I've been thinking lately about whose responsibility it is to make sure something is communicated well. The speaker or the listener?

Let me begin by pointing out American culture is clear that it is the responsibility of the speaker to communicate effectively and in a relevant manner. I say this because we're consumers. I have been raised to consume the best of whatever it is I choose to consume.

So what intake I have is based solely upon what satisfies me the best out of my available options. Well, that's the way our culture is anyway. I'm not so sure I want to be this way.

When any unsaved person (and most followers of Jesus as well) goes to a church service or worship experience or whatever you want to call it, they will only listen to and evaluate the content of the service if it is relevant to them and/or presented in a way they enjoy. We do this because that's how we engage with everything in our culture.

Take the example of how Americans interact with the car industry. Ford doesn't make cars with very good gas mileage? I'll buy a Honda. Honda doesn't have a vehicle with enough power? I'll buy something else. There is something out there that will satisfy my need or present something in a way that I like and I don't really care what company or church or label provides that, just as long as I get what I want.

With this in mind, let's talk about public speaking. When Americans listen to someone speaking, they engage in the same way they buy a car or interact with a product. If the person speaking doesn't say something the way I want it to be said, then it's their problem and responsibility to change in order to suit my needs. And frankly, if they don't say something I care about or applies to me, then it's completely OK for me to tune them out.

This is not the way it is in some other cultures, according to Malcolm Gladwell, as stated in his book Outliers. In it, Gladwell talks about how in China (I think. Forgive me.), the responsibility between the person speaking and the person listening relies on the hearer. That means if you're listening to someone speak and you don't understand, then it's your job to do everything you can to understand what the person is saying. They assume that if they didn't understand something, then it was their own fault.

You can see how it's completely different here in the States. If I'm speaking to you and you don't understand, then we assume it's my job as the speaker to make it clearer for you or do something else so you can understand what I'm trying to convey to you. If you don't understand, it's my fault as the speaker.

Well, what does the Bible say about this kind of thing? If God hasn't spoken something clearly enough, is it up to me to try to figure out what He was really talking about, or is it up to Him to make His message a little more clear?

God has an advantage here (among many, many other areas). And His advantage is that He knows us infinitely better than we currently or will ever know Him. As a matter of fact, we can only know about God what He has revealed of Himself. If God doesn't want us to know something about Him, we could not force Him to do so. On the other hand, God knows everything about us whether we want Him to or not! 

In reality, God's act of not revealing all of Himself to us is an act of mercy. If we were to engage with all of God, we would be completely consumed. Our flesh cannot stand before the presence of Almighty God. Our bodies are just clay that can only last 80 something years at best! In the Psalms David said the days of man are like grass. The wind passes over us, and we are gone. Our place doesn't even remember us. Put that before an all-powerful, all-knowing, eternally existent, completely holy God and what you get is God continuing to exist and us vanishing into nothingness!

That tells me that not only does God tell us just enough about Him but that His refusal to reveal all of Himself to us is merciful. It is by His mercies that we are not consumed.

We can only know so much about God, but God also knows all there is to know about us. The Scripture says the very hairs of our head are numbered. It also says that while we were in the womb of our mothers, He knew us. God knows every minute detail about every person that exists, ever existed, or ever will exist.

This leads to the fact God knows what it will take to convey something to us.

Another attribute of God is that He is loving. The Scripture says He is "not willing that any should perish." He is always pleading with everyone, trying to communicate to them the message of His existence and that of the cross.

So not only does God know what it takes to convey something to us, but since He is loving, He is doing whatever He can on His end to try to get that message across. Look at creation. The rocks and hills sound forth the praises of an infinite Creator God. Take the Bible. God breathed the very words of His message into the minds and hearts of men so that we may know Him. Think on Christ, and His coming to earth, God incarnate, the God-Man, taking on flesh and dwelling among us. Consider His Spirit, always prodding, leading, directing, encouraging people to become more like Christ. As Francis Schaeffer said, "God is there and He is not silent."

Based upon these things, I think it's safe to say God has done His part. He has spoken loudly, boldly, clearly. In fact, the Scripture in Romans says He has spoken so much that man is "without excuse."

No man can ever approach God and say "If only You would have spoken in this way or that way. Then I would have believed in You." Those who do not believe do not do so because they suppress the truth that their image urges them to embrace (Romans 1).

In regard to God communicating to man, if we miss it, the fault lies entirely on us.

Let's move back now to those who preach or lead worship or teach the Scripture. Is it the teacher's responsibility or the hearers responsibility? Based upon how God has spoken to man and how man is to respond, I would have to say both.

We must teach and preach and lead in such a way that, as much as possible, those who are listening are without excuse when they try to find fault with our message. 

And when the tables are turned and we are the learners, we must make it our responsibility to learn and discern what God is saying. There is always something to learn even amongst the poorest of teachers because they are image-bearers as well, whether fallen or redeemed. 

God has spoken as clearly as we finite creatures can handle. And He has given us the tools to listen, process, and respond.

Let's do it.

Jacob Riggs