What is the Living Word…

1. What is the livingWord…? – 15th
June 2016
“Whenanyonehears the message aboutthe kingdomanddoes not understandit,the evil one comes
and snatchesaway whatwas sown intheir heart”( Matthew 13:19).
Whenone referstothe “ livingword”we as Christianswe learnfromHebrews4thattellsusthat the
wordof God isalive andactive. We can geta deeperunderstandingwhenwe read Hebrews4:12, “For
the word of Godis aliveand active. Sharperthan any double-edgedsword,itpenetrates even to
dividingsoul andspirit,jointsandmarrow; it judges the thoughtsandattitudes of the heart”. The
“word of God” here isthe writtenorspokenWord.The descriptionof the Bible as“living”meansthatit
has a vital powerinherenttoitself.
We can learnthat the writtenWordof God accomplishesGod’spurposes.We cangeta deepmeaning
whenwe read Isaiah55:10 - 11,” As the rainand the snow come downfrom heaven, anddo not return
to it withoutwatering the earth andmakingit bud andflourish,sothat it yieldsseed forthe sower
and breadfor the eater, 11
so ismy word that goes out from my mouth:It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplishwhatI desire and achievethe purposefor whichI sent it”. It statesthat the
preachingof the HolyScripturesbringsaboutGod’sdesiredeffects.The Bible isunlike otherbooks,
whateveremotional orsocial effectstheymayproduce,inthatitbringsaboutlasting,supernatural
change withinaperson. Because we can learnfrom Romans10:17 “Consequently,faithcomesfrom
hearingthe message,and the messageis heard throughthe word aboutChrist.”
We can learnwhen Jesuslikenedthe Wordof Godto seedinHis parable of the sowerthat we can read
inMatthew 13:1–23. Seed,like the Bible,isnotdead simplybecauseitisnot physically active aswe
knowit. Itis living,andithasthe abilitytobringforthmore life abundantly. Whenafarmerplants
seeds,they produce acrop: “But the seed fallingongoodsoil refers to someonewho hears the word
and understandsit.This is the one who producesa crop, yieldinga hundred,sixtyor thirty times what
was sown.” (Matthew13:23).
The Bible,asthe livingWordof God,is notinertor powerless,asseeninthe actionsattributedtothe
Word inthe restof Hebrews4:12 as statedabove, the Bible isactive andlivingbecause it “penetrates”
deepwithinusand“judges”ourheartsand motivations. We canfool othersbutnot our ownselves
because we knowourownactions.The bible helpstoopenourmindsto whatwe like tokeephidden
due to the wrongful deedsandresultingsin.Therefore tothe Christianbeliever,the Bibleis “active,”
and notpassive. If a Christian resistsorignores the teachingfoundinthe Bible,will be forourownperil
as we can learnfrom Hebrews 2:1–3, “Wemust pay the most careful attention,therefore, to what we
have heard, sothat we do not driftaway. 2
Forsince the messagespoken throughangelswas binding,
and every violationanddisobediencereceived its justpunishment, 3
howshall we escape ifwe ignore
so great a salvation?Thissalvation,whichwasfirst announcedbythe Lord, wasconfirmedto usby
those who heard him”.
We can learnof the livingWordof God inactionin the Bible. One similarincidentiswhathappenedon
the Day of Pentecost.Three thousand ormore people were savedthatday. Later,as the apostles

2. continuedtopreach,the numberinthe church grew to five thousand,because “manyof those whohad
heardthe word believed”aswe can learnfrom Acts 4:4, “Butmany who heard the message believed;
so the number of men whobelieved grew to about fivethousand”. AsChristianswe mustlearnthat
God’sWord, islivingandactive, anddoesnot returnto Himvoid…aresultcan be expectedalways!
The Bible isthe livingWordof God because itis the message giventousfromthe “livingGod” as we
readin Hebrews 3:12,” See to it, brothers andsisters, that none ofyou has a sinful,unbelievingheart
that turns awayfrom the livingGod”.The God whoisalive worksinthisworld throughHislivingWord
inconjunctionwiththe HolySpirit aswe learnfrom Ephesians6:17, “Take the helmet of salvationand
the sword of the Spirit,which isthe word ofGod”.Jesusspokeof the life-givingpropertyof Hiswords as
statedby Jesusthatwe can read in John 6:63, “The Spiritgives life;the fleshcountsfor nothing.The
words I have spokento you—theyare full ofthe Spirit[a]
and life”.The wordof our Lord isfor our
salvationandsanctification.We canlearnthisfrom Acts 13:48, “Whenthe Gentilesheardthis, they
were gladand honoredthe word of the Lord; and all who were appointedforeternal life believed” and
alsofrom John17:17, “Sanctifythemby[a]
the truth; your word istruth”.
The livingWordis active inthe livesof those whoreceive it.Accordingtothe psalmist,the personwho
meditatesonanddelightsinthe Wordwill be “like atree plantedbystreamsof water,whichyieldsits
fruitinseasonand whose leaf doesnotwither” We canlearnfrom Psalm1:2–3, “…but whose delightis
in the law ofthe LORD,and who meditateson hislaw day andnight. 3
That person is like a tree planted
by streams of water, whichyieldsits fruit inseason andwhose leafdoes not wither—whateverthey
do prospers”.
In the worldtoday Scriptures isoftendownplayedinfavorof manmade philosophies,personal
experiences,or“a new word”from God as theymayclaim.But as Christiansourfaithandbelief needto
steadfastlyremainwiththe BIBLEASTHE word of God because itis powerful andverymuchalive.“We
alsohave the propheticmessage assomethingcompletelyreliable,andyouwill dowell topayattention
to it,as to a lightshininginadark place,until the daydawnsandthe morningstarrisesinyour hearts”
(2 Peter 1:19).