At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. – Genesis 11:1
According to the Wycliffe Global Alliance, there are 7,378 languages spoken around the world. Of these, the full Bible exists in only 717 (less than 10%). Another 1,582 have a New Testament and another 1,196 have at least some portion of Scripture. This means that of the almost 7,400 known (viable) languages on earth, almost 4,000 of them have nothing, not a single verse. Bible translators worldwide also estimate that almost 1,900 of these remaining languages have an immediate need for some sort of effort to be initiated.
At one time, everyone spoke the same language, but mankind's hubris led to the communication confusion that continues to the current day and hinders our ability to communicate God's truth to every people. You might say that from that initial moment when man tried to build a testimony to his own ability and power, we have been reminded of how much we need God just to get His message across to others. We continue to work at "un-babbling Babel."
The pride that brought about that initial act of God (yes, in this one case, God did author confusion), our pride, is now being replaced in the hearts of His children by faith empowered with a Holy-Spirit inspired humility necessary to reach a person or language group for Christ. With this in mind, is it any wonder that God did what He did? Is it any surprise that in overcoming the obstacles to Bible translation we find another way to acknowledge our complete dependence on Him?
May we continue to partner with the global church to see all people have all the Scriptures.
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. – Nelson Mandela
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