The Bible stands out from other religions in its cross-cultural nature, with striking theological implications for mission and the credibility of the Christian message.
Why do Crosslinks mission partners work so hard to learn language? Wouldn’t it be much quicker and easier to work with an interpreter? Or to serve the Lord Jesus in places where English is widely spoken? We might give lots of pragmatic answers to these questions. For example, in parts of the world where gospel needs are greatest, Christian interpreters may be very hard to find. However, there are deeper theological reasons why learning language is so vital in mission. These reasons go beyond the pragmatic and are deeply rooted in Scripture.
The Bible is an extraordinary book that shows us the translatability of the good news of Jesus. This is in stark contrast to other world religions. For example, in Islam, Allah speaks Arabic. The Qur’an cannot be translated and retain its authority. The Bible is very different. For a start, the Bible is written in three different languages – Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. As the story of the Bible unfolds, God reveals himself in a wide range of cultures and through three different languages.
The text of Scripture also teaches us that God’s word can be translated and retain its power. We see this in two ways. First, when the New Testament writers quote the Old Testament, they almost always quote the Greek translation of the Old Testament, not the original Hebrew or Aramaic. Second, the vast majority of New Testament scholars believe that the Lord Jesus conducted his ministry in Aramaic, while the Gospels are written in Greek. This means that when the Gospels quote the Lord Jesus, they are giving us a translation of Jesus’s original words – and when we read Jesus’ words in Mark’s Gospel, for example, we’re reading a translation of a translation!
Perhaps the most striking moment in the New Testament that points us to the translatability of the gospel happens at Pentecost. God could have worked the Pentecost miracle in one of two ways. He could have set apart Peter to proclaim the gospel in Aramaic, and then miraculously enabled the gathered Parthians, Medes, Cretans and Arabs to understand a new language.
If Pentecost was a Muslim event, this is how the miracle would have worked, with all the listeners wonderfully understanding the single language that God speaks – Arabic. But this is not what happens at Pentecost. Instead, somewhat chaotically, the Apostles are simultaneously empowered to preach the gospel in the languages of the hearers. All at the same time, Jesus is proclaimed in Parthian, Mede-ian, Cretan and Arabic. The result is a joyful cacophony.
The wonderful implication of Pentecost, then, is not that God speaks one language. Rather, it is that God speaks my language. I can hear the gospel and respond to it in my own tongue. This is what amazes the crowd – ‘each of us hears the wonders of God in our own tongues’ (Acts 2:11).
The history of Christian mission has been a story of God’s word being translated into different cultures, contexts and languages around our world. Mission partners have learned languages because they want people to follow God in their own language, not somebody else’s. We do not proclaim a foreign God who comes from somewhere else. We proclaim the one true God who made everyone and speaks every language.
This truth remains especially relevant in the twenty first century. In our post-colonial context, where English is a ‘power language’ and is so widely spoken, it is vital that we serve in humility, giving away power by learning language. It slows us down. It makes us learners not experts. We feel weak and foolish. All of these are good things. In the long run, we know that people are best evangelised and best discipled in their own language, not someone else’s … because God speaks their language.
David Williams is seconded to the Church Missionary Society of Australia (CMS-A) to train and mentor new mission partners.