Description of the Holy Bible – Part 28
The Word of God cont.
(4) Furthermore, everything that Jesus spoke was the word of God, for He is, after all, God (John 1:1,18; 10:30; 1 John 5:20). Luke, the writer of the third Gospel, states explicitly that when people heard Jesus, they heard the word of God (Luke 5:1). Note how in contrast to the OT prophets, who usually began with some form of “Thus saith the LORD,” Jesus introduced His sayings with “I say unto you …” (e.g., Mat 5:18,20,22,32,39; 11:22,24; Mark 9:1; 10:15; Luke 10:12; 12:4; John 5:19; 6:26; 8:34). In other words, He had divine authority within Himself to speak the word of God. So important is it to listen to Jesus’ words that He himself says, “He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation” (John 5:24).
Indeed, Jesus is so closely identified with the word of God that He is actually called “the Word” (John 1:1, 14; 1 John 1:1; Rev 19:13-16)
(5) The Word of God is the written record of what the prophets, apostles and Jesus have spoken—i.e., the Scriptures. In the NT, whether a writer used phrases such as “Moses said,” “David said,” “the Holy Spirit/Ghost says,” or “God says” made no difference (see Acts 3:22; 4:25; Rom 10:5, 19; Heb 3:7; 4:7). What was written in the Bible was the Word of God.
(6) Though not on the same level of authority as Scripture itself, the spoken proclamation by preachers or prophets in the church today may be called the word of God. (a) Peter indicated that what his readers received through the preaching of the word was the word of God (1 Pet 1:25), and Paul instructed Timothy to “preach the Word” (2 Tim 4:2). Such preaching must never stand independent of the written Word of God, however. In fact, the test to determine whether God’s word is being proclaimed in a sermon or message is whether it corresponds to God’s written Word. (b) What about a person who receives a prophecy or revelation in a worship setting (1 Cor 14:26-32)? Is he or she receiving the word of God? The answer to this question is a qualified “Yes.” Paul asserts that such messages are subject to public evaluation by other believers. Thus, it is possible that such prophecies may not be the word of God (see 1 Cor 14:29). Only in a secondary sense can we speak of prophets today speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The revelation of a prophet today must never be elevated to the point of inerrancy (see 1 Cor 14:3)
The Power of the Word of God. The word of God stands firm in the heavens (Ps 119:89; Is 40:8; 1 Pet 1:24-25). Yet, it is not a static word; it is dynamic and powerful (cf. Heb 4:12), and it accomplishes great things (Is 55:11). (1) The word of God is the creative word. According to the creation account, things came into being when God spoke His word (e.g., Gen 1:3-4,6-7,9). This process is summarised by the psalmist, who wrote, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made” (Ps 33:6; cf. v. 9), and by the writer to Hebrews, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God” (Heb 11:3; cf. 2 Pet 3:5). Note that according to John, the Word that God used to create all things was Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3). (2) The word of God also has the power to sustain creation.
Email:mercyolumide2004@yahoo.co.uk www.thebiblicalwomanhood.com Mobile: +234 803 344 6614; +234 808 123 7987
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