More Than A Book
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 4:12-14, ESV)
I love the Bible. The more I read it, study it, meditate upon it, and open my spirit to it, the more aware I am of its power to affect change in my life. Most important, the more time I spend in it, the more I realize that the primary purpose of scripture is, in the words of Galatians 4:19, to form Christ in me. Romans 8:29 tells us that God’s purpose in the lives of His people is to conform them to the image of His Son.
For those of you who have read my book, Masterpiece in the Making, you know I emphasize that spiritual maturity does not take place in a vacuum. We must actively trust God through the rough and tumble of everyday life. Thus the subtitle of the book - Life Lessons for Spiritual Growth.
But make no mistake about it - God’s Word is essential to our lives being formed into the image of Jesus. The problem is that so many Christians short circuit the process of Christian maturity in their lives because they mistake the Bible itself for the Word of God.
The Word of God is not a book.
Stay with me. I am in no way disparaging the Bible. And yes, I’m aware of verses like Psalm 119:11, which says, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you,” and the verse in Hebrews 4:12 above, which refers to the word of God as living and active.
But it is the Bible itself which reveals what, or I should say, who, is ultimately the Word of God.
John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:14 declares that “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
I want you to read carefully the words of Hebrews 4:12-14 posted above. Notice that the Word of God in this passage is a person - “no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Italics mine)
As we understand the Word of God as God’s person, God’s being, seen most clearly through Jesus, we will begin to see our time in scripture as more than knowledge to be gained, principles to be learned, or directions to be followed. Scripture becomes the place where we meet with God, the staging area that carries us to God.
As we take the time to do more than just read it, but also to reflect on it; asking questions about it, even putting ourselves in the place of the people and circumstances we read about, the Living Word, that is Jesus, begins moving through His Spirit in our hearts and lives. We don’t have to look anxiously for a word from God. As we spend time in scripture, God’s Word, His personal Word, will be revealed to us. Most important in some mystical and unexplainable way, Christ begins to be formed in our spirits, his presence growing more and more real in our lives.
I’ve written about the danger of the obsession with right doctrine by many in the church today. Bible knowledge that becomes the end and not the means to the end becomes Bibliolatry; that is, worship of the Bible rather than the God of the Bible. But as we begin to understand the Word of God as the person and presence of Jesus Himself, we are able to engage in and experience genuine spiritual growth. Best of all, our time reading the Bible is never seen as a duty to perform but a passion that burns deep in the very center of our being, a passion for the presence of Jesus in our hearts and lives.
In Christ,
Dan
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