GOD AND THE WORD
From these five major religions we see that in the universe there is only one God and only one Bible. Since the Koran of the Islamic religion came from copying the Bible, it is of the same one source. This source is what the Bible calls the unique true God. Much of the human race uses this Bible, and almost all people use the calendar of this God. In other words, the building up and the development of Christianity and Islam, were derived from this God and this Bible; that is, they were derived from God and the Word of God.
All intellectuals acknowledge that human society is a mystery, that the universe is also a mystery, and that in this mystery there is a center of reality, which is God. The expression of this God is the word; all the elements of this God are in His word. Where there is God, there is the word. Where there is no God, there is no word. It is the same with us human beings. Where there is man, there is the word. Man not only speaks, but he speaks daily. Because man has the innate ability to speak, he does not feel that to speak is precious or marvelous. But the fact that man is able to speak is an amazing thing. Animals such as cows, horses, and dogs cannot talk; they can only make sounds but no words. Therefore, man’s ability to speak is a marvelous matter.
MAN HAVING A SPIRIT AND THE ABILITY TO SPEAK
When God created man, the most marvelous thing was that He created a spirit within man. Of all the millions of things God created, man alone has a spirit within him. The Chinese frequently use the word ling (spirit), which has many denotations. A person who is quick-minded is described as ling-huo, “spirit-living”; a medicine that is very effective is called wan-ling-tan, an “all-spirit-pill.” In the Chinese culture the spirit is a special thing. The ancient Chinese sages did not teach religion, nor did they teach the worship of God. Neither did they teach people that there is a spirit in man that is a vessel to contain God. Nevertheless, they found out that in man there is something marvelous. Therefore, the Chinese say that man is the spirit of all creation. In God’s creation of man, the second marvelous thing was that man was given the ability to speak. Speech does not involve only the use of the vocal cords, but it also involves the hearing of the ear and the conveying and understanding of the mind. Therefore, speech is a great, wide field of learning. Today the earth is filled with all kinds of human languages. According to some studies, the best languages are Chinese, English, Greek, and Hebrew; the latter two were used by God in revealing His word. However, in rhythm and rhyme, Greek is inferior to Chinese. As to English, a large portion of the language follows the Greek language.
THE SPEAKING OF MAN BEING A MANIFESTATION OF HIS LIKENESS TO GOD
All men possess two marvelous things: one is the spirit and the other is the ability to speak. Human living is altogether a story of speaking. The thing we do the most in our daily life is speak. Even if we do not do anything the whole day, we are still full of words. Suppose our ability to speak is taken away from us so that neither you nor I can speak, and neither the old nor the young can speak. If such a group of people came together, it would be hard for them to accomplish anything. Therefore, speaking is truly a tremendous matter.
We were born into a realm of speaking, we live in a realm of speaking, and we are accustomed to being in a realm of speaking. We spend our whole life in this realm, yet we do not quite realize the importance of speaking. Speaking is a crucial matter; only God Himself can give us the ability to speak. God is a speaking God, and in creating man as a vessel to contain Him and be useful to Him, He created man exactly the same as He, even to the extent that man speaks as God speaks. Therefore, man’s ability to speak is a manifestation of man’s likeness to God. The Bible says that God created man in His image, and the most important aspect of God’s image is that God speaks; thus, man also speaks.
This matter of speaking is most frequently seen in a family. Those who are married all know that in a typical family the wife speaks more than the husband. The husband usually sits and observes, but the wife unceasingly takes care of various matters and gives orders, so naturally she speaks more. However, if the wife does not say a word the whole day, then it will be hard for the husband and the wife to live together. In the present age everyone has to learn to speak, and the more one speaks, the better he can speak. The Chinese say, “What is truly within will be manifested without.” This means that if a person desires to speak weightily and properly, he must read many classic books and be fully educated. Then the words he utters can be accepted and admired by others.
(Speaking for God, Chapter 2, by Witness Lee)
