The Baptist Beacon

JOHN 3:16 For God "SO" loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The size of a word does not reflect its importance nor its depth. There are many small words that carry a lot of weight. One of the first words we learn as a child is the word "NO". No, to a child is a big word. Recently I viewed a T.V. show where a child psychologist instructed parents not to use the word "NO" in dealing with children. He believed that the word "NO" would give our children a complex and stifle their creativity. This type of teaching flows contrary to Biblical teaching. Removing all negatives from a child's life started in the early 1960's.

Satan and his followers removed The TEN COMMANDMENTS from the public schools in America and now they are attempting to remove them from our homes. No, is used by God and should be used by parents. God said; Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them (No other Gods), Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain. God continues to say "No" to working on the Sabbath, "No" to adultery, "No" to stealing, "No" to bearing false witness, "No" to lusting, "No" to coveting and commanded us to honor father and mother when they say NO! (DEU 5:9) Other scriptures directly teach parents to tell their children "NO." A familiar passage known by most Christian parents is: PRO 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. The Hebrew word CHANAK translated "train" in this passage means to limit or to narrow.

A parent must limit the choices of their children or, make the way for a child narrow.

As we grow older, other big little words change our lives. For instance when the officiator of a wedding asks: Do you take this person to be your wife or husband, to live with her, to love her and comfort her, honor her and keep her though sickness and health, so long as you both shall live? The most common response is, I DO! These little words used in response to this question promise a life long pledge to a big responsibility.

There are also little words to beware of or little words that cause big problems. The New World Translation of The Bible published in 1961 by the watchtower Bible and tract society ( over 10 million copies have been sold) adds one little article to John 1:1 and causes a big problem. In John 1:1 The New World Translation has translated the Word (or Jesus) as "a god". This small indefinite article "A" compliments their ( the Jehovah Witness movement) false doctrine that denies the deity of Jesus, a doctrine that will result in eternal death. The proper translation is;

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Jesus is God!!!

When a Jehovah Witness comes to your door, help them with this big little word and tell them Jesus is Jehovah God revealed in the Old Testament.

The Holy name for God is YH. This is a Big word with little recognition. In the Hebrew language the two consonants Yod "Y" and Hay "H" make up the Holy name for God. An "A" is added for pronunciation since the Hebrew has no written vowels. The YAH or YH is used 47 times for the Holy name of God and YAHWEH, 6,828 in the Old Testament. YHWH is translated in the KJV with capital LORD. PSA 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him. The New King James translation changed "JAH" to "YAH" which is a purer transliteration of the Hebrew text. Jehovah is a hybrid name resulting from the scribes and pharisees using ADONAI to avoid taking YH, the name of God in vain. The consonant "J" was the last letter added to our English alphabet and its sound does not exist in the Hebrew language. Word in the New Testament is found in John 3:16. For God SO Loved. Wyclife wrote; "The love of God is a theme that can not be exhausted." The word "SO" used here encompasses and includes the Infinite Wisdom and Eternal council of God. It refers to infinite, unlimited love that has no boundaries. "SO" means this love of God is vast, indefinite and has no stopping point. It includes the way He devised a plan to recover, restore, and reconcile man back to Himself.

It speaks of a Love without beginning and without end. It satisfied the law that had been broken and transcends the offense. It shows heaven bowing to the sins and suffering of men. A love SO sufficient to take away the sins of the WHOLE WORLD. 1JO 2:2 And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of whole world. . This makes "SO" a word bigger than the world because it is inclusive of all the world. "SO" covers every kind of sin and is greater than the worst sinner. HEB 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. "SO" transcends race, culture, and time. The immensity of God's love is firm, steadfast and unchangeable. Although the vastness and understanding of the little word "SO" remains incomprehensible, we still enjoy the salvation it brings 2,000 years after its manifestation.