Have you ever been confused by something somebody said to you? Maybe you didn’t understand the meaning of some of the words or maybe there was just a misconception about what was being said. It has been said that the English language is the most difficult language to learn because there are so many words that are spelled the same but have different meanings or they spelled differently but pronounced the same. Then, of course, you have slang and the taking of certain words and using them in a completely different context than their actual meaning.
There are many people who like to use “ten-dollar words” for one reason or another. There is a sports commentator on ESPN that often uses terms and words that stretch the mind and cause you to start googling the meaning of what he is saying (maybe it just me). Some people use many words to convey their ideas and sometimes it causes confusion because it is difficult to decipher their meaning out of the clutter things they said.
Certain occupations have a language that those that have not been in that field, often do not understand. The medical field is one of those. I have heard several actors that have played doctors on TV or in a movie say they had no idea what their lines meant when they said them.
The church also has a language that can confuse people. Not that the words are obscure or difficult to understand, it’s that meaning may not be totally clear for someone who has never been in a church setting. This is not a new concept. It has been happening since the birth of the church. The early church was accused of cannibalism because they spoke of eating the body and drinking the blood in reference to the Lord’s Supper. They were suspected of having incestuous relationships because they referred to one to one another as brother and sister.
We still can confuse people today with different terms we use such as “plan of salvation.” We, in the church, know what that means, however, those outside the church may not understand at all. This why it is imperative that when we seek to bring people to Christ, we speak plain language. Peter had the advantage of speaking to people who knew God when he preached the first gospel sermon in Acts 2. Once they were convicted of their sins, his message to bring them to Christ was simple, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). They understood what this meant. Today, we may have to explain things like repent, baptism, and what means to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Praise be to God that He gave us the gospel in terms we can understand and the wisdom to explain it to others!
Friends, God wants His message to be perfectly clear. When we read the Bible there is no doubt what we must do to be saved. The message of Jesus was simple in Mark 16:16-“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” There is a lot “noise” in the world when it comes to what people teach about the Bible and the plan of salvation and it does create confusion. Just remember, that does not come from God because He does not create confusion. If we stick to what the Bible says, we will make ourselves clear.
Read I Corinthians 14:26-33