This is What He Said

A juicy footnote from Bruce Waltke on page 310 of An Old Testament Theology,

"A personal anecdote is appropriate here. Several times in translating the New International Version of the Bible the committee rejected formerly suitable English renderings because they had acquired a double entendre with potential immoral connotations. It occured to me that every word could become debauched and corrupted through double entendre until one could not speak or thinking without debauched humor operating."

Waltke offers this anecdote as he discusses the culture-wide depravity at the time of Noah, "for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth" (Gen. 6:12). Waltke interprets the Genesis 6 text to mean that even man's imagination became evil—all flesh is understood very inclusively.

Waltke's indictment against the decay of language is all too accurate. In fact, even in my title for this post I have alluded to a popular catchphrase that is used to turn a mostly benign statement by another into a double entendre, or at least to point out one's faux pas.

But the evidence of the decay of language goes further, as pop culture continually "invents" new allusions to lewd acts, and while old profanities become practically benign with overuse, an increasing amount of the English vocabulary must be treated with caution. It's rather defeating for anyone who would wish to avoid a solecism at an inopportune moment, as the effort to stay up with the latest terms so as to avoid them dirties his mind in the process.

But just as much as language and culture becomes sullied, so also it happens with the individual. Titus bears an indictment against some such people:

To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Titus 1:15-16

To the unbeliever—or to the believer who allows himself to be defiled—it is impossible for anything to be pure. All things can be twisted into evil, and such people prove it. However, Waltke sees the redemptive hope expressed in places such as Titus demonstrated in the language of the Old Testament:

"I took heart, however, in recalling that God chose the Caananite language, in which the most depraved literature of the ancient Near East was written, to become the Hebrew language, in which the Bible was written. In his mercy and redemptive power, God chose the language of the most depraved culture to sanctify as the language of Holy Scripture."

God is strong to save. As he sees fit, he can redeem even the most crass language for his purposes. And in his mercy, he can make the most foul of men pure. Why is this? It is because,

"...the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."

Those who have been purified by the sacrificial death of Christ are to renounce ungodliness and live upright lives—not polluted by the world, not becoming increasingly debauched, but rather, increasing in godliness and zeal for good works as they wait for the return of Christ Jesus. How much more will the God who redeemed a language for his purposes also sanctify his ransomed people for his glory?