THE AMAZING WORD!

"The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and the intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). This Scripture speaks of the AMAZING WORD - The Word of God! It is my purpose to write about this Amazing Word in this blog, exploring the terms used in the Bible for God's Word, and the deep meaning of Hebrews 4:12 and other Biblical passages.

The English word "Bible" does not appear in the Bible, since it is a relatively modern term. The word "Bible" is a transliteration of the Greek word "biblia", which means "scroll" or "parchment" and is thought to be named after the ancient Phoenician City of Byblos, a very major port for the papyrus trade. The Greeks used papyrus for writing. The Greek term was borrowed into Latin, meaning "book", and later into Old French, before making its way into English in the early 14th Century. Thus, while we don't find the term "Bible" in the Bible, we use the term "Holy Bible" or "Holy Book".

Many other terms are used to mean this Amazing Word. Let's give attention to some of them.

1) The Law - "Torah" in the Hebrew. This term occurs hundreds of times, referring to the "instruction" flowing from the revelation of God to man as the foundation for life and action. Most often, "the Law" denotes the Law of Moses, given him by God. The Law of Moses is found in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) written by Moses, also known as the Priestly Law or the Deuteronomic Law. Here is one example, "But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law, he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2).

2) The Word. This term means any word that proceeds from God Himself. It is a general designa- tion for divine revelation; God declaring His Word about Himself, His will, His plan, His purpose, His salvation, etc. Here are just some examples, "Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appoint-

ed you a prophet to the nations' " (Jeremiah 1:4-5). "Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Son of man, you live in the midst of the rebellious house, who have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house' " (Ezekiel 12:1-2). "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet. . ." (Revelation 1:10). "He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called THE WORD OF GOD. From His mouth comes a sharp sword so that with it He will strike down the nations. . . ." (Revelation 19:13 and 15).

3) Commandment(s). This term describes those expressions of God's will, emphasizing His rightful authority, as Creator, King, Lord and Master, to give out orders with the expectation of full compliance and obedience. We all know about the 10 Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 20:1-17). The peoples' response was: "And all the people perceived the thunder and the lightening flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain (Sinai) smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance" (Exodus 20:18). The God who thundered out of Sinai in that day is the same God who issues His commands to us, demanding our full compliance! The psalmist said, "Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in them" (Psalm 119:32). "All Your commandments are faithful. . . ." (Psalm 119:86). Jesus said, "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. . ." (John 13:34). Again He said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15).

4) Testimony. A "testimony" is a witness to God's character, integrity, activity or affirmations, emphasizing the total reliability of ALL that God says. "How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart" (Psalm 119:2). "I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches" (Psalm 119:14). "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son". (1 John 5:11).

5) Judgments. This term means a declaration of God's just and righteous decisions, emphasizing the settled and firmly established value system of God as the all-wise Judge. ". . .I am the LORD Who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for I delight in these things, declares the LORD" (Jeremiah 9:24). "Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments" (Psalm 119:137). "The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments is ever-

lasting (Psalm 119:160).

6) Statute (s). This term speaks of God's boundaries or His restrictions. He puts boundaries in place and they are fixed and unalterable! The expectation that God has of us is absolute conformity or fulfillment! ". . .teach the sons of Israel all the statutues which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses" (Leviticus 10:11). "Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes" (Psalm 119:5). "I shall keep Your statutes; Do not forsake me utterly" (Psalm 119:8).

7) Precepts. Here we find a term that describes God's Assignment Sheet for His people. It means chore, charge, assignment; God's Marching Orders. It means a charge or responsibility that is laid on God's people by God, emphasizing His sovereign oversight, supervision, inspection and His intervention. Precepts is always plural, rather than singular, and found ONLY in the Book of Psalms. It shows God's Word as being our Teacher's assignments, our Captain's charge, our Master's stewardship, our Father's chores for us to do! "I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies, For all my ways are before You" (Psalm 119:160). "Let Your hand be ready to help me, For I have chosen Your precepts" (Psalm 119:173).

Besides all these distinctive terms used in direct and specific connection with God's Word, there are metaphores used as well in the Scriptures. Here are some of the most prominent ones:

a) Food and Water for spiritual nourishment - Matthew 4:4; Jeremiah 15:16; Isaiah 55:10-11

b) A Lamp and Light for guidance - Psalm 119:105

c) A Seed that grows spiritual fruit - I Peter 1:23

d) A Sword for spiritual warfare and internal purity - Hebrews 4:12-13

e) A Hammer to break resistance - Jeremiah 23:29

f) A Mirror to reveal one's true self - James 1:23)

g) Honey that is sweet and desirable - Psalm 19:10; Psalm 119:103

h) A Fire that purifies and consumes - Jeremiah 23:29

i) Milk that helps believers grow in spiritual maturity - I Peter 2:2).

And of course, one of the most commonly used terms for God's Word is "Scripture(s)." Jesus said, "You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about Me" (John 5:39). The English word "Scripture" comes from the Latin "Scriptura" which means "writing." The Greek word is "Graphe" which also means "writing." Scripture(s) denotes the sacred writings of both the Old and New Testaments.

A very important note here! You notice I have used many references from Psalm 119. It is not by accident or mistake! Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the entire Bible. It has a unique alphabetic acrostic structure, in that, each of the 22 Hebrew alphabet letters actually begin 8 verses, creating a detailed meditation on the nature and utter importance and value of God's Word! It emphasizes themes of delight and trust in God's commands, joy in obedience and the sustaining power of His Law as a source of wisdom, comfort and security in both good times and times of trial. I refer to Psalm 119 as THE SCRIPTURE PSALM!

Now that we have looked at the many descriptive terms for God's Amazing Word. let's go back to our opening Scripture, Hebrews 4:12 and focus on its meaning. The verse does begin with the clear statement of "The Word Of God."

1) THE WORD IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE! The Word of God is both Written (the Bible) and Living (Jesus). "In the beginning was the Word (Logos in the Greek - Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). The Word is not a static collection of ancient texts. It is rather a living, dynamic force with the power to change lives, attitudes, behavior, beliefs and the human nature. Jake DeShazer participated in the Doolittle Raid as a staff sergeant during World War II and he was forced to parachute into enemy territory due to the plane running out of fuel and was then captured as a prisoner of war in Japan. During his captivity, Jake persuaded one of his guards to loan him a copy of the Bible. Jake was horribly treated and abused by his guards. He read passages of Scripture that literally changed his perspective (he had hated his guards) and he gave his life to Jesus. Following his release from captivity near the end of the war, he became a Christian Missionary to Japan seeking to share the Gospel with the very guards (he now loved) who had beaten and starved him. This firmly illustrates that the Word of God is alive and active and changes lives!

2) THE WORD HAS POWER AND SHARPNESS! Let's consider the imagery given. It is the "double-edged sword." His Word has the cutting power to expose truth, to reveal sin, to bring conviction, and transformation. Since the blade is sharp on both sides, it cuts going in and cuts coming out. It is much like a surgeon's scalpel.

3) THE WORD PIERCES TO THE CORE! God's Word penetrates to the deepest parts of a person - soul, spirit, "joints and marrow" - revealing true thoughts, motives, and intentions of the heart. The Word of God pierces and lays open our heart (our spiritual core) causing us to be aware of our sins, our sinful nature and to desire forgiveness from God.

4) THE WORD EXERCISES JUDGMENT AND TRANSFORMATION! His Word functions as a judge of our thoughts, motives, attitudes and actions, bringing about a deep inner spiritual transformation, sanctification, and renewal for those who receive it in faith.

5) THE WORD IS DISCERNING AND REVEALING! It discerns between true and false, good and evil, exposing unbelief and the hidden or secret motives within our Spiritual Center, bringing clarity, truth and understanding regarding our real spiritual condition. Through His Word, we can see ourselves just as God sees us! And when that happens we KNOW we need a Saviour!

6) THE WORD IS ESSENTIAL FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH! The Word's power affects our faith, maturity level, our conformity to the Gospel and commands of Jesus, and our desire and ability to build up the Christian Community ("The Body of Christ"). It emphasizes that without the Word, there is no transformation, no faith, no power, no spiritual growth and no spiritual maturity! If we are not growing spiritually, we know why - we are Not reading and meditating in The Word of God!

Pastor Alistair Begg says, "The Bible is the Word of God, and the Word of God does the work of God, by the Spirit of God, in the people of God." How true this statement is! It flies in the face of the misconceptions regarding God's Word; here are some of those misconceptions.

First, the mistaken notion that the Bible is written ONLY by humans. The Bible has only ONE TRUE AUTHOR - NAMELY GOD HIMSELF. It has been given to us through the instrumentality of human writers. So we have very unique cooperation between the Divine and the human in composing the Books in the Bible; all 66 of them - 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. God breathed it out, and the personality, context and history of the individual writers, wrote the Books of the Bible. "All Scripture is God breathed (inspired by God) and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (II Timothy 3:16-17).

Second, the misconception that the Bible contains mistakes and errors, and is thus unreliable. The truth is that the Bible I hold in my hand is totally reliable and it declares ALL I need to know about God, His plan, His purposes, His salvation and eternal life as well as the judgment and penalty for unconfessed and unforgiven sin and rebellion against God. Thus, we know the Bible has been inspired ("God Breathed"), written, protected, preserved and prescribed by God's Holy Spirit since the very first word of the Bible was written. Mark Twain (real name was Samuel Clemons) was once asked, "Aren't you bothered by all in the Bible you don't understand?" He replied, "It's not what I don't understand that bothers me, it's what I do understand and don't do that really bothers me."

Third, the misconception that the Bible only CONTAINS the words of God. If that were the case, who would decide which words Are God's and which words are Not God's? Let's be very clear and I speak with conviction here, the Bible does not contain the words of God, THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD FROM COVER TO COVER! As noted earlier, "ALL Scripture IS God breathed or inspired" (II Timothy 3:16). As such, it is authoritative, infallible (always correct, utterly trustworthy, exempt from any failure), inerrant (means "not wandering", steady, factual, etc.). Therefore, we can fully trust the Word Of God!

What are we to do with this knowledge of the nature, power, authority and trustworthiness of The Word Of God? First, let's commit to reading and meditating in the Bible every day of our lives, without failure! We cannot be who God wants us to be without being in His Word! Let's proceed with honest self-reflection, repentance, and a renewed commitment to live in full accordance and submission to God's revealed truth!

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn says it well. "In the beginning, God spoke the Word. He said, Let there be light. And there was. God created the universe through His Word. Therefore, the enemy (satan) wars against the Word of God. For the Word brings life. But the enemy seeks to bring death and he does so by attempting to remove God's Word. That's what he did in the Garden of Eden (with Adam and Eve) and that's what he does in your life. The enemy is always trying to keep that Word away from your life, away from your ears, away from your real understanding, away from your heart, away from your actions, and away from your real, day to day, down-to-earth life. And he will try to do that by keeping you away from the Bible or, if you hear the Word, from fully receiving it and putting it into action. So, all the more, make it your aim to receive the Word that God has for your life, every day of your life and apply it to action! Get into the Word and let the Word get into you!"

(From the message "Shutting The Dragon's Mouth" by Jonathan Cahn).