There are two very different views of the Bible. In one, the Bible is God’s Word to us. In the other, the Bible is our word about God. Pastor Colin shares more in part one of The Word of God.
Scripture: Colossians 3:16
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
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The Word of God is the chief focus of this message.
This is also a survey regarding the way you and I think about the Word of God. It has to do with how seriously we take the Bible to be the actual Word of God.
I took the survey myself as I prepared this message, so I have a good idea of my own thoughts about the Word of God.
I did okay, although there’s room for improvement.
Now it’s your turn.
This isn’t a test. Again, it’s a survey between you and the Lord.
I put the Lord in the mix so that I’d remember to be honest regarding my own thoughts in response to the survey. We can kid ourselves, but we can’t put anything over on Jesus.
This isn’t a judgmental procedure. It’s simply a self-evaluation of where we are as Christians. The objective is to get us to where God wants our thinking to be concerning His Word.
So, let’s start with this:
Do you believe the Word of God consists of God’s actual words that He communicated to men? If you’re not sure, what do you think Matthew:4:4 means: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”?
Are you thinking that those who wrote down the Scriptures made their own contributions to it? If so, then what of 2 Peter:1:19-21: “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Although nearly one third of the Bible is prophecy that has to do with foretelling the future, prophecy also consists of all God’s words that He wants us to know and obey. We’re told that holy men of God, His prophets, received God’s words through the Holy Ghost.
Those verses seem to indicate that the prophets simply wrote down what they were given by the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul declares much the same in 1 Thessalonians:2:13: “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
Paul told the Galatians the same: “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians:1:11-12).
Based upon those verses (and many more that are found throughout the Bible), do you believe that the Word of God is entirely and unquestionably from Him? In other words, that absolutely nothing has been added to God’s Word from man?
If we come to that conclusion, then all we should need to believe is what the Scriptures declare unequivocally. Even so, we can also look to reason. Consider, for example, that God is infinite and humanity is finite. As finite beings, we are therefore incapable of knowing our infinite God without His input. The only way we can know God is by His communicating to us directly. Being finite, we are limited to our own ideas about an infinite God.
We can, nevertheless, surmise that God created us. There are only two options for how everything exists: by chance or by design. Chance would be a bad choice, since chance or randomness (aka evolution) in explaining the origin of life and its development explains nothing nor does it prove anything.
Design is the only reasonable choice, given the extraordinary complexity of everything from an atom, to the nucleus of a cell, to our DNA, to the expanse of the universe.
There are nearly 40 trillion cells in the human body, each cell having its own function. A cell’s size is smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. The nucleus of a cell occupies about eight percent of the volume of the cell.
That’s impressive! Even Richard Dawkins, one of the world’s leading evolutionists, has written that the nucleus of a cell has a digitally coded database in information content equivalent to 30 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Yet he continues to believe that the building information in the nucleus came about randomly. That’s ignorance with a purpose.
To the contrary, what does the design we can observe as finite beings (which includes everyone) tell us about the designer? Whatever or whoever brought such complexities into existence must be very intelligent, very powerful, and unlimited in its or their presence. Even infinitely so.
The Word of God refers to those attributes of our Creator as being omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, and all humanity is held accountable for discerning the difference between our Creator and creation. Yet finite man, for the most part, has rejected a Designer and opted for worshiping mindless creation, i.e., evolution (Romans:1:18-20, 25).
Have you considered the belief that God used evolution as the method with which He went about creating all things? That’s referred to as theistic evolution, and it’s gaining followers throughout Christendom, even among leading evangelicals.
Many Christians who believe in theistic evolution do so because they think it supports the Bible and science. It does neither. Furthermore, it contradicts the clear teaching of the Word of God (allowing for death to take place before Adam sinned) and it’s at odds with the pseudo-science of evolution.
As noted, finite man is held accountable to recognize that the world was created by God:“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans:1:19-20).
Although God’s creation attributes “are clearly seen” such as “His eternal power,” they do not answer a host of critical questions about God that finite man cannot discern without God revealing the answers.
Yes, we can conclude that God created us, but we can’t know why He created us without Him telling us. We can’t know about His personal characteristics such as His triune nature, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and His perfect and eternal nature.
Nor can we know His personal qualities, His love, His grace, His mercy, His compassion, His long-suffering or His wrath unless He gives us such information.
Scripture also communicates the history of God’s relationship with mankind, how man was created in perfection, which was followed by his rebellion and eternal separation from his Creator. Then God brought about man’s justification and reconciliation through the payment for our sin by the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
That can only be made known to God’s created beings through His direct revelation of Himself, that is, the Word of God.
Back to the survey.
How important is the Word of God to you? Is it just an additive to your Christianity? Something you get a taste of each Sunday? If that’s your situation you are heading for spiritual malnourishment, if you’re not there already.
If you don’t think that’s the case, here are three basic beliefs that a biblical Christian needs to adhere to in order to grow in and be strengthened and fruitful in the Word of God. These beliefs are the inerrancy, the authority, and the sufficiency of God’s Word.
Beginning with the inerrancy of Scripture, do you believe that what God communicated to mankind through His prophets was and is without error? If you think it may have some errors, then you have to conclude that God must have made some mistakes.
What might those errors be?
If you entertain thoughts that God can make mistakes, what does that tell you about the character of God? How can you completely trust in a God who commits errors?
As for those who accuse God of errors and say that His Word is filled with contradictions, are they influencing your thoughts about God? What might those contradictions be?
What of those who say that many of the Bible’s teachings are at odds with science? No pushback on that one.
The question is, however, who is in error, the Creator or the creatures whom He created that are either trying to figure out how creation took place or imposing their own beliefs on how it all came about?
How about the Big Bang? That’s said to be where science and religion meet. Really?
Where did the stuff that “banged” come from? When has an explosion ever produced order or exhibited purposeful design?
Remember, we have finite men trying their hardest to assess their infinite Creator. That impossibility notwithstanding, all the accusations can be readily dismissed as false by simply comparing what the unchanging Word of God says with the continual corrections found throughout the history of science.
So, a believer’s belief in the inerrancy of Scripture and God himself is foundational to biblical Christianity. What then of the authority of God and His Word?
Authority is closely related to inerrancy in one sense. If someone has a record or reputation of being error free, he is usually considered to be an authority in a certain field or practice. We refer to such a person as an expert.
Our lives continually seek out experts for help in every area where we lack expertise. That would include a seemingly endless list involving our health needs, our financial investments, our education, the laws of our state, our safety, and so on and so forth.
When a serious medical condition arises, we often look to a doctor who has a reputation built on success, one who is considered to be an authority in dealing with the illness we or a loved one is facing. We may even seek out a second opinion from a second authority.
That makes sense regarding physical issues we face temporally. But what about the conditions of life that include not only temporal things but, more importantly, eternal things?
To whom do you look as your spiritual authority? Your pastor? Your seminary or Bible college professor? Your favorite Christian author? A Christian psychologist, or even a Biblical counselor? Or to the Word of God itself?
If your authority is in anything other than God’s Word, then God and His Word are no longer your authority. You have turned from the inerrant Word and the perfect One who established it to a fallible and potentially Scripture-corrupting human resource.
The Word of God is its own authority. It is and must be self-authenticating. If not, then we will likely turn to an authority other than God’s Word.
There’s another sense of biblical authority that is rarely taken seriously today, and that’s related to our thoughts about God being in charge.
Is He or isn’t He in charge? Is He not God Almighty “who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein…” (Revelation:10:6)? “For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding” (Psalm:47:7)!
As someone noted, God’s Word is not a book of suggestions. If you’re treating it that way, you may have drifted into a state of complacency verging on disobedience.
Jesus addressed that condition when He said, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke:6:46). Those of us who have children have probably said to them that if they really loved us they would do what we say.
In John:14:23 we read, “If a man love me, he will keep my words,” and in John:15:10, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”
Again, is it God who is ruling in your life, or have you added your own set of rules?
The third point related to how you are living out the Word of God has to do with sufficiency. That is the tell-tale indicator of where you actually stand regarding the inerrancy and authority of the Bible.
First of all, does the Word of God claim to be sufficient? Consider these verses: “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter:1:3).
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man [woman, child] of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy:3:16-17).
Notice what is described as the realm in which the Word of God is sufficient: “all things that pertain to life and godliness,” “instruction in righteousness,” and being thoroughly equipped “unto all good works.”
What in a believer’s life would not involve godliness, righteousness, and good works? There are some things, however, that do not involve what is right or wrong morally.
For example, auto mechanics or fashion design or medical procedures are amoral. They, in themselves, along with lots of other things, are not what the Bible claims to address. Yet such activities are addressed indirectly by God’s Word if their practice involves sin.
Of the three points that are critical for a biblical Christian to believe, it is the sufficiency of God’s Word that is the most professed yet the least heeded. That’s astonishing because it reveals a person’s actual belief or disbelief in inerrancy and authority.
If someone claims to believe in the inerrancy and authority of the Word of God but looks to other sources for help with his issues of sin, his ungodliness, unrighteousness, and self-serving activities, Scripture is no longer sufficient for him, it is no longer his authority.
That being the case, a belief in biblical inerrancy is pointless and worse. It’s like someone extolling a healthy diet while engaging in gluttony.
Part 2 of this series will focus on the ways and means the church has abandoned the sufficiency of the Word of God. Evangelical shepherds are turning their sheep over to supposed experts as authorities that are antichrist in their theories and therapies. Many are even encouraging their flocks to look to visual translations of the Word of God produced by cult members such as The Passion of the Christ and The Chosen. Obviously, they do not truly believe the words of our Lord and Savior: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John:8:31-32).
TBC
When God made man, He did not make him as he is, any more than the world as it is. He made everything good, but He was not pleased to put forth His power to keep everything good. He was pleased to put the creature to the proof. He tried the creature in two great spheres above and below. The angels fell before man; and the chief of those that fell above is the great tempter. No man can account for sin, for the ruin of the world, in any other way than Scripture reveals. Many a man has essayed to do so. The brightest wits and the greatest minds have attempted it; but they have never conceived anything that was not rubbish when they have not followed the word of God. Some have endeavored to account for sin by supposing that there are two Gods—a good one and a bad one; because there are evidences of goodness all around us, and there are too plainly the evidences of badness. This hypothesis, I need not stay to show, is sheer folly. There is but one who is Almighty; and man cannot get rid of the consciousness of One—not merely one thing but One Being—One who has power and will and purpose, One who has affections no less than mind, but who, nevertheless, subjects the creatures that He made to a moral probation. If He kept everything from falling, there could be no such trial at all. All would be mechanical or chemical; and the wonderful scene of the conflict of good and evil—of good wrought by His grace in the heart of man, and rising above Satan’s power and wiles of evil—would be quite lost. What is still more important, the active display of love and righteousness on God’s part, of moral qualities reproduced in repentant believing man, would be completely destroyed, if it were merely divine power so keeping the creature that there could be no failure.
But evil never came from God—only from the creature once innocent, now fallen, that kept not his first estate, but chose to do his own will and have his own way. An angel did this first. Man was misled by him who, straying and exalting himself, beguiled others both in heaven and on earth. That creature is called Satan—the Devil. All efforts to get rid of this fact have proved utterly vain, so much so that the boasted lights of antiquity fell consequently into one or other of these notions: either that God is everything, which denies sin; or, secondly, that there is no such being as God at all; while both cases led to worshipping ever so many false gods. Witness now the two greatest philosophers of Greece who have exercised perhaps the largest and most enduring influence over civilized men outside the Bible—the one the head of Pantheism, the other of Atheism. There is what man’s thought ends in when it is logically carried out. Man in his fallen estate may reason God away; yet he excludes God, not from his conscience, but in his reason; for at the bottom of the man’s heart who does so there is the uneasy feeling that what he sees around him did not grow like a potato—least of all, he himself and his fellows. He feels that, though fallen, he is a moral being who will have to give an account of his action; and to whom but to God— the One who made him and all things?
The creature, having fallen from God, has lost the truth. No longer innocent, he has God as his Judge. Satan lost Him first, forever and his angels. Man and his race have lost Him; but oh what mercy now shines on us! Yet you, dear friends, every one of you, like myself, once had Him not. Have you found Him? Do you know Him? Do not tell me you cannot. You cannot of yourselves: man cannot by searching find out God. But God can reveal Himself. It is true, a keen infidel who is still living [?] said the contrary—said it was impossible for God to make a revelation of Himself; but the book in which he, a Deist, said this proved the folly of it. If an infidel can make a revelation of his mind to do people mischief, I suppose God can make a revelation of His mind to do men good. Is not this reasoning a sound and sufficient answer? Can any man, save an atheist, deny the force or the reality of it? If a had being can reveal his mind to ruin, cannot the All-wise and All-good reveal His mind to save? Of course He can. The notion, therefore, that God cannot reveal His mind is not only false but denies that He is light and love—a falsehood that is contradicted by the very effort to argue in its support. The writer makes a revelation of his mind, such as it is; and we reply, If man can make a revelation of his mind, surely God can of His: otherwise you are reduced to the absurdity, that what is possible to man is impossible to God. Is this reasonable, or is it folly? Can any man in this room maintain that, what a man can do in his feeble way, God cannot do in His blessed and almighty way
Now the Bible lets us see from the first—and it is worthy of God—that no sooner had man turned against God through the instigation of a mightier rebel than himself, than a way of escape for man on God’s part was opened up in hope. Man succumbed to Satan working upon the will of the woman. Ah! how natural it is, as most know quite well—how true to the heart of both. The woman’s feelings get entangled, and she is deceived. A man, if God were not concerned, properly loves his wife, and can not bear to leave her alone. His affections engage him; everything as a man and a husband combines to make him go along with her, although here alas! it was rebellion against God. This is exactly what Scripture lets us see in Adam and Eve. The devil knew what he was about. Eve was deceived—Adam was not. She was drawn into sin, and through her Satan misled Adam into sin boldly; and such has been the history of many a man and woman since then.
This does not throw blame on the woman only. They must divide the sin between them; and he is a base man who would try, as Adam did afterward, to throw the whole on his wife. But it is the effect of sin. He, who ought to have been her shelter and protector, first followed the bad example and then betrayed her—as it were, an informer against her. How degrading is sin! So it was from the first, and is to the last.
Now, let us look at God. We have seen enough of Satan and enough of man for the moment; let us turn to Him who here comes on the scene, and whose first word shows the havoc that the devil had made. “Adam, where art thou?” No readiness to meet God now—no candor, confidence, or truthfulness; man hides himself, in despair, behind the trees in the garden, with a bad conscience. “Adam, where art thou?” Man was gone from God. This is the state of man still, of all mankind, of every one of us naturally. I do not say that we all abide there now. Thanks be to God, He is a Savior God. But He judges sin. In Himself He is light and He is love. Our sins make Him a Judge: His grace made Him a Savior. We all naturally think of God as a Judge, because we all naturally more or less have a sense of sin; and guilt always dreads a moral account, the retribution, the judgment of God. Conscience erects a judgment-seat, even before man must rise from the grave to stand before the great white throne and give in his account. A man may try to get rid of it, and he may do so while pre-occupied. He may drug himself with ample material in this poor stupefying world, with its varied and intoxicating pleasures; but the moment of sobriety, the anguish of self-judgment, comes, and God is on the judgment-seat of conscience.
Scripture says that God did then deal with man —fallen man—to lay his sin upon his conscience, and to trace its root to the evil personage that had brought it in, and to announce the glorious truth of grace meeting the evil and ruin, of grace providing a righteous way of escape. If ever there was a worthy purpose for revelation, this must be one. And this is exactly what Scripture reveals. It is not the dream of the gods coming down to indulge themselves in wickedness, as some of the greatest wits in this world have believed. They had sunk low enough to receive that their deities were drunkards, fornicators, thieves and liars. Such were they whom the heathen adored, and amongst the heathen were some of the brightest men that ever lived. It was not for want of intellect or refined culture, nor for want of learning any more than logical power, that they fell into such gross deceits. No one can say this who knows the history of the world, and of the men upon it.
Apart from the Bible, there is sin, misery, ruin, and death. Scripture lets in the light of God, and that light assuredly is far from being the lurid menace of punishment merely. It reveals incomparably more and brighter things than the awful scene where sinners are judged for their sins. This there is and ought to be for those who defy and reject grace—for those who in the face of the Savior’s cross deny God coming down to man, deeply pitying him, and fully providing for his salvation. The Bible accounts for sin but never justifies or slights it. Man, under Satan, wrought that evil thing. The Bible shows the way out of sin, and that the only way to the Father is by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, coming into this world, and that, too, given and sent by God, not implored by man. Not man devised the plan or even sought that God would of His mercy carry it out. Man never thought of it; for he with a bad conscience never expects good from God. For his soul to be saved, and his sins to be blotted out, for God to love him, and to put the best robe upon the poor ragged prodigal, for the father at the very start to embrace him, and then to bring him into such a place of joy as he never knew before—man never had so much as an inkling of grace like this.
(To be continued)
[W. K.]
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life,[a] and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:1-5
When we use or hear the term “the Word of God” spoken what do we understand that to mean? Typically, when someone mentions the “Word of God” they are making a reference to the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. But is that what John was referencing in the first chapter of his gospel? In a word, no.
It’s plain to even a casual reader and it’s orthodoxy to understand “The Word of God” John references in the above text is not the Bible, but Jesus. (See John 1:14-17)
So then is it wrong to call the Bible the “word of God”? Or is Jesus the Bible? Or is the Bible God? Well, no, to all three questions. The Bible is the “word of God”, Jesus is not the Bible nor is the Bible God but both are the “word” of God.
Confused? That’s okay, you’re in good company.
So what is the “Word of God”, what is it not and how do we know one from the other? To understand what the “Word of God” is we’re going to need to really clearly define some things and have a talk about semantics.
Semantics is simply a study of languages, words, and what those words mean. But before we can talk about the meaning of some of these words we first need to understand the differences between the words we read in our English Bibles and the Bible (the New Testament at least) as it was written in its original language, Greek.
Before we do that though, I want you to take a minute, stop reading and pray. Talk to the Lord. Ask him to speak to you, ask him to reveal to you the truth of what may or may not be said in this article. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate your understanding so that by the Spirit you may receive understanding in spiritual things. Remember, “the flesh is no help at all.” If you go at this spiritual subject as an intellectual endeavor, a pursuit of the flesh, I suspect you will greatly struggle with it. However, if the Holy Spirit leads you I believe He will lead you and teach you perfectly, in perfect accordance with the Scriptures, that you might have the mind of Christ and know truth from error. So take a minute and pray. Really, just stop, and talk to the Lord for a bit and then we’ll pick this up again.
Great, so now that we’ve talked to the Lord and asked him to teach us, I believe he will, I hope you do too. So back to Greek and English.
Look, I’m not a Greek scholar or even an English one, but I don’t need to be to understand and explain some of the things I’m going to share here.
If you’ve ever studied a foreign language from your own native tongue what you’ll quickly realize is that while most words have a perfect translation in another language, meaning a word for word match, there are many words or expressions that simply don’t have a perfect translation, there’s not a match across the languages of what the word is attempting to describe.
For instance, “blue” in English is “azul” in Spanish. They mean the exact same thing. They mean a very specific color and there is no disagreement between the two words.
On the contrary there are words in Spanish that tend to have more nuance than their translation in English. Consider “Te amo” and “Te querio”. Both translate into English as “I love you” and while they do mean this, they actually have very specific nuances that if the two words were used inappropriately, the hearer might get the wrong idea. “Te querio” is more casual and typically used for friends and family while “Te amo” is more serious and romantic and typically intended for one’s spouse or romantic interest.
Even within the same language words can have very different meanings across different cultures. In English, “football” means a particular sport in England where players use their feet to kick a round ball into a net to score points and a totally different thing in America where players throw an oblong ball and catch and run with it across a goal line in order to score points.
So the point is, words have meaning. And sometimes that meaning is “lost in translation”. So it is with the word “word” in English Bibles. The English word “word” simply isn’t sufficient to explain the nuance between the Greek words “logos” or “rhema” for which the English word “word” is used in English Bibles.
So when a person refers to the Bible, they’re referring to the Holy Scriptures. Well the Greeks had a word for the the “Scriptures” or the “Holy Writ” as it’s sometimes called. And the Greek word they used was “graphe”, which is the same Greek word we get the English words “write” or “written” from. “Graphe” in the Greek means a “a document, the Holy writ, Scripture”. And that’s all that it means. That’s the word’s plain meaning and it doesn’t have another meaning.
Most English Bible readers have no knowledge of the Greek word “graphe” and that when the Bible refers to the Holy Scriptures, the Bible itself, it always, always uses this word, “graphe”. Whatsmore did you know that the Greek word “graphe” is never, not once, translated into the English word “word” in any respected English Bible translation? Ever. The “graphe” in Greek is always translated into English Bibles as the “Scriptures”. Don’t believe me? Take a look for yourself here.
So when we call the Bible the “word” we do something that not even the Bible itself does! The Bible never refers to itself as the “word” but always as the “graphe” or “the scriptures”.
But does that mean the Bible isn’t the “word of God”? Well, no. The Bible is absolutely the “word of God” but what we mean when we say that is that the Bible is a collection of writings that God himself spoke/wrote through human authors by divine inspiration. (2 Peter 1:20-21) So the Bible is certainly the “word of God”, it’s absolutely God’s words that he spoke and that he had his servants write (perfectly I might add) as his own personal testimony concerning himself and his creation. So the Bible can be correctly understood to be the word of God. It’s God’s own testimony, that’s why we call it the Old Testament and the New Testament. God, in his own words, is testifying in the Bible and his testimony is true, it is holy and it should be believed by anyone who would read it.
So what am I getting at? Well my point is this. There is still much confusion when most Christians use the term “the word of God.” Most of the time they’re using it to refer to the Bible when they really should be using it to refer to something else, namely, Jesus Christ or the indwelling voice of the Holy Spirit.
In short, what I’m saying is that the “Logos”, the “rhema” and the “graphe” are different words and they have very different meanings and because of the limitations of the English language we have really departed from a correct understanding of what’s being said in the Bible about both the Bible and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and these misunderstanding have incredibly important implications in the life and practice of any who would love and follow Jesus Christ as a disciple.
You’ll notice that whenever I write on this blog I try to use very specific language or words when referring to a particular thing. I rarely use the word Bible and most often refer to it as the Bible itself does as the “Scriptures”. My hope in doing that is to avoid this confusion that so much of Christendom has entered about this subject.
Personally I think it would be beneficial if Bible translators would simply stop using the English word “word” for the Greek words “logos” and “rhema” because even those two word have different nuances. So going forward I’ll simple refer to the “logos” as the logos and the “rhema” as the rhema and the “graphe” as the scriptures.
Below are the definitions of these three words according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. As you’ll see for yourself, the three words each have different meanings, that’s why there’s three of them! Ha!
“Logos” – Strong’s Word G3056 – “λόγος lógos, log’-os; from G3004; something said (including the thought); by implication, a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, (with the article in John) the Divine Expression (i.e. Christ):—account, cause, communication, × concerning, doctrine, fame, × have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say(-ing), shew, × speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work.
While the “logos” is an incredibly deep word with multiple entendre it can be best understood to mean “the Divine Expression” or God expressed as he’s chosen to express himself to his creation. Simply put, the logos is the person, God the Son, Jesus Christ.
“Rhema” – Strong’s Word G4483 – ῥῆμα rhēma, hray’-mah; from G4483; an utterance (individually, collectively or specially),; by implication, a matter or topic (especially of narration, command or dispute); with a negative naught whatever:—+ evil, + nothing, saying, word.
Likewise, “rhema” is a word with deep meaning but it can more simply be understood to mean “an utterance, that which is uttered by a living voice“.
“Graphe” – Strong’s Word G1124 – γραφή graphḗ, graf-ay’; from G1125; a document, i.e. holy Writ (or its contents or a statement in it):—scripture.
Finally, we see the Greek word “graphe” means “scripture” in English. So the word the Bible uses for the Bible is “graphe” and that word is never transliterated as the English word “word” in any English Bible. Ever. The “graphe” is always, correctly I would say, translated as the “scripture”.
In summary, the “logos” is the Divine Expression, Jesus Christ, the “rhema” is a thing uttered by a living voice (typically used in reference to the Holy Spirit speaking) and the “graphe” is the Holy Scripture, ie the Bible.
Now, why does all this matter? Why are these semantics significant? As I said above, because of this confusion most Christians unknowingly err when they use the term “the Word of God” and apply it to the Bible and not Jesus Christ or the utterance of the Holy Spirit and this is a very serious problem as it manifests itself in a whole host of problems in the life and practice of most believers.
My concern here is not semantics but rather the reality that so many Christians have unknowingly replaced the living Word (logos) of God, Jesus Christ, with his testimony the Holy Scriptures/Bible (graphe) and this is a tragedy.
We’ve replaced the living God with his letter. The man with his testimony. And so, instead of truly abiding in Jesus, the living Word of God, we are looking for the life only He can provide in a dead letter, the Holy Scriptures.
3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our[a] hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.[b]
4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. – 2 Corinthians 3:1-6
We’ve become like the Jews who sought to kill Jesus in John, chapter 5.
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. – John 5:39-40
The life of Christ can’t be found in the Scriptures apart from the illumination of the Holy Spirit. We MUST hear his voice (rhema) to have his life (logos), then and only then, will the Bible (graphe) benefit us in any real way.
Come back for Part 2 of “The Word of God, Part 2” as I hope to go into some examples of how all of this applies in the way many of us read and understand the Scriptures and therefore live out our faith in Christ.
Grace and peace to you in Jesus name.
Introduction
“For this reason we also thank God
without ceasing, because when you
received the word of God which you
heard from us, you welcomed it not
as the word of men, but as it is in truth,
the word of God, which also effectively
works in you who believe. “ – Paul (1 Thess 2:13()
Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica telling them that the words he preached were not the words of men. They are the words of God and they work effectively in those who believe. Today, as we visit the church and listen to a sermon. We need to ask and reflect within ourselves
- “Are we receiving the words of God or the words of man?”
- “Can we accept it fully just because the speaker is a renown theologian?”
- “Are we accepting it because we know that it is indeed the words of God?
Indeed a speaker must resolve to preach the word of God in the pulpit. But the listeners have the duty to discern if the words are truly the words of God. Only by actively listening and discernment can we allow the words of God to save us.
Besides that we need to understand how the word of God works within us. For the word of God is spirit and it is life, it works effectively in those who believe. Only by understanding how the word of God works, we can be encouraged and edified. Then the word of God will truly have an effect in our lives.
The bible uses many metaphors to describe the words of God. If we examine them closely, we will understand how the word of God works within us.
The Word Of God Is Like Fire
“Is not My word like a fire?
And like a hammer that breaks the rock
in pieces?”-YHWH (Jer 23:29)
Here God describes his words like a fire. How does that work within us? On a cold day, a fire could bring us warmth and comfort. It can provide heat in the cold and help us feel warm and good. God’s word is like a fire and it is especially useful when we feel cold and disappointed in life. Whenever we encounter sadness and disappointment, God’s word can be a fire that gives us warmth and comfort.
That is why we read of many stories in the bible of kings, prophets and disciples who found comfort when they were feeling disappointed and fearful. For the word of God is like a fire, burning within them and helping them in their distress. It even burns within them and move them to continue to in their service. Let us read about a personal experience from Prophet Jeremiah
The Fire Within Prophet Jeremiah
“O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded;
You are stronger than I, and have prevailed.
I am in derision daily;
Everyone mocks me.
For when I spoke, I cried out;
I shouted, “Violence and plunder!”
Because the word of the Lord was made to me
A reproach and a derision daily.
Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.”
But His word was in my heart like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And I could not.” – Jeremiah (Jer 20:7-9)
We often have the misconception that prophets of God are full of authority and are respected by everyone around. But that applies only to the Godly. In fact, the ungodly would attack, mock and even plot against the workers of God.
Their action saddens Jeremiah, for he did not sign up for such mockery. It was God who called him to be a prophet. But he said “the word of the Lord was made to me a reproach and a derision daily.” He knows that if he resolve not to speak them, he will have peace and he would not be mocked. That is why he said “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.”
This came as a result of his disappointment. It is not that he had chosen to be disappointed, but the surrounding discourage him greatly.
But yet he continued to speak, but do we understand his reason? He said “But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.”
Jeremiah felt the word of God within his heart, it is like a fire that he cannot hold back. It is the word of God within him that make him reconsider his decision to remain silent. It is like a fire within him that gave him comfort and strength. It gave him a passion and allow him to continue to speak. This is the experience of Jeremiah.
Like Jeremiah, we may experience this same disappointment that silence us. It disappoints us to the extent that we will not speak, nor preach or testify the words of God anymore. But even in our disappointment , let us believe in the words of God. Let it be a fire within us. Let us not quench it, for by quenching that fire we are quenching the work of the Holy Spirit.
It is possible to put out that fire, we only need to stop thinking of the word of God. But that would lead to a crisis in our faith. For the word of God is meant to give us strength and comfort. If we choose to stop thinking about it how can we receive the strength to continue in faith?
It is natural to encounter disappointment in life, but let us resolve not to let go of the words of God. For Gods word could preserve our faith and give us strength. Let us examine another experience.
The Fire Within King David
“I said, “I will guard my ways,
Lest I sin with my tongue;
I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,
While the wicked are before me.”
I was mute with silence,
I held my peace even from good;
And my sorrow was stirred up.
My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue:” – David (Ps 39:1-3)
King David reminded himself to guard his ways, so that he will not sin with his mouth. He did not want to offend people, especially wicked people who do not fear God. For wicked people may do harm to those who offend them.
We have similar experience of meeting someone who appears to be good. But looks can be deceiving, when we entrust them with our secrets, only to realise that they have broadcast it all over. That is why we need to be careful, especially when we speak before others.
David went a step ahead, he chose to be quiet in verse 2 and he even chose not to speak good words. The best words were actually the words of God. But David chose not to speak it as well. While it is commendable to avoid gossips and idle talk, it is not good to stop sharing the words of God.
But as David remains silent, the heart of David burns hot within him. That is why he spoke in the end. David must have his reasons for remaining silent. But as he thought of the words of God and how God will judge him if he remains silent, he felt the fire, he receives comfort and strength so he spoke the words of God with his mouth.
This fire continues to burn in the new testament, even among believers of God.
The Disciples On The Road to Emmaus
“And they said to one another,
“Did not our heart burn within
us while He talked with us on
the road, and while He opened
the Scriptures to us?”
So they rose up that very hour and
returned to Jerusalem, and found
the eleven and those who were
with them gathered together” – Luke (Lk 24:32-33)
In this passage there were two disciples who were disappointed and have left Jerusalem. They have heard of the resurrection of Jesus, but they could not recognise Jesus. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus started talking to them asking “Why are you sorrowful?” They replied saying “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”
The disciples went on to talk about Christ being crucified and that there were some women who had seen him alive. There were some among them who went to take a look at the tomb, they found it empty and they are unable to locate the body of Jesus.
Even though they knew this, they were still cold in faith. They wanted to leave this sad city of Jerusalem. For they find the news of his resurrection unbelievable and difficult to accept. But Jesus explains the scriptures to them and broke bread together with them. It is at that time they recognised Jesus and the appearance of Jesus strengthened their faith.
But what clause their faith to be truly strengthened?
Verse 32 tell us that their hearts were burning as Jesus explained, and open the scriptures before them. Jesus explained his plan of salvation and how Christ must die and be resurrected. That is when they understood and they allowed the word of God to work within them . The word of God ignited their hearts and their hearts burned within them.
That is why they stood up, changed their plans and return to the city of Jerusalem. For now they knew that it is true that Jesus had resurrected and it is their duty to preach the news to the world. Therefore, they found strength to return to Jerusalem. For they knew that this is their responsibility to preach the word, to save souls and allow others to have their sins forgiven.
Even though they have received the word of God, but there are others who had not heard them. Therefore, they continue sharing the gospel even if the world mocks them. It is true that preaching the word of God can sometimes bring sorrow, harms and even hurt, but it is something that is worth our effort. For we know it is the words of God.
Word Of God Is Like A Hammer
Jeremiah 23:29 also describes the word of God like a hammer that break huge rocks into pieces. Why does God describe it so? For the heart of man can be as hard as a rock. There are men whose heart is so hard that you would need to smash the rock before you can reach out to them.
One of the greatest examples of this is seen on the day of Pentecost. On that day, the word of God is like a hammer breaking the heart of many Jews. About 50 days earlier, they had killed Jesus declaring with a loud voice “May that sin be on us and our children”. Even though Pilate had declared Jesus innocent on three occasions, they were bent on their demand to crucify Jesus. Finally Pilate gave up and washed his hands, declaring “I am innocent of the blood of this man”.
The incident before the Roman governor testify of the hardheartedness of the Jews. We would often wonder how can we ever reach out to such people. But during the feast of the Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended for the first time. These people heard an unknown tongue, they were astonished and even afraid. They were wondering what happened, and as they gathered to look at the disciples who were praying. They were questioning if Jesus was indeed their Messiah, for they had just crucified him.
Now they knew that Jesus had resurrected and have sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples and they have seen and hear it. But the news of the resurrection of Jesus and the speaking of tongues did not smash their hard-heartedness. What really broke their heart?
“Therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly that God
has made this Jesus, whom you
crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Now when they heard this, they
were cut to the heart, and said to
Peter and the rest of the apostles,
“Men and brethren, what shall we do?”” Luke (Acts 2:36-37)
It was the words of Peter that cut them to the heart. His entire sermon was recorded in Acts 2:14-36. When they heard the conclusion of peter that Jesus, whom they have crucified is Lord and Christ. They were cut in their heart. That is when the word of God became a hammer that breaks the hardheartedness of the Jews
Getting Rid Of Our Misconception
Let us not have the misconception that a hard hearted man cannot receive the gospel of salvation. For the word of God is like a hammer, we need to believe in it, then it would give us the courage to preach the words of God. If we continue with the idea that everyone is hard-hearted. We will never be able to preach the words of God.
Whenever we share the gospel, we need to believe that we are indeed speaking the words of God. For if we speak without faith, we will sound like a newscaster or a researcher. Our words will only contain dead facts that have no life within.
That is why the Author of Hebrew reminds us
“Therefore, since a promise remains of
entering His rest, let us fear lest any
of you seem to have come short of it.
For indeed the gospel was preached
to us as well as to them; but the word
which they heard did not profit them,
not being mixed with faith in those
who heard it.”- Author of Hebrews (Heb 4:1-2)
The author of Hebrews was comparing the Christians with the Israelites who were unable to enter the land of Canaan. He felt that the Israelites could not enter the promise land because they did not mixed faith with hearing.
In fact, the word of God will have no effect if it is not mixed with faith.
Those who were parents will have this experience. Whenever our child lies, he will lower his head and speak softly. That is because he is not convinced that his lies could fool his parents. But if the child is innocent, he would speak loudly saying that he is not guilty. For he knows he was telling the truth.
The same reaction will come if we have faith in the words of God. Whenever we speak of it, we would speak it with confidence and faith. If we believe in the words of God, our attitude towards it will be different. If we do not believe in those words, it would have no effect in our life. For we will find it hard to believe and difficult to accept.
That is why we need to examine ourselves, to see if we truly believe in the word of God. If we indeed believe in it , will we allow the word of God to be like a hammer in our hearts? But there is an aspect of this we must take note.
To Use The Hammer The Right Way
While the word of God is like a hammer, let us not use it to hammer everyone around us. For sculptors will tell us that hitting the stones in the wrong will will damage the stone
In a same way, if we use the hammer incorrectly, we will end up breaking and hurting everyone around us.
There was one personal experience that I would like to share.
There was once I bought durians from the night market in Brunei. While I have similar experience buying durians back at home in Singapore, the sellers would break the fruit before giving them to us. But in Brunei the durians are sold unopened. So my colleague and I tried to break open the fruit using a knife and hammer.
The process was very difficult and we end up hurting our hands and all we got is a small morsel of durian as our reward. We manage to break open 3 of the 5 fruit we purchase, and we threw away the last 2 as we are simply too exhausted trying to break the shell. It was later when the locals taught us that there is a weak point in the fruit where it could be penetrated easily with a knife.
Indeed the same principle applies whenever we use the word of God as a hammer. We cannot hammer the word of God into people without mercy. We need to find the right spot to use it effectively. Jesus had left us a good example when it comes to sharing the word of God.
The Example Of Jesus Preaching To The Samaritan Woman
We remember the story Of Jesus preaching to the Samaritan woman in John 4. Let us keep in mind a few facts regarding the story. The Samaritan woman is not a morally upright character. She had five husbands and the one whom she is living with is not her husband. From here we know that she did not care about ethics or the word of God.
A typical self righteous Christian response to people like that is to use the word of God like a hammer. We would most speak in a self righteous manner “Read the seventh Commandment! You are an adulterer, and you have 5 husbands.”
But are we preaching the words of God or are we unleashing our own wrath and frustration upon the victim? Perhaps some will say that they wanted to save her, but they cannot deny their urge to reprimand her.
Let us examine how Jesus approached the woman.
(Extracted from Jn 4:7-15)
Jesus : “Give Me a drink.”
Woman : “How is it that You, being a Jew,
ask a drink from me, a Samaritan
woman?”
Jesus : “If you knew the gift of God, and who
it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’
you would have asked Him, and He
would have given you living water.”
Woman : “Sir, You have nothing to draw with,
and the well is deep. Where then
do You get that living water?
Are You greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us the well, and drank from
it himself, as well as his sons and his
livestock?”
Jesus : “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst
again, but whoever drinks of the water
that I shall give him will never thirst. But
the water that I shall give him will become
in him a fountain of water springing up into
everlasting life.”
Woman : “Sir, give me this water, that I may not
thirst, nor come here to draw.”
It appears as if Jesus is talking about something unrelated to the gospel. But we know that Jesus was in fact sitting by the well waiting for her. Everyone else was out buying food. Jesus was waiting for the opportunity to speak to her alone. For if they were to talk about private matters in public the woman will walk away. Jesus waited here and he is demonstrating to us how to conduct personal evangelism.
When the woman came Jesus asked for water and it surprised the woman. For she asked “How is it that You, being a Jew,ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” Jesus went on to talk about the water from the well and the waters of life. When the woman is interested to receive the water, he proceeds to point out her sin.
(Extracted from Jn 4:16-18)
Jesus : “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
Woman : “I have no husband.”
Jesus : “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’
for you have had five husbands, and the
one whom you now have is not your husband;
in that you spoke truly.”
A conversation like this require skill. Istead of pointing out her sin directly, Jesus allows her to declare her own sin. When the woman said that she had no husband, Jesus told her the truth. If Jesus had pointed out her sin directly, she would have left on the spot.
Personal evangelism is sharing the word of God with our friends individually. That is why we need to learn this example from Jesus. How he moved from the waters of the well to the water of life. How he pointed out her sin and tell her that her sin could be forgiven.
If we continue reading that chapter we can see how Jesus moved from worshipping God in the temple to the importance of worshipping God in spirit and in truth.
The Result Of The Work Of Jesus
The result of the evangelistic work of Jesus can be seen clearly at the end of the chapter.
“The woman then left her waterpot,
went her way into the city, and said
to the men, “Come, see a Man who
told me all things that I ever did.
Could this be the Christ?”
Then they went out of the city and
came to Him.”- John(Jn 4:28-30)
The effort put in by Jesus resulted to many Samaritans believing in Jesus. From here we can see that the word of God is indeed like a hammer, but its effectiveness depends on whether we know how to use it correctly. Incorrect usage of the hammer will result to us breaking and hurting those around us.
That is why Peter reminds us
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts,
and always be ready to give a defense to
everyone who asks you a reason for the
hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; “ – Peter (1 Pet 3:15)
If someone were to ask us about our faith are we able to give our testimony immediately? But Peter tells us to be always ready to share our faith and defend it in a minute’s notice. If anyone were to ask us regarding the hope that is in us, we are expected to be able to reply with gentleness and meekness.
We need to understand our faith and we cannot afford to follow our religion blindly.
That is why Peter reminds us that the most important thing is to respect and sanctify God. At the same time we need to be ready with a defence, so that if anyone were to question our hope in Christ. We could give our answer in all meekness and fear, by following this we could lead a person to God.
This would result to the word of God saving him.
Conclusion
So far we have studied two of the metaphors used in the bible to describe the words of God. We know that the word of God is like a fire. It can bring us warmth and strength when we are tired and weary. It can give us hope whenever we feel down.
At the same time the word of God is like a hammer. It can break the hardheartedness of man and make them repent before God. But its effectiveness depends on how we use this hammer. If we speak with wisdom , humility and meekness, we can lead a person to God.
We need to remember that the word of God has the power to save us from sin and bring salvation to the hearers. Let us put in an effort to learn it.