospel does not cut out the tongue. It steers the tongue toward well-seasoned words (Ecclesiastes 12:10). Words that resemble the precision and aim of a skilful archer. Words that are faithful and true. Words of plain yes and no.
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. (Psalm 37:30)
This is what we are to speak. Not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit. Wise words. Words with meat on the bones. Words that matter.
What do You Want to Read About?