Words and People

A group I'm part of has been watching a series of talks by the English Christian John Stott, called The Bible and the Christian Life. We've just taken in "The Problem of Culture", the fourth of six talks. What we've seen so far has been excellent: crystal clear, comprehensive, engaging, judicious -- and sometimes even funny. All this from a man who is 87 years old!

The following are loose paraphrases of three propositions from Stott's second talk ("The Double Authority of Scripture"), which I find helpful, thought-provoking and reassuring:

1. There is no ladder by which our finite minds can climb into the infinite mind of God.
2. Our words clothe our thoughts.
3. God has condescended to clothe his thoughts in human words.

By "clothe" I take the primary meaning to be disclose; though I realise our words can often cloak, i.e. hide, our thoughts.
I'd also like to broaden 2. and 3. a little by suggesting that words not only clothe thoughts, but people -- including people's characters, feelings etc.

I haven't thought long and hard about my sense of "clothes" or 'people-disclosing words', so refinements, extensions and criticisms are most welcome.