| The Christian Life | November 1943 |
The Power of Words
“So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”—Isaiah 55:11
WORDS are the conveyors of thoughts, and thought is the basis of all intelligent action. Words, therefore, are powerful, in that they induce action along the lines of the thoughts which they convey. God’s words are powerful for the accomplishment of His good purposes in the hearts and lives of His people.
Evil words, contrary to the plan and Spirit of God, are also powerful in the lives of those who yield to their influence. Those who have consecrated themselves to do God’s will, as expressed by His words, need to be constantly on guard against the counter-influences of evil words and messages which daily seek to intrude themselves upon their minds to draw them away from God and from co-operating with Him in His plans.
Our text tells us that God’s Word is as certain to be fulfilled as the natural processes of earth are productive and that it will accomplish what He pleases. This, of course, is a reference to the manner in which God carries out His plan pertaining to the salvation of the human race, in so far as it has to do with the mental co-operation of those who participate in it. The exercise of physical power in the outworking of the divine plan is in accordance with God’s Word, and not apart from it. By obeying God’s Word and thus co-operating with Him, His Word is being fulfilled in us as His workmanship.—Ephesians 2:10
The physical power of God cannot be resisted. It is this power that created and governs the universe. It is this power that produces and maintains life. The power of God’s words can, however, be resisted by His intelligent creatures, for one of His own laws by which He is governed forbids the coercion of the mind of any of His creatures. He is interested only in the devotion of those who obey Him willingly; that is, those who “make up their own minds” to be guided by His words rather than by the words of another, or by their own desires.
In Isaiah 51:16 we are given a more definite statement of what it is that God accomplishes by the power of His words. We quote: “And I have put My words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of Mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art My people.” Obviously this is not a reference to the planting of the literal heavens nor to laying the foundations of the literal earth, for this had been accomplished long before these words were written. The reference is to the “new heavens and new earth” which God promised to create.
Isaiah 65:17-25 presents a definite divine promise to create a new heavens and new earth, and the passage shows very clearly that it does not concern a new planetary system, nor a new planet earth, but rather a new governmental arrangement for the blessing of the human race upon the earth already created. In II Peter 3:13, the apostle reminds us of this promise and explains that righteousness will characterize the new Kingdom when it is established.
In Revelation 21:1-4—the Book which specializes in visions of things previously prophesied and promised—John says that he saw the new heavens and new earth. Like Isaiah, John also associates the new Jerusalem with the new heavens; and also like Isaiah, John sees radical changes upon this earth, even to the destruction of disease and death. While Isaiah indicates that those who die at a hundred years of age will be mere infants, and their death will be because they continue to be sinners, John sees the picture developed still further, even to the point where “there shall be no more death.”
That these promised new heavens and new earth, therefore, are in reality the Kingdom of Christ there can be no doubt—the “heavens” being the spiritual, or heavenly phase of that Kingdom, and the “earth,” the material, or earthly phase. Those who serve in either phase of that Kingdom will have the privilege and honor of doing so only because they have obeyed the words of God and thereby have been prepared for the position which they will occupy.
Paul’s Vision
In II Corinthians 12:1-4, the apostle tells us of a wonderful vision in which he was caught down the stream of time to when the new heavens and new earth were established. He speaks of the new heavens as the “third” heavens, and the new earth as “paradise.” He explains that in connection with this vision he heard unspeakable “words” which were not lawful for a man to utter. It seems reasonable to suppose that these “words” are the very ones by which God plants the new heavens and lays the foundations of the new earth.
To Paul they were at the time unspeakable swords, not lawful to be uttered verbatim; yet who can doubt that they greatly influenced the nature of his ministry, enabling him to put a depth of meaning into what he wrote and spoke which otherwise would have been impossible. It was probably because of this that the Apostle Peter, in telling us of God’s promise of the new heavens, observes that in Paul’s epistles there are some things “hard to be understood.”—II Peter 3:16
Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians is one in which he reveals considerable concerning the “planting” of the “heavens.” And it is noteworthy that in this lesson the apostle stresses the power of the swords of God in the lives of those who are endeavoring to qualify for joint-heirship with Christ in the “heavenlies.” When we try to contemplate something of what is involved in such a high calling, our faith might be inclined to stagger at the thought that we could ever attain to such a glory, but the apostle assures us that it is all by grace, and is the “gift of God.”
“We are His workmanship,” the apostle explains, “created in Christ Jesus.” It is not coincidence that Paul here uses the sword “created” in referring to the work God is accomplishing in the lives of Christians. He, no doubt, had in mind God’s promise to “create” a new heavens, and in this epistle he tells us about this; first that Christ was highly exalted to be the chief one in the “heavenlies”, and that the church, who by faith dwells with Him in the heavenlies now, will finally be exalted with Him. Thus are we “created in Christ Jesus.”
Christ’s Position in the Heavenlies
Note Paul’s reference in Ephesians 1:20 to Christ’s exalted position in the “heavenlies.” (The word “places” in the English text does not appear in the Greek.) Verse 21 explains that this high exaltation has to do with rulership and authority; that Christ had been exalted above all present spiritual authority, whether good or evil; and is seated at the right hand of the Heavenly Father. These “principalities and powers” are later referred to in this epistle, where Paul shows them to be battling against Christians to prevent their attaining joint-heirship with Christ in the heavenlies.—Ephesians 6:12
But how did Jesus attain to such an exalted position? Did the words of God have anything to do with it? Let us go back to the time when Jesus entered upon His earthly ministry. We are told that while He prayed “the heaven” was opened to Him. (Luke 3:21) Luke doesn’t inform us concerning the nature of the Master’s prayer on this occasion, but the Apostle Paul (Hebrews 10:6,7) writing under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, does. It. was the expression of Christ’s consecration to do His Heavenly Father’s will—the plan which had been outlined for Him in the “volume of the book,” that is, the Old Testament Scriptures.
In keeping with our text, this was simply a yielding on the part of Jesus to the influence of the words of God in His life. These words were to accomplish great things for Him because of His obedience to them. He conformed His whole life to their requirements, and through obedience to them, even at the cost of great suffering, He was “made perfect.” That is, through obedience to the words of God, Jesus was prepared for the highly exalted position in the divine plan which was mapped out for Him.
And what was that position? It was to be the chief one in the premised “new heavens”—the spiritual phase of the Messianic Kingdom. It was at the time of His presenting Himself to fulfill the words of God that the “heavens were opened unto Him.” (Matthew 3:16) From then on He began to see a depth of meaning in the written words of God which hitherto He had not fully discerned. God reveals His secrets—His hidden truths—only to those who are sincerely determined to do them. (Deuteronomy 29:29) The heavens were opened to Jesus because the Father, who could read His heart, knew that He was sincere in His declaration, “Lo I come to DO Thy will.” Let no one suppose that they can enjoy a knowledge of the deep things of God unless they are prepared to do the will of God revealed therein!
It was at this point, also, in the Master’s life that the heavenly way was opened up to Him. He now began that three and one—half year journey which ended in His actual exaltation to the right hand of God in the “heavenlies.” Not only were spiritual truths pertaining to the plan of God made plain to Him, because of His consecration to do the will of God, but by His resolute determination to submit to the molding influences of God’s words, His place in the new heavens became accessible to Him. The words of God therefore, were the means of guiding the Master in His holy conversation and godliness that began the planting of the heavens.
Seated With Him
But the work of planting the heavens did not cease with the exaltation of Jesus, the words of God not yet having accomplished their full purpose along this line. In John 17:14-19, Jesus explains that He had given the words of God to His disciples in order that they, like Himself, might be sanctified, or set apart to do the will of God, by yielding to their influence. Prior to Pentecost, the words of God were not wholly available to the church. Jesus said to His disciples that there were many things which they could not then understand, but that when the Spirit of truth would come, it would guide them into all truth.—John 16:12,13
The point is that the words of God—those enlightening, guiding, comforting and molding words—which prepared Jesus for heavenly glory, were intended by the Heavenly Father to continue on their mission of planting the heavens until the body members of the church, also, were, like their Head, prepared by them for their place in the “new heavens.” Can we hope, therefore, to attain joint-heirship with the Master upon any other condition than full obedience to those words?
And how clear the apostle makes this for us. Ephesians 1:3 reads, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ.” In chapter 2:6 we are told that it is our privilege to be seated with Christ in the “heavenlies.” What wondrous grace divine is thus revealed! Chapter 1:9 declares that God has made known unto us the mystery of His will, “according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself.”
Yes, by means of His words, God has made known unto us His wondrous plan, and the place to which we are invited in that plan, and has made His will plain to us that we may do it. If we obey His words, and are thus conformed to His will, they become a power in our lives which will ultimately lead to glory, honor and immortality. In any case, God’s words will not return unto Him void. As our text declares, they will accomplish that which He pleases. What an incentive to faithfulness it should be to realize that His good pleasure will be accomplished in us, if we obey His swords fully. But it is possible to receive the grace of God in vain, in which case His good pleasure will be accomplished in the life of another whom He will choose to take our place.
The Joy’s of Faith
When the apostle asserts that it is our privilege even now to be seated with Christ in the heavenlies, He doesn’t mean that the church in the flesh is now exalted and reigning with Christ. We may compare this thought with Colossians 3:1, where the apostle says, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” This doesn’t mean that Christians have already participated in the “first resurrection,” and are actually living with Christ. Being seated with Christ in the heavenlies, and being risen with Him, are expressions by which Paul is seeking to explain the joys of faith and hope which belong to Christians even while still actually in the flesh.
Before we came into this blessed relationship with Christ we were, as the apostle explains, “dead in trespasses and sins.” We “walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:1,2) In other words, we were a part of the devil’s world, yielding ourselves in obedience to the one who is chief in the present “heavens”—the “prince and power of the air.” But now, being translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son, all our hopes, aims and ambitions are centered there, and to Him we render obedience.
We are no longer interested in, nor working for, any part of Satan’s world. We know that a new world is soon to be established, and that Christ will be the new spiritual King in that world, and if faithful to our calling we will reign with Him. Because our hearts are centered in this hope, therefore, we are said to be seated with Christ in the heavenlies, but actual exaltation to that high position depends upon our being faithful to the words of God, “even unto death.”
How God’s Words Reach Us
Jesus promised the disciples that the Spirit of truth would come and guide them into all truth. But it would be erroneous to suppose that since Pentecost, when this promise was fulfilled, God has miraculously spoken to each follower of the Master, or revealed His will to them independently. In the fourth chapter of Ephesians, Paul explains the manner in which the words of God are made available to the church, that it is through apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. He also explains that all the body members have the privilege of speaking the truth in love, that they may grow up into Christ in all things.
Thus Paul outlines the very practical manner in which the words of God are made known to each member of the church, and our obedience to His words includes recognition of this arrangement and a humble co-operative action therewith. God has His own way about everything, even to the method by which His words are imparted to His people. He will not depart from that way to accommodate us by conforming to our ways.
When Saul of Tarsus was struck down on the Damascus road, and inquired what the Lord would have him to do, he was told to go into the city and there it would be told him what to do. Paul obeyed, and the Lord sent a humble servant, Ananias, to present the words of God to him. Had Paul insisted on getting this information direct from the Lord, rather than through one of His servants, would he not have proved himself unworthy of the high position which he later occupied?
First among the divinely appointed human messengers to the church are the prophets and apostles. The Old Testament prophets were used to record miraculously the words of God, but these words were not available—in the sense of being understandable—for the guidance of the church until Pentecost. They constituted the guiding star of Jesus’ ministry because He was given the Holy Spirit without measure, which enabled Him to understand the meaning of what had been written.
Jesus not only was thus able to comprehend the meaning of the words of God which had been recorded for His instruction, but in His full obedience to them, He furnished a perfect example for the guidance of His followers as they endeavor to obey the same instructions. And then, at Pentecost, came another revealing dispensation of the Holy Spirit, this time upon the apostles, enabling them to recall and properly interpret the words of God as given to them by Jesus, and illuminating their minds also concerning the meaning of the Old Testament writings.
Thus we see how wonderfully complete has been God’s provision of inspired servants for the church, the chiefest of whom is Jesus Himself. There is no need for further miraculous revelations of truth, and those who look for them, or who base their hopes upon special visions or revelations which they imagine the Lord has given to them or to their friends, are surely making a mistake which will lead them away from God rather than closer to Him.
Other Servants Necessary
But we are not to make the mistake of supposing that the inspired servants of the church are all we need. The words of Jesus, the prophets and apostles are indeed the only inspired authority in the church, and their testimony must be the end of all controversy in the lives of those who are fully consecrated to do God’s will; but we do need additional help—not inspired help, but help to understand the inspired messages, In other words, the Bible itself, despite its position of authority in the church, is supplemented by other aids which the. Christian needs.
The reason we are so sure of this is because the apostle enumerates as “gifts” of God to the church, other servants besides those who are inspired—that is, pastors, teachers, and evangelists. Certainly the church needs every provision God has made for the edifying of its members, Any consecrated follower of the Master would be displaying a self-sufficient attitude to insist that he doesn’t need all of God’s gracious provisions for the church.
And who are these other servants of the church? The second and third chapters of Revelation mention seven of them, calling them angels, or messengers to the seven churches. These seven churches seem clearly to depict seven stages in the church’s development, reaching from the beginning to the end of the age. Apparently each of these stages of the church has been blessed by God in that He has furnished a special messenger for the period.
The glorious light of truth now shining upon the sacred pages of the Bible reached the church through the seventh messenger, who is identified further in Matthew 24:45 as “that servant” whom the Lord, when He returned, would use to serve “meat in due season” to the household of faith. Howl much of rich spiritual blessings thousands of the Lord’s people would have failed to enjoy, had they rejected the words of the Lord that were given through this specially used servant of God! Not that this servant or other uninspired servants of the church brings things to light that are not already in the Bible, but because God uses them to call attention to His inspired words as they are specially needed by His consecrated people.
Ecclesia Servants
The Lord’s further arrangement for the church is that each local group or ecclesia (Greek), should appoint, by a stretching forth of the hand, its own servants, called elders and deacons. These also have their part in helping to make God’s words available for His people. To ignore these servants, or to say that we do not need them, is to resist the will of God and to say that our own ways are better than His.
Besides those specially appointed to serve in the church, every consecrated Christian should be a channel through which the words of God may reach and bless other consecrated lives. In this we all have a share and are made responsible for the use of whatever opportunities may be within our reach. It is for this reason that we are admonished to meet together for mutual encouragement and help. The words that we need most to hear may not come to us from the lips of an eloquent speaker in the church, but from the halting, stammering tongue of an obscure saint of God, seeping to give praise to Him for His boundless grace.
Let us remember that the words of God, in order to have the fullest power in our lives, must be spoken. It was not by chance that God said, “I have put My words in thy mouth, … that I may plant the heavens.” (Isaiah 51:16) True, God’s words must also be in our hearts, but in this particular text He is emphasizing the basis upon which His words are powerful in the accomplishing of His good purpose to create a new heavens and a new earth; and He would have us remember that the secret of the power contained in those words is that they be spoken, that is communicated from one to another.
It is not enough that we merely hear the words of God, for the hearing of them only, will accomplish little. We must be doers, also. There must not only be an inflow of the message into our hearts, but also an outflow through our lips, if God’s words are to work the transformation in our lives intended. If there is not both an inflow and outflow of God’s words, the message in us will become largely sterile and ineffective so far as being a creative power in our lives.
And while we are to appreciate all the various servants God has ordained to minister to us in the church, we are not to overlook the nature of their ministry. There are pastors, teachers and evangelists. All of these are for the edification of the church. Some may be inclined to think that an evangelistic ministry is exclusively for gaining adherents, but seemingly the apostle doesn’t limit it to that purpose alone, for he includes it in the work of developing and perfecting the saints. In this connection see Ephesians 4:11,12
The work of Christ and the church in the next age will be to evangelize the world, and the Lord wants us to maintain the spirit of evangelism in our hearts now. It is through evangelistic efforts that the first contact is made with those who become consecrated members of the body of Christ. Thus evangelism is for the building up of the church. But even though the last member of the body of Christ had been reached by the words of God, evangelistic efforts would be necessary for maintaining a healthy spiritual condition in the hearts of the consecrated.
When use lose interest in evangelism, we lose sight of the great unselfish purpose of God to enlighten and bless the world; and when we lose sight of this we cease to grow into His image and likeness of love. Instead, we become self-centered and egotistical. Conscious of the fact that we understand the Bible better than many, we forget that we enjoy this blessing only by God’s grace, and, as a result, begin to think that we are better than others. This condition does not develop all at once, nor do those who are thus overreached by it recognize their ailment. They may decide that those who are unselfishly devoting their lives to bless others with the truth are wrong, and that they, in their attitude of self-satisfied seclusion, are right.
Let us, dear brethren, be on guard against such a selfish attitude. Let us remember that if God’s words are to continue working in our lives to prepare us for a position with Christ in the new heavens, we must speak those swords ourselves, not only to fellow-members of the body of Christ, but to others as well.