Thread by @ronhenzel

𝟏/𝟏𝟐 It seems to me that we have the perfect biblical example of what we should do when people misunderstand what we’re trying to communicate. This same thing happened to the Apostle Paul & he set the matter straight in 1 Corinthians 5:9-11.

https://twitter.com/PcaMemorial/status/1416228350402629635

𝟐/𝟏𝟐 Paul wrote:

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—
¹⁰ not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

—1 Corinthians 5:9-10, ESV

𝟑/𝟏𝟐 Whatever Paul originally wrote, at least some at Corinth seem to have taken him as calling for Christians to totally withdraw from the world to avoid mingling with sinful people. So, he basically said, “That’s not what I meant,” & then went on to explain what he did mean.

𝟒/𝟏𝟐 He wrote:

¹¹ But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.

—1 Corinthians 5:11 ESV

𝟓/𝟏𝟐 Of course, it’s absolutely true that our words are not always heard the way we think they are. All of us have surely had that experience. And sometimes our words are interpreted in the worst possible way, as we see in the examples provided by Greg Johnson.

𝟔/𝟏𝟐 But the ones he gives are so uncharitable they would tend to make me wonder whether the hearer (or reader) had any intention to understand the original words in the first place, especially if the person making those particular misinterpretations claimed to be a Christian.

𝟕/𝟏𝟐 But I have to concede it’s at least possible that such misinterpretations could arise honestly, due to someone having been previously treated in an unfair or unloving manner. Still, responsibility for clear communication is a 2-way street. Every sane person knows this.

𝟖/𝟏𝟐 I’m responsible to interpret others as charitably as possible & they’re responsible to do the same for me. And when others misunderstand me, I should charitably assume they’re not deliberately twisting my words (until they prove otherwise!) & patiently clarify my meaning.

𝟗/𝟏𝟐 And they should accept my clarification. According to the Westminster Larger Catechism, one of the things forbidden by the 9th Commandment (“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor”) is “misconstructing intentions, words, and actions,” (Question 145).

𝟏𝟎/𝟏𝟐 It seems to me that Greg Johnson’s examples are helpful if they alert us to some common misinterpretations that others make of common Christian statements so we’re prepared to make the necessary clarifications when they’re used against us. It’s good to know this.

𝟏𝟏/𝟏𝟐 And perhaps we should consider whether in some circumstances we might want to offer our clarifications before those misunderstandings occur, or even change our wording to communicate the same thing to different audiences.

𝟏𝟐/𝟏𝟐 But if he’s suggesting we shouldn’t use those words at all, that’s not helpful because they communicate truths in a way most Christians properly understand. And if he has problems with the truths those words are actually meant to convey, we have a much deeper problem.