“And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.”
(Genesis 2:19)
The great Chinese sage, Confucius (551-479 BC) lived at a time very much like our own. In his day, words had lost their meanings. Because everyone was defining terms in their own ways, the ability to communicate was all but lost. Meaningful discussions became almost impossible and the only language left with which to settle disputes was physical violence. Social anarchy ensued and the people were divided up into various rival baronies. Confucius wisely understood that for social order and cohesion to return to China, there had to be a rectification of names. Words, especially titles such as “emperor,” “father,” “mother,” “son,” and “daughter,” etc. needed proper and universally agreed upon meanings. For Confucius, this was more than helpful advice for making China a better place to live, this was no less than heaven’s mandate. Though we have no reason to think that Confucius had a personal, saving relationship with the True God of heaven, it is undeniable that his moral intuitions did in many ways reflect the law of God written on every human heart (Romans 2:14-15). Confucius understood that words have objective meanings and that man has some moral responsibility to discover what they are and to order his thought and conduct accordingly. The Christian understands that it is the Triune God of the Bible that identifies all things in the created order as they relate to His plan. To the extent that we are identifying things properly and using terms in the right way, we are thinking His thoughts after Him. God is not the Author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), but Satan is. He is the father of lies (John 8:44) and the whole world lies in his sway (1 John 5:19). Little wonder then, that our world has lapsed into thoroughgoing confusion regarding things that were obvious and undeniable only a few short years ago. As sanctified, New Covenant priests and ambassadors of the One Who purchased us with His own precious blood, may we remain solid and steadfast in our commitment to interpreting the world through the lens of Holy Scripture. By God’s grace and with resurrection power, let us resist the torrent of confused, unbelieving thought that typifies our age. Let us promote and defend God’s holy definitions, standards, and moral imperatives. May we do this for God’s glory and for the good of others.
God bless you,
Pastor John
English