The Word of God
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Why do we read the Word?
- To know Him. This is Eternal Life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent (John 17.3)
- many know about God, and even claim to know Him, but it’s another thing altogether to actually know Him personally.
- To hear Him - we learn to hear His voice in His own words
- The Holy Spirit is the author of Holy Scripture
- His words are Spirit and Life (John 6.63)
- Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (Rom. 10:17)
- To become like Him
- Sanctify them in your Truth; Your Word is truth (John 17.17)
- that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word…(Eph. 5.26)
How we do approach the Word?
If you love Him, you will love His Words
I rejoice at Your word, As one who finds much spoil. (Psalm 119:162)
like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, (1 Pet. 2:2)
Learning His Word is learning His ways
I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. (Psalm 119:99)
do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)
Studying His Word equips us to serve
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you (1 Pet. 3:15)
How does the Bride make herself ready?
Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. (Rev. 19:7)
that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. (Eph. 5:26-27)
How much do I love God?
“Your attitude toward God’s Word is your attitude toward God Himself. You do not love God more than You love His Word. You do not obey God more than you obey His Word. You do not honor God more than you honor His Word. You do not have more room in your heart and life for God than you have for His Word.” ~ Derek Prince, Foundational Truths for Christian Living
“I’ve been to visit many beautiful places in my life, yet nothing compares to the beauty found in knowing God through His Word. I don’t know how much I can trust someone’s claim of a deep relationship with the Lord if they have no relationship with Scripture. The two are inseparable.” ~ Anastasia Fomenko, Director KMSM
- Not legalism
- Not condemnation
- Examine yourself. 2 Cor. 13.5 ESV
Am I too busy
Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)
- we can be so busy serving God, that we neglect sitting at His feet and hearing His Words
- remember the warning to the Ephesian church in Rev. 2.2-5 ESV
How do we know that the Scriptures are the Word of God?
“The Scriptures manifest themselves to be the Word of God, by their majesty and purity; by the consent of all the parts, and the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God; by their light and power to convince and convert sinners, to comfort and build up believers unto salvation: but the Spirit of God bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in the heart of man, is alone able fully to persuade it that they are the very Word of God.”
~ Westminster Larger Catechism
Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 16:17).
Technical Terms
Hermeneutics
- from Greek ἑρμηνεία - “to help someone understand a subject or matter by making it plain, explain, interpret”
Example:
to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.(1 Cor. 12:10)
Exegesis
- from Greek Εξήγησις - “to detail, to set forth in language; to tell, narrate, recount, to make known, reveal”
- Literally, “to lead the meaning out of the text”
- opposite of Εισήγησις (eisegesis) - “to read the meaning into the text
Example:
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained / interpreted Him. (John 1:18)
Context: the first principle of sound hermeneutics
What happens when Scriptures are taken out of context? Example:
he went away and hanged himself. (Matt. 27:5)
Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.” (Luke 10:37)
- If you take the ‘text’ out of ‘context’ what do you have left? A con.
You are what you eat
- GIGO = “garbage in, garbage out”
- JIJO = “JESUS in, JESUS out”
- What you feed more will become stronger.
- What you feed less will become weaker.
- Sow to the Spirit, not to the flesh.
Gems from the Mine!
ἐνεργής (energēs)
Ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐνεργὴς καὶ τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword
- from preposition ἐν “in” + verb ἐνεργέω “be at work, be active, operate, be effective”
- to be active and effectively operating in something, as the Word of God is living, and ἐνεργής (active and effectively operating) in us: piercing, dividing, and discerning.
- from which we get our English word ‘energy’
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