We Have The Living Word Of God!

For November 22, 2020
The Word of God (Bible) is remarkable, and there is no other book like it anywhere. In over three thousand years of recorded human history, its promises and admonitions remain trustworthy and faithful as Psalm 12:6 (AKJV) affirms,

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

My loving parents introduced me to the Lord and encouraged my spiritual growth and moral development. Often, we shared about our Christian faith journey, and we talked about our favorite Bible passages. Here’s the AKJV passage that most emphasized the beauty, wisdom, and practicality of the Scriptures to us,

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb (Psalm 19:7-10 AKJV).

As we grow more familiar with the truths and promises of the Bible, the Holy Spirit gives us biblical promptings to help us navigate life’s uncertainties successfully. We are the living proof of God’s marvelous plan of redemption, whereby Jesus Christ reigns in us as Savior and Lord.

We authenticate our faith in God by His Word and the person of Christ. Both of these revelations deserve our reverent consideration,

Two great revelations stand at the center of historic Christianity: the personal revelation of God in Christ and the propositional revelation of God in the Scriptures. The Christian claims that God has disclosed Himself in the Scriptures and in the Savior, in the written Word and in the Living Word of God. The evidence that the Bible is the written Word of God is anchored in the authority of Jesus Christ.1

We can find comfort in knowing Jesus Christ authenticates the Bible because He is the most important person in human history,

By any and all standards Jesus Christ has always been regarded as the greatest figure in human history. On any list of the world’s greatest men we always find at its head Jesus of Nazareth. Regardless of whether or not men acknowledge him as Savior and Lord they must pay tribute to Him as the world’s outstanding man.2

The Bible is our perfect guide to living in the New Testament Age. As we read, study, memorize, and apply its principles to our lives, we grow into His productive people of faith and grace. Then, we become expressions of Christ’s prophetic role by filtering everything we think, say, and do through a Bible-based perspective. In other words, we are people of the Bible who abide by its principles.

Although we may listen to secular experts for advice, the Word of God is the lamp and light to our footpath. Faithful meditation on its precepts will discourage alienation from God while aiding us in resisting the habitual practice of sin (Psalm 119:11, 104-105).

In the twenty-first-century, more than ever, we need specialized knowledge and skill to be considered competent in our profession. Physicians study medicine, attorneys study law. Likewise, we Christian study the Word of God to be competent practitioners of our Christian faith.

We are spiritual beings, and our existence depends on Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God. He became flesh and lived among us (John 1:14). From His Word, God gives us the life-giving resources that help us to grow spiritually and morally, because His words are spirit and life (John 6:63).

Thus, the Bible is a holy book that we cannot read casually as we would a newspaper or novel. Instead, God must provide us with the spiritual insight to interpret and apply it correctly under the guidance of spiritually mature Christians who can teach the Bible exegetically.3 Then, we “read out” of the Bible God’s instruction for our lives and grow spiritually.

Even after the dust settles, the Lord can use us mightily to provide answers to questions and problems posed by our ever-seeking world. With His Spirit, prayer, and His Word, we can inspire and transform a world in need of spiritual refurbishing.

As Christians—now more than ever—let’s embrace the Word of God and live out its principles of faith, hope, grace, and love.

What a Wonderful Savior!

  1. Norman L Geisler, Christian Apologetics, 5th ed., (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1991) 353.
  2. H.I. Hester, The Heart of the New Testament, 35th ed., (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1981) 5.
  3. Eisegesis is the antithesis of exegesis (or correct Bible study). It occurs when foolish conjecture from our selfish motives is imposed on the Bible. Destructive faith ensues whenever we “read into” the Bible false doctrines that cause confusion, doubt, and speculation.
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