Human language is surely the ultimate and priceless means of communication among mankind. It is the principal means of conveying what is in the mind of one person to the mind of another. When the sending mind originates a message and conveys it to the receiving mind, with both parties getting the same message, communication has occurred. If a different message is perceived by the receiver than that sent by the sender, we call it “a miscommunication.” Surely this required preciseness sets forth the critical nature of words. Words are the essence of communication, whether spoken, written, or conveyed in sign language.
Jesus Christ is called “The Word” in John 1:1. This means He, “the logos”, the
Word of God, is the very essence of communication from God to man. God took that which He wanted man to know, wrapped it up in a human body, and send it to dwell among men, thus to reveal the Father. Language and the ability to communicate through it remains the greatest boon to the human race, as regards advancement in every field and every level. It seems clear that human advancement was deliberately curtailed, even hindered, with the confusion of languages that God imposed upon his rebellious creatures at the tower of Babel in Genesis 11. Suddenly, people were no longer able to freely communicate with one another. A language barrier became a real impediment. God would graciously suspend that barrier 3,500 years later, in Acts 2, when He permitted the Gospel to be preached so that those present would hear the message in their own language.
Pentacost appeared to be the temporal suspension of the language barrier imposed at the tower of Babel. The prophet Joel spoke of this in the second chapter of his prophecy. With the Old Testament original autographs written in Hebrew and the New in Greek, God utilized the two most prominent languages among His people in that day. While none of the original writings exist today, meticulous copies were lovingly and painstakingly copied by hand, employing thousands of copies over hundreds of years. Those branched into the hundreds of languages and dialects that exist today. There is scarcely a language anywhere, however remote, that does not have at least some portion of sacred Scripture in their own tongue. Is there any other writing, of anytime, deemed worthy of this kind of translating and copying? Of course not. This may not of itself give proof the Bible is God’s Word, but it unquestionably reinforces its uniqueness. Never a book was written like this book. Never a book was copied like this book. Never a book was translated like this book. Draw your own conclusions.
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