Life and Death: The Unmatched Power of Words

When God created the world, He did not use hands. When Jesus got up to calm the storm, he did not use a piece of technology. When Christ was expelling demons from people under their power, He did not use a medical procedure. He used words

The power of words is unmatched. Certainly, the words of a mere human being pale when contrasted with those of an almighty Creator God. But our words still have force, whether we realize it or not.

A well-spoken oration can change the course of history. Martin Luther King, “I have a dream”. Abraham Lincoln, “Fourscore and seven years ago”. Ronald Reagan, “Tear down this wall”. Winston Churchill, “We will fight on the beaches”.

Jesus Christ, “It is finished”.

And with this power comes great responsibility for us. We cannot be cavalier in our attitude towards what we say. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18:21).

First, we have the opportunity for good. Refining our vocabulary and use of language allows us to be powerful orators. In Acts, the Bible describes Apollos as, “an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures...he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ” (Acts 18:24‭, ‬27‭-‬28).

Of course, our faith and trust must never be in our words or delivery, but in the message of Christ and power of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:1‭-‬6). But words are the means by which God has ordained His Truth should be received (Romans 10:14-17).

But this power also comes with a warning. Satan used carefully worded questions to deceive Adam and Eve and cause them to rebel. Using words as a tool for deception is literally the oldest trick in the book. And it is still effective today. As Paul warned the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “I fear...as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty (craftiness), so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”. And he warned the Roman Christians that false teachers can deceive using “good words and fair speeches” (Romans 16:17‭-‬18).

But the warning extends not only to our response to words, but also to our use of them. We bear the responsibility for the effects of our words. If we teach others to act disobediently, even in the slightest way, we will be among the less rewarded in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:19). And woe to us if we cause a little one stumble (Mark 9:42)!

We need to be careful about what we say, because we never know what younger child may be listening to us. They may view us as their example and try to follow in our footsteps. Would we want them to?

​We have been given a mighty tool in language! Let’s use that to spread the Truth, not anything less.