| Chapter
5
_______________________
THE WORD OF GOD
The
Bible is the written form of Gods word to us.
It
is the key to finding out who God is and more about
Him.
It
is a communication channel from God to man.
God's
first communication with man was with Adam and Eve in
the Garden of Eden.
God
gave His Word to Israel in written form:
It
is called the Pentateuch. Moses recorded and gave the
Israelites Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy,
the first five books of the Bible.
Romans
3:1-2
"What
advantage then hath the Jew? Or what profit is there
of circumcision?
Much
every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed
the oracles of God."
The
word "oracle" means "Divine Words."
These
Divine Words are perfect, sure and wise.
Psalm
19:7
"The
law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple."
The
Bible, Gods inspired Word gives man understanding:
Job
32:8
"The
inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding."
Holy
Men received the inspired Word from God.
2
Peter 1:21
"But
holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost."
God
spoke through His anointed Servants. One by one the
thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and the twenty-
seven books of the New Testament were written, totaling
sixty-six books.
This
written form of the Bible is known as the Holy Scriptures.
Jesus
said that scripture cannot be broken.
John
10:35
>"Unto
whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot
be broken;"
Every
scripture in the Bible is important and cannot be discarded,
because all scripture, is given by God.
2
Timothy 3:16
"All
scripture is given by inspiration of God."
The
original writings of the Bible were written on papyrus
or animal skins and do not exist today. There are three
ancient copies today.
The three most ancient copies are
Codex
Sinaiticus,
Codex
Alexandrinus
Codex
Vaticanus.
The
Codex Sinaiticus and Alexandrinus are in the British
Museum and the Codex Vaticanus is in the Vatican in
Rome. In many different ways, the authenticity of the
Bible has been verified. Copies of parts of the original
manuscripts have been found in different places and
they agree perfectly, although the writers had absolutely
no contact with each other. Thousands of writings and
personal letters between people have been discovered.
They make reference to scriptures and when pieced together,
form the whole Bible and are identical to the three
Ancient Copies.
The
King James Bible.
In
1611, King James the First appointed forty-seven scholars
to translate the Ancient Copies of the Bible into English.
This resulted in the King James Bible version. There
are various other modern translations of the Bible today
but the King James Bible stands out as the most accepted
true interpretation.
For
bible study or doctrines many believe that it is the
best version to use other than the original Greek and
Hebrew texts.
As
you hold a Bible in your hand you hold Gods inspired
Word.
It
is God speaking to you!
I
trust that you appreciate and value this magnificent
Book.
I
challenge you to read and enjoy the Bible and if you
don't have one, get a copy today.
Treat
every page with due respect and reverence. Never allow
it to become a dust collector on a forgotten bookshelf.
There
are two aspects of Gods Word:
1.
The Word of God is Logos.
2.
The Word of God is Rhema.
1. Gods Word as Logos.
John
1:14
"And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us."
Here the word "Word" is the Greek word "Logos" and means the given,
written Word of God. This Word was made flesh in the
person of Jesus Christ the Son of God. He was the very
alphabet of the Bible.
Jesus
said this of Himself:
Revelation
1:11
"I
am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:"
The
alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the
Greek alphabet.
Jesus
is therefore every letter, of every word of Gods Word
and therefore the Bible comes to life in the person
of Jesus.
This
Word of God becomes an active force within us:
1
Thessalonians 3:13
"The
word of God, which effectually worketh also in you."
It
is the basis of three wonderful blessings:
a.
Gods Word causes our spiritual rebirth.
1
Peter 1:23
"Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,
by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."
b.
Gods Word brings truth to us.
John
17:17
"Thy
word is truth."
c.
Gods Word is our Light.
Psalm
119:105
"Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
2. Gods Word as Rhema.
Ephesians
6:17
"And
take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"
The
Greek word here for Word is "Rhema". It means "the spoken
Word of God."
Revelation
1:16
"And
out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword:"
The
Spoken Word that went out of Jesus mouth was a twoedged
sword and was Rhema.
The
Logos within our hearts when spoken out of our mouths
becomes Rhema.
Hebrews
4:12
"For
the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper
than any twoedged sword."
This
Rhema Word of God:
a.
Is a Powerful Force.
Isaiah
55:11
"So
shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it
shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper
in the thing whereto I sent it."
b.
Will never pass away.
Matthew
24:35
"Heaven
and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass
away."
c.
Is forever settled in Heaven.
Psalm
119:89
"For
ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven."
Gods
spoken Word is everlasting and unchangeable.
The
Word of God affects us in ten different ways:
1. It is truth to us.
When
it reaches our hearts, it dispels all ignorance and
confusion.
Psalm
119:140
"The
entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding
unto the simple."
2. It causes us to have faith in God.
Romans
10:17
"So
then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word
of God."
As
we read Gods Word, faith is stimulated within us. It
rises up causing us to trust and depend upon God for
whatever need we may have.
The
Logos in us then becomes Rhema and we speak it out in
faith saying:
God
is my salvation.
God
is my healer.
God
is my supply.
God
is my victory.
It causes
us to experience life and health.
Proverbs
4:20-22
"My
son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
For
they are life unto those that find them, and health
to all their flesh."
Psalms
107:20
"He
sent his word, and healed them."
4. It is spiritual food and nourishment to us.
1
Peter 2:2
"As
newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,
that ye may grow thereby:"
Matthew
4:4
"But
he answered and said, it is written, Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out
of the mouth of God."
We
are therefore nourished spiritually:
-
By the pure milk of the Word.
-
By the satisfying bread of the Word.
5. Gods Word is hidden in our hearts.
Psalm
119:11
"Thy
word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin
against thee."
As we hear or read Gods Word, it is processed deep within the area of our Soul
and Spirit. The presence of the Word within us counteracts
all sin coming against us. This Word within us is the
Sword of the Spirit that we use in spiritual
battle, against the devil and the kingdom of darkness.
1
John 2:14
"The
word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the
wicked one."
6. Gods Word keeps us from the destroyer.
Psalm
17:4
"By
the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of
the destroyer."
7. The Word of God is our mirror.
James
1:23
For
if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is
like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
As
we read the Bible we see ourselves as we are and as
we should be.
It
is like looking in a mirror. We discover what needs
to be changed, we experience change and continue in
that blessing.
8. Gods Word cleanses and refreshes us.
Ephesians
5:26
"That
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of
water by the Word."
John
15:3
"Now
ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto
you."
As
we read or hear the scriptures of the Bible, they are
assimilated into our mind, and they pass through the
chambers of our observation, reason, imagination, memory,
emotion, will and spirit. They have a cleansing and
refreshing effect upon our entire inner being.
9. The Word contains all of Gods promises.
2
Peter 1:4
"Whereby
are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises:
that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature."
These
are promises of:
Power.
Holiness.
Righteousness.
Health.
Blessing.
Prosperity.
Joy.
Peace.
Through
Gods Word we partake of these promises.
10.
Gods Word contains all the Doctrines we need.
2
Timothy 3:16
"All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine."
It
is through the Bible that we receive instruction in
all the teachings of God. By these teachings we know
what God requires us to do. God tells us what He has
done for us and what He will do for us. These teachings
cover every aspect of every subject we need to know
while we are here on earth.
Nothing
may be added to the Word of God.
>Revelation
22:18
"For
I testify ... If any man shall add unto these things,
God shall add unto him the plagues that are written
in this book."
The
Word of God has special significance for the end-time
Martyrs.
They
will overcome the dragon and the antichrist by the Word
of God.
It is therefore now a most important timeto read and study the Bible.
Revelation
12:11
"And
they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives
unto the death."
Here
are four helpful suggestions:
1. Read the Bible.
If
you can't read, have someone read it to you, or get
the Bible in audio form and listen to it. Enjoy one
chapter a day. Start at the beginning of the New Testament
with the book of Matthew.
2. Meditate the scriptures you read.
David
loved thinking about Gods Word day and night.
Psalm
1:2
"But
his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law
doth he meditate day and night."
To
meditate means to think about something over and over again.
When you read the Bible early in the morning, you can
meditate and think about the scriptures you have read,
throughout the day. While you lay on your bed at night
you can meditate the Scriptures you have read.
Memorize
the scriptures.
Psalm
119:11
"Thy
word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin
against thee."
By
memorizing the Scriptures of the Bible, we hide them
in our heart. At any given moment you will be able recall
to memory a scripture and apply it to any situation
or need you may find yourself in. Try to memorize all
the promises of God.
4. Study the Word of God.
2
Timothy 2:15
"Study
to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
I
encourage you to use every possible method or technology
you can to study the Bible and its Doctrines.
Appreciate
the fact that the Most High God has communicated with
you through His Word, revealing everything you need
to know.
|
