Would you like to widen your vocabulary?
Maybe impress your friends a bit with a new, intelligent sounding, and profound word?
Try this one:
Gainsaying.
It is a good word to use for your smarty pants children.
Example: “Don’t you dare gainsay me!”
Or maybe a work acquaintance who continually undermines you and needs to be confronted!
Example: “I really wish you would not gainsay me in front of the boss man.”
And of course, we need a Biblical example.
Example: “But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people” (Romans 10:21).
What does this interesting Scrabble word mean?
Merriam-Webster lists the word gainsay to mean:
- To declare to be untrue or invalid
- To contradict
The words translated “gainsaying” in Scripture are antilego (as in Romans 10:21) and antilogia (as in Jude 11).
Both variants are intriguing as they indicate opposition to logic or fact.
In the case of Romans 10:21 (and Jude in a similar fashion), Paul describes Israel as a gainsaying nation as they had the truth among their midst but did not accept them.
In the following chapter we see that by their gainsaying, the Gospel came unto Gentiles!
This could be an example of how God works all things to the good of those who love Him and check this…
Are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
God had a plan and the ignorance of humanity could not hinder it. In fact, despite it and regardless God’s will was done.
The apostle Paul states,
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:4-6).
Therefore, we can learn from the Biblical examples of gainsaying, primarily through the Israelite people and false teachers confronted by the apostles.
We should learn that the opposite of gainsaying is holding firm. We are to hold firm to the sound, healthy doctrine that has been given to us in the Scriptures (Titus 1:9).
In doing so, we pursue righteousness and align with what God is doing and has done for us (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Timothy 3:16).
Also by holding firm, we can gainsay the false truth and false doctrine warring against the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Needless to say, we, as Christians, know who wins that battle (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Thanks for reaching me a new word!
I’m glad that I could!