What Exactly Is the Word of God?
His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. (Rev 19:12-13, ESV2011)
What do you think of when you hear someone says, “the word of God?” Or they hold up a Bible for all to see at the same time, leaving you no doubt. Yes, the Bible is the word of God, but the Bible in itself alone is as dead as the extinct dodo bird. There is more to the Word than that, MUCH more! Consider this important passage,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4, ESV2011)
To hear some Bible preachers you would think that John wrote, “In the beginning was the Bible and the Bible was with God, and the Bible was God.” No, Jesus was in the very beginning of creation and He will continue to the very end. As for the Bible as we know it, it did not come into its prominence until after the invention of the Gutenberg press where it could be printed in mass and made available to all believers. Various great men–to whom we will be forever indebted–translated the Bible into their own languages. Some of them paid for their efforts with their lives.
Many of us have found out the hard way that the Bible can be deadly in the hands of manipulative teachers and preachers who emphasize their interpretations (and self importance) more than the need of believers to yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit as their Teacher. Paul addressed this very thing.
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming [out] from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2Cor 3:5-6, ESV2011)
In the early 70’s when we were part of “the Jesus Movement,” before long we fell under the influence of a man with much personal charisma who taught us from the Bible. After all, he knew the Bible better than any of us, so naturally we submitted to his teaching. We eventually became his slaves, obeying his every word and desire. Eventually, what Paul said became true. Without the Spirit abiding in our teachers and within us as we read the scriptures, we became “all men most miserable.” What started out with us being led of the Spirit became controlling and demonic under the thumb of a man. What Jesus said of the Jewish leaders became true in our lives as well.
The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. (Matt 23:2-4, ESV2011)
To the unbelieving Jews He said,
And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:37-40, ESV2011)
As I was sharing these thoughts with another believer regarding the work of the Spirit they told me how John chapter 16 had come alive like never before so I decided to read it once again. Low and behold, Jesus’ words fit right in with what I have been sharing.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13-15, ESV2011)
Dear saints, don’t put your trust in everyone who quotes the scriptures especially when they say one thing and do another. Remember these words of Jesus,
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matt 23:8-12, ESV2011)
Without Jesus alive within us by His Spirit, even as we search the scriptures, we will find no Life. This is not His will for He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Remember, abundant life in the eye of God does not consist of the things of this world, but rather the ones that are of His kingdom.
T. Austin- Sparks wrote:
“There is a heavenly background to everything in the Word of God, and it is that heavenly background which constitutes revelation that you and I need to know. If we are only seeing the things on the surface, then we have but an earthly thing after all, and that has been the trouble with God’s people all along. The great mass of Christian people today are not brought up on the language of the Holy Ghost in the Word of God. They are brought up on what so-and-so says. The things that are written in this Book have back of them something which cannot be seen, only as the Holy Spirit illumines it. Back of all things said, there is a spiritual reality and meaning for which we need a spiritual faculty. This Book can be an absolutely closed Book, though you may read it through and through, unless the Spirit of God illumines. But once the Spirit of God begins to illumine, this Book lives, it lives from end to end.” (1)
(1) https://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/spiritual_background_of_the_word_of_god_the.html
A Wilderness Voice 
I was glad to see you published a blog post once again, Michael. And a very good one at that! 🙂 It appears you were “pregnant” with the Word of God since your last post was published in November 2024, a bit more than nine months ago. 😉
As I learned recently, the Targum which translates and interprets the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh) into the Aramaic language for Jewish people uses in Genesis, chapter 1 for “God created…”, “God said…” etc. “the memra of the Lord” instead of God.
Memra means “the Word” of God. As Christians we know that Genesis ch. 1, John ch. 1 and Revelations ch. 1 (like Rev 19:13 you mentioned) refer to the Christ as the Eternal Word of God. Another confirmation we find in Paul’s letter to the Colossians where he wrote,
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col 1:15-17 ESV)
Wow! Christ is even Jehova, sitting on God’s throne as the prophet Isaiah sees in his vision (Is 6:1): I just found the confirmation of this Christian view in the Jewish Encyclopedia, too. It reads,
—In the Targum:
In the Targum the Memra figures constantly as the manifestation of the divinepower [sic], or as God’s messenger in place of God Himself, wherever the predicate is not in conformity with the dignity or the spirituality of the Deity.
Mediatorship.
“Like the Shekinah (comp. Targ. Num. xxiii. 21), the Memra is accordingly the manifestation of God. “The Memra brings Israel nigh unto God and sits on His throne receiving the prayers of Israel” (Targ. Yer. to Deut. iv. 7).
https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10618-memra
We can be deceived easily when we do not know the Bible at all. But the Bible alone cannot save us and will not give us life like you said. If someone has his knowledge about God only in their head, he can sound biblical. However, head knowledge alone is not enough. We must look at their spiritual fruit like love, peace, joy, patience, gentleness etc. as well. When the words and works contradict (like you wrote), then there is most probably no Holy Spirit indwelling the man or the woman yet because our God came into the flesh in order to give us HIS life, i.e., His spiritual fruit. And He does that by speaking into and transforming our very hearts. Jesus said,
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (Jn 6:63 ESV)
I could go on writing for hours, Michael, since your article is sooo inspiring. Thanks for sharing!
Your sister Susanne in Christ
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Susanne, thank you for your input. It is sad that these Jews speak of Israel only as the beneficiary of all that Christ is.
Or did I miss something? This was the very problem that Paul had to confront throughout his ministry. Even the leaders of the Jerusalem church had to be corrected and to come to see that IN Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek (Gentile), bond nor free, male nor female, but a NEW creation. All of us who are called by His Spirit are God’s chosen people!
Even the prophets warned them saying,
“In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the LORD who does this. (Amos 9:11-12, ESV2011)
I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by my name. (Isa 65:1, ESV2011)
And he [Jesus] was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” (Mark 11:17, ESV2011)
You wrote,
Yes, and He is also the Spirit of Truth through whom comes our Light and Life. Thank you for your comment and insight, dear sister.
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It seems you might have misunderstood me here, Michael. My point was not so much about God’s chosen people in the New Covenant – of course, I agree with you on this. I only wanted to make clear that Christ, sitting on God’s throne (Is 6) has been the Eternal Word of God which even the Jews recognize. They call Him a manifestation of God, and the mediator between God and man. And the Eternal Son of God is our mediator, for Jews and Gentiles just the same. He met Abraham in human form just like Jakob (later called Israel). We often read about the Angel of the Lord appearing to man in the OT stories. Messianic Jews believe it is the Messiah (Christ).
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Thanks for clearing that up, Susanne. I guess I might over react when I see anything that I take as making them “God’s chosen people.”
“For God so loved THE WORLD, that he gave his only Son, that WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV2011) We who believe IN Him are ALL His chosen ones.
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Amen to that, Michael. And you are welcome.
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Very good word that you shared Michael, the Spirit of truth, the Anointing, Christ in me says Amen! Good to see you posting again, the Lord Jesus bless you.
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Jim, thanks so much for your encouraging words, “Christ in me says Amen!” Yes! How could I ever write about our need for the Spirits leading and Christ as our Word without having the Spirit’s anointing? Thank you, Jesus, for this confirmation. And thank you again to all you who have written in response to this missive.
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Michael, Thank you so much for emphasizing this important truth. I am also reminded of the verse where Jesus tells the Pharisees, “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; a deep these are they which testify of me. But you are not willing to come to me that you may have life.”
I remember coming across a treatise by William Law from, I think the 1600’s (I think i found it on your site) wherein he talked about bibliolatry. What an important truth.
Ch7c Faupel
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Chuck, thanks for the reminder about William Law’s book, “An Humble, Earnest and Affectionate Address to the Clergy.” Yes, we published it on our website after revising it make it more understandable in modern English without altering the profound truth which it contains which is so needed among Christians today. Of this book Andrew Murray wrote,
For those who are serious about their walk IN Christ it can be found here:
http://awildernessvoice.com/AddressClergy.html
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