Plain Speech

“Plain” sounds average, unfancy, or dull. It doesn’t strike me as a virtue to pursue; who’s interested in the uninteresting? But the Word of God presents plainness in a good light. And when I took a deeper look into this topic, I learned it isn’t what we might think.

As I was doing some Bible reading, I found three verses in John’s gospel that use this word.  

• “The Jews who were there gathered around Him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’” – John 10:24
• “So then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’” – John 11:14-15
• “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.” – John 16:25

Three times the word “plainly” is connected to communication. In the first verse, the Jews wanted a clear statement from Jesus about His Messianic status. “I am the Christ” or “I’m not the Messiah.” Simple. Hard to misinterpret.

The second instance emphasizes directness. Jesus got right to the point: their friend Lazarus has died. Again, the Lord’s words, although sad, were easy to comprehend.

In the third example, Jesus explains that He’ll drop His convention of using parables, illustrations, and images to teach the disciples about God. Instead, He’ll use precise language. No room for misunderstanding.

These examples reminded me of the “plain speech” practiced by the Quakers. I’ve heard that the Quakers in colonial America didn’t sign business contracts because they didn’t need to. Their word was their bond. If they said they’d deliver five cows to a farm, they’d do it. How great would our society be if such reliability was a widespread habit?

But when I did a word study on plain speech, I didn’t get the results I was expecting. The Greek word translated “plainly” in the three verses above is parresia, which is a noun, not an adverb. And it’s often translated as “confidence” or “boldness.” Here are two examples:

• “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable Your servants to speak Your word with great boldness.” – Acts 4:29
• “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” – Hebrews 4:16

The word occurs 31 times in the Greek New Testament, and the majority of the verses deal with the subject of communication. (I divided the verses into two categories: communication [e.g., preaching, prayer] and attitudes/actions. A few verses could go in either grouping, but I ended up with 17 in the first and 14 in the second.)

Taking a step back, I realize that confidence and communication aren’t at odds with each other. Through these verses, the Lord is leading us to be courageous in our speech. 

This principle is something everyone recognizes. We’re told to have the courage of our convictions. We should be brave enough to speak our minds. But the world restricts this idea to self-expression. We’re to speak “our truth” but we’re also not to offend anyone anywhere, anytime. 

The gospel is good news, but some will reject it. In such circumstances, we who follow Jesus must continue to announce Him as the Savior. Jesus, and Jesus alone, died for all so that through Him, all might live. His resurrection gives new life to those who acknowledge their need and receive Christ’s mercy and grace.

It’s true that the problems of this world are complex. Science and technology improve the quality of our lives, but they also complicate things. Communication isn’t exempt from their influence. We can now spread messages around the planet faster than ever, but wars over words spread just as quickly. And the emotional temperature gets hotter and hotter as people decry any who disagree with them about any matter. Politics, culture, religion, education–nothing is immune.

Christ calls His disciples to communication informed by parresia. Our words ought to be confident, our speech bold. When we tell the truth, we don’t need to obfuscate. A thousand words are unnecessary when ten will do. In this sense, plainness and simplicity are related to confidence. We don’t have to hide the truth under a pile of comments. We can be direct.

Let’s allow God’s truth to shine in the words we speak and the deeds we do.

A lesson from the Quakers worth learning!