The Living Word of God

Between the ages of 14 and 20, I lived the life of a Prodigal. I grew up in the church and went to church every Sunday. I even took Confirmation classes. But on the Sunday morning I was to be confirmed, I decided I didn’t believe in this Christianity thing and so got ‘deconfirmed’ instead of Confirmed. At that moment I was aware of stepping out from under the protective umbrella of my parent’s faith and into the storm of life, lived by my own wits. Thank God for His active work in my life. Because of it, I have been saved from myself. Without it, I think there is as excellent chance I wouldn’t be standing here today.

In today’s lesson from Hebrews, we read that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, and able to judge the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb. 4:12). I want to speak to you briefly about how the Word has been active in my own life doing these very same activities. First, a few comments on the nature of ‘The Word”.

When we speak of the Word, we likely think first of the Bible, the written Word of God. There is the understanding that God speaks and His Word is recorded. (Heb. 1:1: Long ago at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets…). This giving of His Word is not a mechanical dictation, but rather a dynamic interaction in which the personality of the writer is engaged while still conveying the Word of God. It is a collaborative effort. And it is Inspired.

2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed (literally, ‘Inspired’), or ‘Theopnuestic’. The text of the Bible is not like other books. These verses tell us that the Bible makes a special claim to be Truth in a way that other texts do not. Scripture comes from God’s own Spirit. The Apostle Peter tells us that Scripture is not about our own interpretation, but about the Revelation of Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:20, 21) given to us by men moved along by the Holy Spirit. As a result, we have God’s prophetic Word made sure to us (v 19). To put it another way, The Bible is the testimony of God written down by faithful servants, whose witness is reliable.


The Living Word

We can also say that Jesus is the Word of God, the Living Word. In that great introduction to the Gospel of John, we read, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”. Jesus is the Logos of God, through which all things were made. He is also the exact representation of God (John 14:8, 9) and thus we can say that he is God’s Special Revelation – both through his life and teaching. While the entire creation reveals God to us in a general way, Jesus, the Word reveals the Special Revelation of God, giving us knowledge of Salvation. This knowledge of God’s plan of Salvation comes to us through the preaching of the Word (Romans 10:14).

Getting Saved Without Reading the Bible.

Now having said all that, I also know that my own Salvation experience did not come through reading the Bible. Rather, it came through the witness of a very special young lady, a preacher of the Word, who later became my wife.

When I first met Cindy, I was at the end of a seven year period of searching through all manner of things, some honorable, and most not. I was looking for Truth, but all my searching had lead to dead ends. I was really rather miserable and arrogant at the same time. And so I told her in one of our initial conversations, “I hate Christians, and I detest Christianity!” But Cindy was very tolerant of my declarations. You see, she had been talking to God about me, and God was talking to her, saying “Andy is seeking Me, through you, Cindy”. Therefore, she had hope that this young pagan would eventually come to the light. But after five frustrating months of watching me bob and weave my way around Jesus, she finally gave me an ultimatum: We were going separate ways. She was continuing with Christ and I wanted to be my own God. Therefore, she was breaking up with me.

“I just have a few more questions,” I countered. “No,” she replied emphatically, “You have all the information you need to make a decision. It’s just that the devil is holding you back because he knows what a committed Christian you will be when you do ask Christ into your life.”

I knew there was nothing left for me to do, but to go back to my dorm room and accept God. As I sat on my bed in my room, I became acutely aware that I was bankrupt spiritually and emotionally. I needed to be saved from myself, but I couldn’t do it by myself. All this time, I had the odd sensation that there was a Presence hovering outside the window, just waiting for me to pray.

“God, I don’t even really know if you are there, but I think you are. And if you are, would you come into my life and save me?” I prayed.

As soon as I prayed, I felt as though someone opened the window and let the Wind come in. It was definitely a sense that Someone had come into the room and surprised me with Joy as CS Lewis has said. I came into contact with the Living Word, Jesus Christ through his Holy Spirit coming into my heart on that day in January 1977. It was dramatically different from what I expected. You see, I thought that when I became a Christian, I would endorse a set of ideas, and that by so doing, I would become a better person. What I did not expect was that I would actually meet God! But that is exactly what happened.

As a result, I did an immediate 180 turn around and people noticed right away. I was a different person and it showed. There was a glow of happiness and warmth present that I had never known before. It was greatly relaxing and greatly energizing at the same time.

And even though I had not read the written Word of God, I had encountered one of God’s kids, who had been formed by the Word and had the living Word inside of her. Now, I was about to embark on a journey of transformation. This time it would be guided by studying God’s written Word, the Bible.
Going back to 2 Timothy 3:16, we are told that the Bible is “profitable for Teaching, for reproof, for correction and training in Righteousness, that the man of God may be equipped for every good work”. As a new Christian, I began to devour the bible, reading two or three books at a sitting sometimes. I was amazed because as a pagan, I had occasionally tried to read from the Bible, but for the life of me could not make heads or tales of it. Now, amazingly, the words fairly leapt off the page. I know now it is because the Holy Spirit of God was illuminating those words on the page and making them to be what some people call the Rhema word of God – the fresh or living understanding of the Bible as God’s revealed will.

So, all of this can be understood as The Living Word of God actively judging the thoughts and intentions of my heart, producing an awareness of my need for God, and then leading me graciously into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Let me point out again, that Cindy was a willing agent of God’s work in my life. She tolerated a lot because she knew that God was at work in me. At the same time, she was also ready to cut off our relationship because she was obeying the same Word she had heard telling her to be patient. She was living out a servant life style for her God. It was because Jesus had done it before her. By taking up human flesh, the eternal Logos, the Word of God, through whom all things were created, became a servant and became obedient to the Father, even to the point of death.

We are to do the same! We are to obey God by humbling ourselves and becoming servants to those around us for the sake of the Gospel. In so doing, we interact with those who need to know Christ and He works through us to draw people to him. Folks, this is how the Living Word works through us, helping us to fulfill the Great Commission, which is to make disciples of all nations. But it doesn’t stop there. WE ourselves are to be continually changed and transformed as we allow the Word of God to enter our minds and hearts, changing us into the Image of Jesus.

Let me challenge you today to consider how you might make yourself available to the Living Word today – both in witnessing to those who need Christ and in making yourself open to being transformed into Christ. The critical Question facing us today is: “Will we open ourselves to the Living Word and allow Him to use us and change us?” Will you? Amen.