It would be impossible to list the comments of the men and women throughout history — and even those reading this blog — who claim that the Bible has had a dramatic, life-changing effect on their lives.
We’re talking kings, presidents, supreme court justices, historians, reformers, educators, lawyers, military leaders, soldiers, housewives, carpenters, blue collar workers and white collar workers all attest to the fact that the Bible has transformed their very lives.
Which brings me to the fourth guiding principle when it comes to the doctrine of Scripture.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE #4
God’s Word has the POWER to
CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
Think about it… Millions of men, women and children attend churches around this planet where the Bible is taught week after week.
I wonder how many would make the trip if those churches were studying the latest book selection from Oprah’s Book Club? Or maybe, Shakespeare’s Hamlet? Or maybe, Malcolm Gladwell’s newest book? I don’t think people would show up…
But churches around this planet are packed Sunday after Sunday where this book is opened and taught. And, hundreds of thousands of individuals testify to the fact that this book has produced radical and dramatic changes in their marriages, finances, relationships, actions and attitudes! A lot of people would go on record and say, this book has changed their lives!!!
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest
two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.
It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
—Hebrews 4:12 NLT
Do you get what the writer of Hebrews is saying?
The Word of God is alive or living. Reading it brings you into a personal encounter with the living God who inspired it!
Theologian John Frame describes it like this: “When we encounter the word of God, we encounter God… Whenever God’s Word is spoken, read or heard, God Himself is there.“[1]
The Word of God is powerful. The word means “full of energy” or “effective.” It doesn’t just say things. It does things! It’s constantly active, working, building, challenging, exposing, convicting, encouraging, affirming, activating and changing both us and our circumstances! Isaiah 55:11 describes it like this:
…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
—Isaiah 55:11 NIV
God’s Word is “sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword.” It’s like a surgeon’s scalpel. It is razor sharp and knows the spiritual “cancer” cells that can completely take me out. But, when I read, listen to, meditate on the word of God, His Word cuts away anything and everything in me that could sabotage or stunt my faith.
When we read the Bible, it reads us! It opens us up. It searches us in the deepest way possible revealing our heart, attitudes, inclinations and motivations. Sometimes it comforts us. And, sometimes it convicts us. Both are critical!
A.W. Tozer nailed it when he wrote:
“I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach
our Bible with the idea that it is not only a book which was once spoken,
but a book which is now speaking.”
—A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
2 Timothy 3:16 describes God’s Word like this:
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
—2 Timothy 3:16 NLT
God’s Word teaches us how to THINK. It teaches us TRUTH – absolute,
authoritative TRUTH… It helps us realize the inconsistencies and idiosyncrasies that are in our lives and in this world. The Message says, “…it exposes our rebellion…” It straightens us out when we get bent out of shape.
I love the promise contained in Psalm 19:7.
The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.
—Ps 19:7 MSG
I love the way Psalm 119:129-130 reads in The Message.
Every word you give me is a miracle word—how could I help but obey?
Break open your words, let the light shine out,
let ordinary people see the meaning.
—Psalm 119:129-130 MSG
I read God’s Word every day, not because I’m spiritual, but because I’m desperate! And, “every word He gives me is a miracle word…”
One of the best stories in the Bible of humility before the authority of God’s Word comes right out of the life of one of my favorite characters in the Old Testament, a king named Josiah.
Josiah was only eight years old when he was crowned king.
Imagine that… His entire culture and frame of reference was pagan. His family of origin was an absolute mess… As far as we know, Josiah didn’t have a single godly influence in his immediate family. His grandfather was corrupt. His Dad was corrupt, and when he was only eight year old, his Dad was murdered. That’s a lot of baggage for an eight-year-old boy to carry.
In his day, the law of God had been lost – it had literally been LOST for decades. But 2 Kings 22 tells the story of the day when the LOST SCROLL was discovered and brought before King Josiah. He was twenty-six years old. This would be a DEFINING MOMENT in his life.
The Bible says that when Josiah heard the Word of God – when he heard of God’s holiness and the promises of blessing and judgement God had given to His people – Josiah TORE HIS ROYAL ROBES. In ancient times, to tear your robes was a symbol of DEEP ANGUISH and GRIEF. For a KING to tear His robes was an ACT OF HUMILIATION.
It was as if the King was saying, “My position and my role don’t mean anything…
”This was a statement of repentance and humility before the authority of God. In that single act Josiah was basically saying, “You are God! You are right. I am wrong.”
Josiah tore his robes and wept. He let the Word of God REFORM Him. When he ripped his robes he was saying, “I’m the one who needs to change…”
God was watching and God said, “Because you humbled yourself, because you were penitent… Because you wept… I have heard you…” (2 Kings 22:18-20)
God honors those who revere and respect Him and His Word. Those who treat His Word as more than mere words on a page, but as the Holy, God-breathed, powerful, authoritative Word of God Almighty get His attention!
My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine. I, the Lord, have spoken! “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.”
—Isaiah 66:2 NLT
Tomorrow we’ll conclude our STORY: Doctrine of Scripture series of posts with the fifth guiding principle.
[1] John Frame, The Doctrine of the Word of God, p 88 quoted by Michael Kruger, Hebrews For You, Kindle Edition, p 61.