The Word of God
The Word of God is alive and He speaks to you
Have you ever thought about the Word of God, the Bible? It is much more than words on pages, contained in a book. It is the living, breathing, direct communication of God, by His own mouth, to everyone who cares to listen. We often wish we could hear God speaking to us. Well, He does, and it is described this way:
12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12
The Word is life
This means the Word is alive. The King James Version of the Bible often uses the word quickened, which means to be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:36; Ephesians 2:1; Ephesians 2:5; Colossians 2:13; and 1 Peter 3:18). Thus, the Word makes us alive. Jesus, the Word, says this:
63It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. – John 6:63
The Word is powerful
The Word is also powerful, as it is the message God has for all of us. The Word of God has the power to change the hearts of men to leave behind the sins of the world, and turn them to the saving grace of God. Paul’s teaching, despite the idolatry that was prevalent in the area, convinced people to leave their old ways. Read Acts 19 to get the full picture. Not only was the preached Word powerful (mightily), but it also stayed with them (prevailed). The Word changes people forever, for the better:
20So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. – Acts 19:20
The Word is sharp
It is sharp, being able to separate soul from spirit. The Word discerns between our emotions and thoughts (the soul) and our desire for God (the spirit). We cannot connect with God but through the Holy Spirit. Without the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we cannot come to salvation, and worship is impossible, as John states:
24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. – John 4:24
Many people have problems with accepting that man is made of three components: body, soul, and spirit. This is called the theory of trichotomy. There is another view on this, the theory of dichotomy, that teaches that man is composed of body and soul/spirit, where the soul and the spirit are not unique entities. While there are many parts of the Bible that do not seem to differentiate between soul and spirit, Hebrews clearly teaches that the Word of God distinguishes between the soul, which is the thought process of the heart and the mind, and the spirit, which becomes present in a person after salvation.
The epistle to the Hebrews, that we quoted from earlier, starts with this amazing statement:
1God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. – Hebrews 1:1-4
God’s message first came to us through the writings of the prophets, who represented the Old Testament. After this, he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, whose earthly ministry laid the foundation for the books of the New Testament. Jesus is called the Word:
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. – John 1:1-5
As God Himself, Jesus has always been there, which is why John states “In the beginning was the Word”. Because of man’s sin, spiritual blindness, and inability to understand God’s purpose from the writings of the prophets, Jesus, the last prophet, came to Earth to be a living example of what it means to be God. Therefore, the writer to the Hebrews says that in the last days God has spoken to us through Jesus. When John saw Jesus as it is recorded in Revelation, he said this of Him:
13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. – Revelation 19:13
John switches from the past passive (was clothed) to indicate a once-off action, when he describes what Jesus would look like on the day that He appears for all the nations to see, to the present tense (is called). He is the Word forever. He does not have a beginning or an end, and His name is written in the present tense, just as in John 8:58 – I am.
How does the Word of God affect our lives and how can we use it effectively? The psalmist describes the word of God as a lamp for his feet and a light for his path:
105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. – Psalm 119:105
The Word of God gives me direction for the situations that I face in the present, where the lamp shines on the feet of the writer (by implication me), showing him the way here and now. It also lights the path of my life ahead. While we do not know what will happen to us even in next few seconds, we can be assured that if we walk in the Light of the Word, we are safe:
12Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. – John 8:12
Conclusion
Are you purposefully walking your path in life with the Word of God as your guide, or are you treading in darkness? Let the Word of God be your guide and allow Him to separate out the evil thoughts you have, from the true wisdom the Holy Spirit wants to breathe into you. Keep the Word of God close to you. It is your only hope in a dark and hopelessly lost world.