Grace Notes 2023-08-23

As I have been mentioning in recent weeks in my column there is a lot of mischief being done with words. This is intentional. It causes confusion and it distorts meaning. It also allows falsehoods to slide under the radar. It lends itself to propaganda, which in turn takes the place of good arguments. Certainly, you know the source of all falsehood! If not, read John 8:44.

There are so many things to be said, but why don’t we start with the Biblical notion that truth matters. Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:31-32). Again, Jesus identified God’s Word as being true in John 17:17. And we are admonished as disciples to “speak the truth in love” (Ep 4:15).

The truth is always conducive to health and wellbeing, but as Ephesians 4:15 reminds us it is necessary that the truth be spoken in love. Mere true words can be used to bludgeon someone. There are times when truth is better spoken privately instead of publicly. There is also the consideration of timing. There may be other matters that need to come first. But in no instance is truth itself bad.

Lies, on the other hand, never serve health and wellbeing. They distort reality and breakdown the bond of trust that makes living in community possible. They hide and they obfuscate. They create a fog and darkness.

So, what do you do when someone insists that you use his preferred pronouns, but the pronouns don’t correspond to his sex? And what about when an individual has for her preferred pronouns, they, their, them? Good questions! We can be sensitive and creative. For the sake of truth, we must avoid false pronouns. Look for ways not to be unnecessarily confrontational. In direct conversation with such a person, we can say you and we can also call a person by his or her name.

Since You Asked…

Why do we say in the Creeds that Jesus Christ “is seated at the right hand of the Father”? Does this mean that our Lord is far away from us?

This has little to do with Christ’s physical location. Instead, it has to do with the authority he assumes. For a King to be seated on a throne is a symbolic gesture of his rule and authority. Heaven itself is a reality that transcends time and space. It is the unseen and timeless realm that underlies the visible and temporal world. We confess Christ to be seated at the right hand of the Father because we believe him to be the rightful King of the universe. Indeed, Jesus is Lord!