The Word of God

Recently I was reading Immeasurably More, by Casandra Martin, the book we are using in my Ladies Bible class.  I came across this quote: "In God's immeasurably more, we live by a different standard.  A standard is a measuring tool. It is an authority or principle by which we test what is true.  The standard becomes our model and pattern." My first thought was, "Yes, our standard is the Bible." Then I read a few lines down. "Our standard is Jesus." The more I studied, the more I realized that we were saying the same thing.  Jesus IS the Word of God. (John 1:1-14). 

Every book in the Bible points to Jesus. In the Old Testament we can see Jesus in prophecies and foreshadowed in the lives of the characters.  The book of Genesis is a good example of a book that has both.  The first prophecy about Jesus is seen in Genesis 3:15.  God speaking to Satan says "And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed ; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."  Jesus is the seed of Eve, and he defeated Satan (bruised his head) when he rose from the grave.  Jesus was also typified in Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 7) as a high priest.  (For a good chart listing how every book of the Bible points to Jesus, visit http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/jesus66books.htm)

Not only does every book of the Bible point to Jesus, but the qualities of the "word of God" match the qualities of Jesus in every respect. 

• The word of God is creative (Psalm 33:6).  When He spoke, his words caused the world to come into being.  John echoes this perfectly when he says that "all things came into being through him [Jesus]" (John 1:3).  

• God speaks to his children through his Word.  In the Old Testament, when the word of the Lord came to someone, God revealed part of his plan.  For example, in Genesis 15, the word of the Lord came to Abram, telling him that he would have a son and be the father of many nations. Sometimes, the Lord spoke to his prophets who would then preach his Word to everyone else. According to Hebrews 1:1-2, Jesus fills that role now. God speaks to us through His son, the Word of God.

• The Word of God is life.  "He said to them, 'Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life'"(Deuteronomy 32:46-47).  Jesus gives us life too.  John says by believing in him, we can have life in his name. (John 20:31) 

• The Word of God requires a proper response from us.  It is to be obeyed (Deuteronomy 27:10), praised (Psalm 56) and proclaimed (Deuteronomy 32).  Jesus requires the same response. Obedience to his gospel is required for those who want to enter the kingdom of heaven (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8).  During his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he told the Pharisees that if his disciples did not praise him, the very rocks would (Luke 19:37-40). The very last command that Jesus gave his disciples before ascending back into heaven was to proclaim the good news of his gospel to all the world (Matthew 28:18-20).

Every command given to us in the Bible can be summarized in the phrase: Be more like Jesus.  Love one another, because Jesus loves us. Pray without ceasing; we have many examples of Jesus keeping an open line to the father.  Serve one another; Jesus washed his disciples feet as an example to us.  Paul summarized it well in Philippians 2:1-8:

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Several times on this blog, we have talked about going back to Jesus.  If there is a Biblical concept that is hard to understand, go back to Jesus.  If you aren't sure how to grow the fruit of the Spirit, look at how Jesus displayed it.  There's a reason we follow this hermeneutic (method of interpretation).  Jesus and the Bible are inextricably bound; you can't have one without the other.

Melissa

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright(c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.