The Living, Active, Word Of God

Last updated on: January 18, 2019 at 5:00 am by Jack Wellman

The Living, Active, Word Of God 2019-01-14T12:52:12-06:00 Jack Wellman

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God’s Word has power, and I think you’ll better understand that power after reading about the living, active Word of God.

The Word Convicts

Some people tell me that they have a gift of discernment, and that they can tell when someone’s lying or if something’s not right, and maybe they do, but no human alive can discern the human heart like the Word of God can. The author of Hebrews tells us that “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” (4:12-13). The Word of God exposes the wickedness of our hearts, which Jeremiah described as “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jer 17:9), but God wants us to see our own wickedness (Rom 3:10-12, 23) so we’ll run to the cross. Only God can give us a new heart and create a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), however, the Word is alive and active and works to expose what we don’t see. It cuts us down to the joints and marrow, or where we live, and in God’s sight, we’re all “naked and exposed” before the One to whom we’ll give an account.

The Word Sanctifies

The Word of God cuts us to the heart, but it doesn’t cut in order to hurt, rather it cuts like the surgeon’s scalpel…cutting in order to heal. And the Word of God is intended to sanctify us, as Jesus says in John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” The word “sanctify” means to make holy or set apart for holy use, and God’s intention for every believer is to live a life that is pleasing to Him. The Apostle Paul told Timothy that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17), so the Word has the power to make us complete and equip us for every good work sovereign assigned to us by God (Matt 25:35-36, 28:18-20; Eph 2:10). The Word may need to correct us, to reprove us, and to teach us, but remember, God’s desire is for us to live a life of holiness, and the Word of God can help us, along with the Spirit of God. This doesn’t mean we’ll reach a state of sinless perfection in this life because that’s not possible this side of the kingdom, but there should be a tendency toward sinning less over time, even though sinless-ness is not yet possible. Even so, God’s Word can help the sanctification process in us.

The Word’s Power

I hear people say that they can’t witness for Christ because they’re terrified, but don’t they realize that the gospel doesn’t depend upon human ability but upon the power of God. Paul tells us, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16). If we are too shy to ever share Christ, then we are ashamed of the gospel, and that’s not good, for to be ashamed of the gospel is to be ashamed of Christ and His words (Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26). Maybe we should understand that it’s not up to us to save anyone. It’s up to God’s Spirit and God’s Word, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18). It is the power of salvation for those who believe, so trust God and share Christ. He can use the weakest witness from the shiest person to save anyone. Here’s why. It takes the Spirit of God with the Word of God to birth the children of God, and all for the glory of God. God’s Word has power. Trust it. Unleash it, and let it do what God sends it out to do. Isaiah wrote: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11). The power doesn’t depend on the person. The power is in God’s Word and in His Spirit. Let it loose and it will not return void.

The Enduring Word

Most of the false cults have had their so-called “inspired” books changed over time, being revised as often as a new generation is born, but the Word of God changes not…just like God. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matt 24:35). “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Even though these words were written thousands of years ago, here they are, still being uttered 2,000 years later, and will be into all eternity. John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1), so will God’s Word will abide forever. The benefits of the enduring Word are a well-lit path where we’re less likely to stumble (Psalm 119:105).

Conclusion

Jesus told the sinister minister, Satan that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4). Satan doesn’t live by “every word of God,” but loves to take every other word or words out of context. He and his ministers use verses as “proof texts” by taking texts out of context for false pretexts. That’s why we need the whole counsel or the whole Word of God in book, chapter, and paragraph to grasp the context. The Apostle Peter told Jesus, “You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68), and the “words of eternal life” are found in Scripture. The Word of God convicts us, sanctifies, us, and has God’s power in it, which means it will endure forever. I hope you enjoyed reading about the benefits of God’s Word, and if you have, may I suggest you share this with someone you know, and why not do it right now?

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is a writer at Christian Quotes and also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

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