Christians are people who submit themselves underneath the authority of the Word of God. It is important to note that the "word of God" is more than the King James Bible, red letter edition. First, a distinction must be made between the word of God as the speech of God and the Word of God as the person of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word.
In at least two instances, the Bible speaks of the Divine Son of God as "the Word of God". Revelation 19:13 gives the title, "the Word of God" to the rider on the white horse. The Word of God, who is also called Faithful and True, is the one who will exercise God's wrath (v. 15) and rule the nations as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This, of course, is Jesus.
The other instance of the Word of God referring to the person of Jesus occurs in the famous prologue to John's gospel, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (1:1). The second member of the Trinity is given this title, for he uniquely communicates the character and will of God to his people.
The other instance of the Word of God referring to the person of Jesus occurs in the famous prologue to John's gospel, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (1:1). The second member of the Trinity is given this title, for he uniquely communicates the character and will of God to his people.
More commonly though, the word of God is used to refer to the speech of God. Biblically, the word of God is used to speak of God's speech to us in four ways:
- God's decrees. "A decree of God," Grudem says, "is a word of God that causes something to happen" (Grudem 48). By the word of God-- that is, God's spoke command-- the created order came into being. "Let there be light..." (Genesis 1:3).
- God's address. God speaks directly to a person(s), in a way that is clear, understandable, and demands obedience. God is not chatty, speaking idle or unnecessary words. By the words of God's personal address, individuals are called to participate in the work and life of God. "And God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me'" (Exodus 20:1-3). Other examples are Genesis 2:16-17, Genesis 3:16-19, and Matthew 3:17.
- The word of God communicated through his human agents. The office of prophet in Scripture carries with it the responsibility to speak the words given to him by God with absolute precision. People in Israel, and people today for that matter, are not free to give added force to their opinions by saying, "Thus saith the LORD..." God threatens punishment on those who misrepresent him (Ezekiel 13:1-7 and Deuteronomy 18:20-22). This is because he has chosen to speak through human prophets and when some falsely claim to speak for God, they obscure the testimony of those who truthfully speak the words he has commanded. Such messengers messengers are Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 1:7), Moses (Exodus 4:12), Samuel (1 Samuel 15:3), and Isaiah (Isaiah 30:12-14).
- The word of God is also written. The first instance of this is when God wrote for Moses the tables of the law in Exodus 31:18 (see also Exodus 32:16; 34:1, 28). Later, Moses copied this law, the commands (or words) of God writing it down for the priests (Deuteronomy 31:9-13), Joshua (Joshua 24:26), Isaiah (Isaiah 30:8), and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 30:2) are also commanded to write down the words of the LORD. In the New Testament, according to Jesus' promise, the disciples, by the help of the Holy Spirit, would remember the words Jesus said to them. According to Paul, his words to the Corinthians are "a command of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 14:37).
The word of God spoken to human beings demands absolute obedience. It opposes apathy, indifference, and compromise. The only appropriate response is obedience. For this reason, the author of Hebrews says, that if we hear the word of God, we should not oppose it, but immediately recognize his power, we should submit in humble obedience.
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:12–13).
What is your response this day to the Word of God?
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