There is a widely held view that we have a responsibility to keep the Church relevant. Some who prescribe to this idea try to achieve relevance through lingo; words with tried and true meanings are switched out for new words. For example, the word mentor is used in the place of discipleship, and “hanging out” instead of fellowship. What we need to understand is that relevance is acceptable in certain areas but not when it comes to a God given word for a concept or idea.
When God gives us a word to convey the ideas of His heart, we need to stick with that particular word. Jesus said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Using God’s words is a matter of life! Now, where there is no word established, only then are we free to use the language that best suites the idea. For example, with the word deacon there was never a word for that official role in the church so the Apostles gave one; deacon became the official word (Acts 6:1-7). Even still, a form of the Greek word for deacon (daikon) was a word Jesus frequently used in his parables when mentioning servants.
People of God; let’s use God’s own words to describe His thoughts, concepts and doctrine. Let’s call a wife a wife, a husband a husband, and a child a child. Have no doubt, using God’s words promotes godliness, while using the world’s words promotes worldliness. If we chase the world by trying to be its friends sooner or later we would have washed out God’s language in ways that the devil never could have. Let’s choose our words wisely and allow God to determine the consequences.
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Awesome exhortation! Thanks for consistently calling us to a higher standard.