WHAT DOES AN OLD BOOK CALLED THE BIBLE HAVE TO DO WITH ME? 

            One author has stated:[1] “One’s attitude toward the Word [The Bible] is a reflection of one’s attitude toward God. The place that the Word holds in one’s life is the place that God holds in one’s life!” Why would he say that? The Bible was written thousands of years ago. Sure, it has some good advice. But isn’t a lot of it just plain outdated? Can’t we really do without it?             Consider what God says in the Bible about the value of the Word in our lives. According to Him, we need the Word in order to:

Be truly alive: 

John 6:63 Jesus said: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” 

Matthew 4:4 “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”” 

Build us up and open us up to God’s grace: 

Acts 20:32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” 

Become holy people: 

Jesus prayed to the Father: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” 

Have God’s power working in us: 

Hebrews 4:12a “For the word of God is living and active.” 

1 Thessalonians 2:13 (AMP) “. . . when you received the message of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of mere men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe, exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it.” 

Have a close love relationship with Jesus: 

Luke 8:21 “He [Jesus] replied, ‘My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.’” 

Have the blessing of God in our lives: 

Luke 11:28 “He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’” 

Be rock solid in our faith: 

Matthew 7:24-25 Jesus said: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” 

            How can such an old book be so alive and powerful a force in our lives today? Because behind this Word is the Word, Jesus:  

John 1
1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2  He was with God in the beginning.
3  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
4  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
5  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6  There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.
7  He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.
8  He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9  The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10  He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
11  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
12  Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
13  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
14  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15  John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'"
16  From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
17  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

Revelation 19
11  I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.
12  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.
13  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
14  The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
15  Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
16  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 

            Clearly then, as important as the written Word of God is, it is not the whole Word of God. Jesus is the whole Word of God. He is the source of all truth (John 14:6): “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.’” Those who say that God only speaks through the written Word are wrong. God speaks to us as individuals in many ways: through nature, circumstances, preaching and teaching (those sermons and lessons that hit home), and in a still small voice within our hearts, to name a few. But the Bible is one of the richest sources we have of God’s truth.
            We have noted some of the things the Word can do in our lives. However, one important point needs to be made. Some Christians mistakenly believe that reading and studying the Bible in order to know a lot about what it says is what changes their lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible is very clear that you can know the Word in this way without it having any effect at all in your life. James 2:19 says: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.” No, it isn’t the facts we need to look for in the Word. It is God’s Word to us personally (remember, the truth is a person, not a fact). Let’s look at an example.
            You are reading through the book of Galatians. You learn that the Galatians had a problem with understanding the gospel, you read Paul’s explanation of the gospel, you see Paul telling Peter that Peter was wrong to not eat with the Gentile believers, you read an explanation of how Abraham understood that the life of God’s people is a life of faith and how Sarah and Hagar are examples of life lived under the law and life lived under grace - all good information. Then you read Galatians 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Suddenly your heart leaps because you realize that circumstances in your life are so bad right now that you feel totally trapped - about as far away from free as you can be. All your pain rises up, and you wonder how this Scripture could possible apply to you. This is the truth you have been reading for. The rest of it is good to know, and God will use it at some point in your life. But for right now, the important truth is “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” At this point, it would be good to stop reading and to listen to your heart to see if God has anything more to say. If you can’t hear any more, it might be a good idea to engage Him in conversation about the fact that you are not living life as a free person and why is that when you are a Christian. However it goes from here on in, you have heard God speak a truth that will change your life. You have read the written Word and, out of it, have heard the living Word. It is this living Word that is the power for God in your life. 

Peter and Sharon Currens