The Wonders of Language: The Origin

There’s an easy answer to that—and it’s one you may have heard before. Language matters to us because it matters to God. When God was creating everything in the beginning, he used language to create. In Genesis 1:1, God creates the heavens and the earth—the Bible doesn’t clearly say that he spoke in order to create those two things; however, in verse 3, the Bible says, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Right after creating the planet that we walk on, God used language to speak the things we see into existence.

God didn’t just use language to create—he used language to have a relationship with man. He created them in his image and after his likeness and wanted a relationship with them.

Genesis 3:8 tells us that “the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” They hid from God because they had just disobeyed the command he had given them. Instead of using their words and confessing to God what they had done, they hid themselves and quieted their mouths. But God didn’t remain silent. He asked, “Where are you?” To which Adam responded that they hid because they were afraid, because they had sinned against the Lord. A couple of verses later, the Lord would tell them of their punishments, and the curse that has affected every person from every generation took effect.

After the garden of Eden, words and language went from building to destroying. Before Adam and Eve sinned, God used language to form the beauty of creation and forge relationships with others, but because of sin, language can now be used to hurt others by saying mean or untruthful things.

As Christians, we should strive to use our language as God used language—to create nice, beautiful spaces around us. In fact, we’re even commanded to use good language. In Ephesians 4:29, Apostle Paul asserts, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Have you ever been at the park and heard another kid yelling at his friend or sibling? The park didn’t feel as much fun after hearing him use his words improperly. His words didn’t “give grace to those who hear[d].”

James 3 further tells us how to use our words: “With it [our tongue/words] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:9–10). In these verses, the author encourages us to choose the right words. We can show we love God by using language that honors others, even when we’re frustrated or angry.

Finally, in Proverbs 25:11, the Bible tells us, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” This verse shows that using the right words at the right time can have a beautiful outcome. In situations that are frustrating or upsetting, ask the Lord to help you use your language like he used language—to create a peaceful environment and loving relationships.

Sometimes, we may need to say something that might be hard for a friend to hear, such as if they’ve done something wrong. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” This means that we should tell them so that they can be right with God again, but we always need to speak “truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).