8/14/2019 Does the Bible tell us we cannot address God as You - Abridged

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8/14/2019 Does the Bible tell us we cannot address God as You - Abridged

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Does the Bible tell us we cannot address God as You?(Abridged Version, 15 July 2008)

by DR JOHN SCLIM

Addressing God has been a matter of concern for many years to those who address Him as Thou; they are indignant that God isaddressed as Youtoday. Surely, if God would not want us to address Him as You, He should have told us so in His Word. We willhave to find out whether the Bible does really speak against the use of Youin addressing God. We must not turn to history, culture,politics, society, etc, but to the Scriptures to the law and to the testimony (Isaiah 8.20) to know the answer to this issue. First, weneed to know what a principle is in the Word of God.

Principles in the Word of God

As the Lord Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever (Heb 13.8), so is His Word. The world we live in changes everyday, but His Word never changes. Then you may ask how is Gods Word going to keep up with the time? It does not need to foralready it is bang up to date, and even to the future. What makes it so? The principles that God has laid down in His Word make HisWord relevant and applicable today.

A principle is a rule or standard that governs or influences our conduct and actions, and there are many principles in the Word ofGod. They may be found out indirectlyfrom the evidence provided by scriptures. Let us take, for example, the principle of punctuality.Where does it say in the Bible one should not be late for a church meeting on the Lords Day? Of course we will not find a scripturethat says You shall not be late for meeting, but we can find from the example set by the Lord Jesus Christ: And when the hour wascome, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. (Luke 22.14) As the Lord Himself is punctual, can we without a goodreason, or barring any unforeseen delays or circumstances be late for meeting and expecting Him to wait for us?

Another example from the Word of God is the principle of greeting. Depending on cultural situation and occasion, there are manyforms of greeting, which can be expressed in an audible or/and physical manner. The Bible tells us to greet one another with an holykiss (Rom 16.16; 1Cor. 16.20; 2Cor 13.12; 1Thes 5.26), which was a custom in those days, but, today, we greet one another with ahandshake. This does not violate the principle of greeting, nor cause offence to God or man.

The principle of hallowing Gods Name

The model prayer that the Lord Jesus Christ gives to His disciples begins with this petition: Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowedbe Thy Name. (Matthew 6.9 and Luke 11.2) What does hallowed mean? How does He want us to hallow Gods Name? Accordingto Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the word hallowed comes from the Greek hagiazo meaning to makeholy (from hagios, holy), and it signifies to set apart for God, to sanctify, to make a person or thing the opposite of koinos,common. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says hallow embraces the idea of marked separateness; and has anunderlying idea of the separateness of holy nature or holy use.

Gods people should set His Name apart, sanctify it, and not make His Name a common denominator. His Name stands foreverything that represents Him for all that a name implies, of authority, character, rank, majesty, power, excellence, etc., ofeverything that the name covers: of the Name of God as expressing His attributes, etc. (Vines Dictionary) So what does not setGod or His Name apart, or what makes Him common with the gods that the people of the world worship, or what demeans,degrades, and debases Gods attributes, character, majesty, is not hallowing Him or His Name. What does not give a markedseparateness to His Name - that separateness of holy nature or holy use is dishallowing His Name.

Does the use ofYou in addressing God hallow Gods Name?

We already know you is today used to address the person or people we are speaking or writing to. You is used in prayer andworship. A man can praise God and tell Him You are a good God, and, in the same breath, at home, to his pet, he says, You are agood dog. As you can see, Youis used for God, man, and animal. There is not the marked separateness - that separateness ofholy nature or holy use. The use of youhere does not set God apart from man and animal. It mixes God with them. It brings God

down to their level. It blurs the distinction between God and man. It does not hagiaz Gods Name. Youis found in modern Englishtranslations of the Bible, where it is used for God, man, animal, angel, and even Satan. Youispromiscuously used, It dishallowsGods Name.

What about Thou? Thouand youhave been in use for hundreds of years. Both pronouns are found in the King James Version(1611). Those who use the King James Bible know that thou(orthee)is used in the singular, whereas youis used when more thanone person is meant. We see thouand youused together in this commonly quoted example:

Luke 22.31,3231. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:32. But I have prayed forthee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

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Can you see the distinction between thouand you in the above scriptures? The you in verse 31 refers to the disciples, and thou,thee, and thyin the other verse refer to Peter alone. That is the beauty of the King James Version. But in modern English translationsof the Bible, this distinction is not borne out youcan mean singular or plural. As a result, it causes difficulty in understanding,whether God or man is meant, or whether it means one or many. Their translators had not seen the light!

No doubt, in the King James Bible (also known as the Authorised Version), Thouis used in addressing God, man, angel, and Satan,but, today, thouis no longer used to address our fellow men (they will laugh at you if you do). God has deemed fit to elevate Thouand set it apart for Himself. It is wrong to considerThouas archaic. Thouis still used by many believers today, in churches, in prayerand worship, by preachers, church leaders, and Bible teachers. The modern English translations of the Bible, where you ispromiscuously used for God and man, can never supplant the King James Bible and the use ofThouin addressing God.

God knew from the beginning (He is an Omniscient God) that men would one day address Him as Youin the English language, andso has put principles in His Word that His Name be hallowed, but, because men are ignorant of these principles, they use YouforHim. This ignorance God winked at, and commands those who know Him and fear Him to hallow His Name.

Are there other scriptures forbidding the use ofYou in addressing God?

Yes, there are other scriptures.

1. Sanctifying God

Look at the following scripture:

Sanctify the LORD of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. (Isaiah 8.13)

The word sanctify comes from the Hebrew kdhash and is equivalent to the New Testament Greek verb hagiaz . It is setting Godapart.

We know the Israelites served the Lord and the calves (created by Jeroboam, and it was infamously said of him that he made Israelto sin), and worshipped God and Baal. They did not hallow or set Him apart from the gods they worshipped. They were asked tohallow Him. Today, in the English Language, we sanctify God when we address Him as Thou. Using Youto address Him can neversanctify Him.

2. Profaning God

There is a word in the Old Testament that tells us not to address God as You. The word is profane, and God commands His peoplenot to profane His Name but to hallow Him.

And ye shall not profane My holy Name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. (Leviticus 22.32)

The word profane comes from the Hebrew chalal, and has the sense for common use (The International Standard BibleEncyclopedia). So youis for common use today, that is, it is promiscuously used, as shown above, and so profanes God. It alsocomes from the Latinprofanus, before (that is, outside) the temple. We read how the Lord Jesus Christ went into the temple of God,and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them thatsold doves. These people had profaned the temple of God. (Matthew 21.12) They brought unholy things (that is, things fromoutside) into the temple. Addressing God as Youis unholy (or irreverent, as some have called it), and should not be brought into thechurch (not the building, but the meeting itself). The local church is a temple of God, (1Corinthians 3.16-17; 2Corinthians 6.16).Gods Word tells us: Holiness becometh Thine house, O LORD, for ever. (Psalm 93.5) There should be no unholy things oractivities that mar this holiness, And addressing God as Youprofanes the church. Gods Word warns us: If any man defile thetemple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Corinthians 3.17) Think!

Putting a capital letter for pronouns relating to God hallows His Name - it separates or distinguishes God from man - He from he, andHim from him. We do not know why Bible translators do not see this principle. However, today, most people write the pronouns forGod beginning with a capital letter (also found in certain King James Bible and modern English translations). It is not that they havebeen told to begin the pronouns for God with a capital letter, but they think it is right to do so as it distinguishes God from man andmakes understanding better. Surprisingly, the same people do not see anything wrong in addressing God as You.

Scriptures, and the principles involved, have already been shown that it is wrong to address God as You, Bible societies, Biblescholars and translators, and others cannot say it is still all right to use Youin addressing God (they can never produce scriptures tosupport their stand for using Youfor God). They should henceforth address God as Thou, Thee, Thy.To use Youfor God grieves theHoly Spirit of God, and we are asked not to grieve Him. (Ephesians 4.30)

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You may distribute the article intact, without making any changes to it. There are other important points (for example, thisdistinction is not in the original languages argument) that are not mentioned in the article, but are discussed in theunabridged version, consisting of ten pages. For more information, please write to DR JOHN SCLIM at this email address:

drjohn.sclim@gmail.com

Read with interest your article on our addressing God publicly and would be in agreement with the same.(Canada)

About DR JOHN SCLIM. . .He is an Allergy Specialist and Consultant. He authored five books: Childrens Allergies, Asthma Attacks! Beware of Allergies, The HighlyEducated, the Rich and Powerful (this book has touched lives) and Except Those Days Be Shortened. The last two books tell why it is so difficult forthe highly educated, the rich and powerful to know God and why the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is very near, and what happens to the world afterHe comes (for more information on these two books, visit the Coming World Event Website athttp://comingworldevent.weebly.com, whose purpose is toproclaim the nearness of the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. How he came to be saved is told on the Books Page of the Website, About five monthslater after he was saved, he was baptised in a Gospel Hall, and later received into fellowship of the Assembly meeting in the Gospel Hall.

mailto:drjohn.sclim@gmail.comhttp://comingworldevent.weebly.com/http://comingworldevent.weebly.com/http://comingworldevent.weebly.com/mailto:drjohn.sclim@gmail.comhttp://comingworldevent.weebly.com/