When God created the world, He did it by speaking. When He created man, He made him in His own image, giving him, among many other gifts, the ability to speak, listen, and communicate.
When the serpent wanted to corrupt the world, he did it by speaking, or rather, by corrupting speaking. “Did not God say,” he said.
Language is obviously unspeakably powerful. Ever since Adam delved and Eve did span people have used language to create and to destroy, to bless and to curse.
But every now and again, humans lose their appreciation for language, and now is one of those times. But as Christians we can’t afford that loss, so we defend grammar and rhetoric.
Grammar is a tool that enables us to read better, to write better, and to communicate. Without grammar, translation becomes virtually impossible. Grammar enables us to think deeply and to know ourselves deeply.
There is no way to identify or anticipate all the benefits grammar provides to any particular person. What we know is that it’s transforming – like being given money, or a gun.
