2 Timothy 2:14 (ESV)
Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel
about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.
I recently read an argument concerning the name “Jesus.” It
argued that Jesus was not his name at all. It had somehow gotten changed a
hundred years or so later. His real name is Yeshua. Well, yes, his name is
Yeshua in Hebrew, which translates to Iesous in Greek, which transliterates
into Jesus in English. My Spanish speaking friends say it differently than I do
in English. Did Mary call her baby Jesus? No, but Jesus never said, “For God so
loved the world . . .” either because he didn’t speak English and neither did
Mary. He probably spoke either Aramaic, or Hebrew when he spoke those words to
Nicodemus. John recorded them for us in Greek. We read them in English, or Spanish,
or whatever language we speak. These kinds of arguments make the proponent seem
particularly intelligent, while calling into question the whole of church
scholarship, but they are meaningless. They fail to consider how language
works. Paul’s warning to Timothy to “charge them before God not to quarrel
about words” should be heeded. The things Timothy is to remind believers about
are the simple truths of the previous few verses. We died with Jesus. We are
called to endure in the faith. He is faithful even when we are not. We need to
be reminded of these simple truths and not get lost in intricacies of language
and words. Every cult twists the words of some scriptures to prove that the
church is in error and the cult is the only one with the truth. Whenever I hear
a preacher question two millennia of orthodox truth because he has discovered the
secret meaning that everyone else kept hidden, I get concerned. Arguments about
words like the article I read about the name Jesus are pointless and undermine
the simple truths of the Gospel. As believers let us stand on the core truths
of the gospel and not move from there.
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