by Chris Steele

September 30, 2007

When God confused the language of man at the Tower of Babel, what was one original language, diversified into many others. Now we are told that there are some 6,000 different languages in the world. Through the years languages have come and gone. Linguists say that many of the languages of today are facing extinction, mainly because they were never recorded or fewer people are actively speaking them on a daily basis.

This raises a question concerning God’s Word. Could the Word of God become extinct or die because people no longer actively speak it on a daily basis? We know that the Word of God will never cease to exist. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Peter added that Christians are “...born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever...the word of the Lord endureth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23, 25).

God’s Word may never end, but that doesn’t mean that people will always remember it. When we no longer read, study, meditate, or speak God’s Word, we will forget what it says and how to use it. The prophet said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). After encouraging Christians to be diligent and fruitful in their knowledge of God, Peter said, “...but he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Peter 1:9). It is possible to forget one’s own salvation and how he obtained it.

David continually emphasized that he would not forget the Word of the Lord (Psalm 119:16, 83, 141,176). It is vital for everyone to hear, know, and believe God’s word (Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 2:15). Paul commanded, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16).

At one point in Jesus’ ministry, most everyone had turned away from him. When he asked his disciples if they also would turn away, they acknowledged, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:67, 68). We must never forget that, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).