I John 5:3 – His commandments are
not burdensome.
Have you ever heard that you shouldn’t end a sentence with a
preposition? This was told to me in school and it didn’t make sense to me then.
It makes less sense now for several reasons. Don’t have a clue what I am mean?
Let me explain.
In simple terms, a preposition is a word that connects two
nouns (or a noun and a pronoun), such as table
and elephant. In the phrase, the book about the elephant, about is the preposition; it connects book with elephant. Examples of more
prepositions are to, with, at, for, etc. Though we do it all the time, there
are English teachers who insist that one should never end a sentence with a
preposition. If we follow this rule, “who are you talking to?” should become
“to whom are you talking?” Some more examples are below:
Ending with a preposition
Sandra has much to be happy about.
Corrected
Sandra has much about
which to be happy.
Though the second sentence is possible, the first sounds
more natural in everyday conversation. Below are some more examples where following
the no preposition at the end rule just makes
the sentences sound ridiculous are even like bad English.
Prepositional Ending
The house was not paid for, so she had to sell it.
There is nothing to be afraid of.
Corrected
Paid for the house was not, so she had to sell it. (Bad
English)
There is nothing of which to be afraid. (Overly formal)
In the above sentences it is easy to see why it is simply
easier, and sometimes almost necessary, to end a sentence with a preposition.
The English language has always been full of phrases that end with prepositions.
If so, where did this rule come from? Or should I say, from where did this rule
come? The answer is simple. Until the 16th or 17th
century, English had no consistent spelling. The English-speaking people who
were literate wrote English as it sounded to them. This created a situation
where one English speaking person could have difficulty reading what another
English speaking person wrote. This was true even for people who lived in the
same city and could converse quite freely when speaking.
To compensate for this, some educated people started trying
to impose rules on the written language. One way they did this was by trying to
impose Latin grammar on spoken English. This was almost impossible to do
because the languages are so different. Yet in the minds of many, Latin was the
language of education and English should follow its rules. The result was that
several rules were imposed upon English that did not fit; this rule about
prepositions was one of them. In Latin, misplacing a preposition can change the
meaning of a word. In English this is not the case. “Who are you talking to?”
and “to whom are you talking?” are both instantly understood. The first word
order is the way that English naturally developed. The second one arose only
when Latin speakers tried to tell English writers that they couldn’t end a
sentence with a preposition. In other words, an arbitrary rule has caused
headaches for English-speaking grammar school students until today (pun
intended).
So what is the point of all this? There are some rules that
we can get by without. They serve very little purpose other than to be, well…
arbitrary at best. Other rules, however, are absolutely necessary. Usually
these rules have nothing to do with grammar. (English teachers forgive me.)
They are rules such as stopping at stop signs or not riding bicycles on the
sidewalk. They do more than get on a grammarian’s nerves. Failure to follow
these rules can actually cause someone much harm.
As I contemplated this, I began to think about the laws of
God. There are some people who think that God’s list of dos and don’ts are
somewhat like made-up English grammar rules. They might make a preacher happy
but they serve little purpose in life. Sound familiar? Nothing could be farther
from the truth.
The wisdom of God found in the Bible is not just a list of
rules or a good moral code. God’s word is instruction for life. The things it
tells us to do will cause us to prosper if obeyed. Things like telling the
truth, being kind, and treating others with respect will ultimately prosper a
person. Other things like lying, gossiping, etc. will cause heartache. Someone
wisely observed that most of society’s ills would be fixed if people observed
the seventh commandment. (I’ll let you ponder that one.)
I John 5:3 tells us that God’s commandments are not
arbitrary (my translation of burdensome.) The purpose of God’s word is to give
us strength and direction in life. It is not to make us follow an old-fashioned
lifestyle, akin to speaking a dead language like Latin. We are not just
following a system of outdated laws in considering what the Bible has to say;
we are drinking from a wellspring of life by following it laws.
When I begin to talk about obeying God’s law, some always
respond with, “no one is perfect.” Though this is true, it must not be an
excuse to ignore the Bible’s teachings. Realizing that we are imperfect should
make us even more apt to consult the word of God for direction. Doing so will
only bring us clarity, peace, and joy. We ignore the Bible to our own peril. When we
obey it we find life and blessing.
The word of God is not just a list of rules. It is a
fountain of life for all who will hear and obey.
Sincerely Yours,
Rev. Sullivan Jones