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What is meant by the phrase “The Word of God?” |
| Read:
Revelation 19:13 Psalms 33:6 Deuteronomy 18:18-20 |
When you hear the phrase “The Word of God”, what comes to your mind? In the Bible this phrase can take different forms. It is helpful to understand the different forms that God’s Word is presented to us.
First, The Word of God came to as a person, Jesus Christ. This is how John begins the Gospel of John. He is not just connecting Jesus to God, but telling us Jesus is God! This connection is made clear in John 1:14 when we are told that The Word became flesh and dwelt (lived) among us. Another Bible verse to Jesus being The Word of God is found in Revelations 19:13 when John sees the risen Lord Jesus in heaven. This is not the only way God gave us His word though.
The Word of God came to us as speech by God. This too has different forms. God gave decrees (commands). This is found in Genesis. Just think about this for a moment, God spoke, and the world was created. How awesome is that! God spoke and then we got the planets, stars, water, mountains, plants, animals and us and so much more. Now that is powerful! Read Psalms 33 which is praise to our Creator and Preserver!
God’s Words has also come in the form of personal address. In scriptures we find that God spoke directly to people. God spoke directly to Adam in Genesis 2:16 – 17 and Genesis 3:16 – 19. God also spoke directly to Moses to give us the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:1). God also spoke in the New Testament, in Matthew 3:17, God, when Jesus was baptized.
God’s word also has come to us through human lips. Many times in the Bible we find that God raised up prophets through whom He speaks. Although these are human words, spoken in ordinary human language by ordinary human beings, the authority and truthfulness of these words is in no way diminished: They are still completely God’s word as well. We find this in Deuteronomy 18, when God is speaking to Moses. God tells us he will raise up prophets to speak His words. God also made a similar statement to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:7 and 1:9). God’s word spoken through human lips are to be considered just as authoritative just as true as God’s words of personal address. To disbelieve or disobey and of them was to disbelieve or disobey God himself.
Finally, we have God’s Word in written form. As already mentioned, we have his work on two stone tablets, the 10 Commandments. God commanded Isaiah to write down His Words (Isaiah 30:8). God also told Jeremiah to write down His words (Jeremiah 30:2, 36:2 – 4, 36:27-31 and 51:60). In the New Testament, Paul writes to the Corinthians a command from the Lord (1 Corinthians 14:37).
There are several benefits from the writing down of God’s words. First, there is a more accurate preservation of God’s word for future generations. Second, this allows for repeated inspection of words for study which leads to better understanding and obedience.
It is most profitable for us to study God’s word as written in the Bible. It is God’s written Word that he commands us to study. The man is blessed who meditates on God’s law day and night (Psalms 1:1 – 2). It is the Word of God in the form of written Scripture that is “God-breathed” and “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16)