“Since the human mind is created by God and is therefore in itself naturally revelational of God, the mind may be sure that its system is true and corresponds on a finite scale to the system of God. That is what we mean by saying that it is analogical to God’s system. It is dependent upon God’s system, and by being dependent upon God’s system it is of necessity a true system.”

Word About Words

When I teach my introductory theology course for undergraduate students, one of the first lectures concerns the nature of theology. Since this is an introductory course, I start with the basics. The word “theos” is the Greek word for God. The Greek word “logos” means something like “word” or “discourse” or “reason.” So “theology” is something like “talk” or “words” about God. But we already have a lot of words about God—the Bible. So, why are more words necessary? And if the words of the Bible are God-given, which Christians have traditionally affirmed, why more words? When someone asks a theological question, why not just read for them, or point them to, the actual words of the Bible? Well, sometimes that would be appropriate. Wondering about where the Son was long ago? Well, John 1:1 says that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” But, if we dig around, we find there are numerous texts which might give us insight on the person of Christ and his pre-existence. One option would be, when asked about this or that doctrine, would be just to start in Genesis 1:1 and read through to the last words of Revelation. But that is about a seventy to seventy-five hour exercise, and probably not the best way to try and communicate the truths of the Christian faith.

So, Christians have spent 2000 years reading, thinking, and writing to summarize in words various aspects of who God is and what He does, and has done. In short, Christians have theologized, and this seems like an inescapable and good thing. But it raises a question about words and how words work. And Christians should have a lot to say and think about words. Robert Jenson has aptly written: “We serve a talkative God, who does not even seem to be able to do without a library. In his service, we will be concerned for talk and libraries.”1 As Christians we are Trinitarians, so we believe that from all eternity there has existed three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who have been relating to each other, loving each other, and “talking.” We should not be surprised that the second person of the Trinity is, indeed, the Word, the Logos (John 1:1, 14).

Now, it might be the case that when I say above that God engages in “talking,” a reader might have gotten nervous or balked. Surely we cannot say that God “talks,” or that the members of the Trinity “talk” to one another, can we? Surely that is “just” metaphor? We will return to this question. One of the best things in print is Vern Poythress’ In the Beginning Was the Word: Language—A God-Centered Approach.2 Poythress argues that God Himself is a “talkative” God, and thus it is misguided simply to say that language is a “human construct.” Not quite. No doubt humans do create languages, and make new words, etc. But language as language is not a “human construct.” Rather, man is a linguistic being, a “wordish” and talkative being, because man is made in the image of a talkative and wordish God. In short, if we are going to get things right when we speak about speaking of God, we need to start with God Himself—this rather wordish and talkative God.

Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., gets it right:

As our being itself is derived from God (we exist because he exists), and as our knowledge is an analogue of his knowledge (we know because he knows), so, too, our capacity for language and other forms of communication is derivative of his.3

Gaffin continues:

We speak because God speaks, because he is a speaking God; that is his nature and so, derivatively, it is ours. In other words, man in his linguistic functions, as in all he is and does, is to be understood as the creature who is the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26). In fact, should we not say that especially in his language man reflects the divine image he is?4

As Christians, we really should not lose our heads when we begin to think about language. I have suggested above that God Himself is a talkative and wordish God, and we echo those realities as His image bearers. But we should not miss the obvious. As I write this essay my study Bible is in front of me, weighing in at over 2700 (!) pages. God apparently likes books and words. But we should also not forget that God creates through words: “And God said . . .” (Gen. 1:3, 5, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26). God ultimately redeems through His Word, the “Logos,” as seen in the Word becoming flesh (John 1:14). The world is sustained through the Son, who is the Word (Col. 1:17). The judgment of God is also rendered in words—”Well done, good and faithful servant . . .” (Matt. 25:21, 23).

Words About God

But can we say that we can use words about God? Is this hubris or arrogance or tomfoolery? At first glance, one might argue that we should not say much about God at all.

Read More

1. Robert W. Jenson, Essays in Theology of Culture (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995), 168.

2. Vern S. Poythress, In the Beginning Was the Word: Language—A God-Centered Approach (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2009). Among other texts, Poythress points to John 16:13.

3. Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., “Speech and the Image of God,” in Word & Spirit: Selected Writings in Biblical and Systematic Theology, eds. David B. Garner and Guy Prentiss Waters (Glenside, PA: Westminster Seminary Press, 2023), 336.

4. Gaffin, “Speech and the Image of God,” 336.