| Christian Life and Doctrine | February 1966 |
God’s Word in Our Lives
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”—Isaiah 55:8-11
THE power of words is well known, and it is well to recognize the manner in which the Word of God works in our lives as Christians, and the full degree to which the good pleasure of the Lord is thereby accomplished. Paul wrote, “The Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing assunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”—Heb. 4:12
The ancient people of God did not possess his complete Word as we enjoy it today, although the words of the Lord reached them in sufficient measure to accomplish his purpose. It was “at sundry times and in divers manners” that God spoke to his prophets, and much of what he said to them, or caused them to record, was not specially for their benefit but for ours upon whom the end of the age has come. (Heb. 1:1; I Cor. 10:11) Referring to the prophets, Peter wrote “that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven.”—I Pet. 1:12
Again Peter wrote, “The Word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.” (I Pet. 1:25) The Word of God, then, is the Gospel message. Paul explains that the Gospel was preached to Abraham. It was the good news that through the seed of Abraham all the families of the earth are to be blessed. There are many ramifications of this good news; in fact so many that in the outworking of his plan God caused the prophets, the apostles, and our Lord Jesus to touch upon and emphasize its various facets.
It required many hundreds of years for the entire Word of God, or the Bible, as we call it today, to be provided for the Lord’s people of the Gospel Age. In the Lord’s providences all of his important utterances to his ancient people have been preserved and recorded. To the extent that historical events of the world, and especially of the Lord’s people, are important to help us understand God’s purposes, these also have been recorded.
Work of the Holy Spirit
While we speak of The Book of Isaiah, The Book of Daniel, or The Book of Matthew, actually God directed the writing of these portions of his Word, so to all intents and purposes they all can be said to be his books. He did this by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the holy power of God which he exercises in the accomplishment of any and all of his purposes. It is beyond our finite minds to understand just how the power of God guided the writings of the Old Testament prophets. It is not necessary that we understand this. However, it is important to know and to believe that when we read the Bible we are reading the thoughts of God as he has caused his various servants to record them.
Since the Old Testament writers did not understand much of what they wrote, we could properly say that the Holy Spirit directed their writings in a mechanical manner. The Holy Spirit also operated to assure the accuracy of the historical portions of the Bible. However, those ancient servants of God did appreciate in part the messages they recorded for the benefit of spiritual Israel of the Gospel Age. David, for example, having been a shepherd, must have understood the lesson contained in those wonderful words, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”—Ps. 23:1
Beginning with the coming of Jesus, the ministry of the Holy Spirit as it pertained to the Word of God was one of revealment, rather than merely a mechanical operation. This is indicated in the Heavenly Father’s dealings with his beloved Son Jesus. It was at the river Jordan, when Jesus was thirty years of age, that the Holy Spirit came upon him, and we are told that at that time “the heavens” were opened to him.—Matt. 3:16
This suggests a revealing to him of heavenly, or spiritual, things; the truths, that is, pertaining to the plans and purposes of his Heavenly Father. It was at this point in his life that Jesus presented himself in consecration to his Father, fulfilling the prophecy concerning him recorded by the Psalmist, which reads, “Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” (Ps. 40:7,8) This translation is not too clear. The thought seems to be that Jesus, in this prayer of dedication, said to his Father that he had come to do all that had been written of him in the volume of the book, that is, the Old Testament.
Having presented himself to the Heavenly Father, agreeing to do his will as foretold in the Old Testament Scriptures, the meaning of what had been written was then revealed to Jesus. This seems to be what is indicated by the “Heavens” being opened to him. This does not imply that instantly all the truths of the Old Testament were revealed to Jesus. It does mean that from then on, as he recalled the various things written by the prophets, he would understand them, and that they would serve to guide him as he laid down his life in sacrifice that the world might live.
To His Disciples
On every suitable occasion throughout the three and one-half years of his ministry, Jesus presented to his disciples the great truths which had been revealed to him. But much of what he said was quite beyond their ability to understand, because they had not yet received the Holy Spirit. They even refused to believe that he would be arrested and put to death as he said he would be. This is particularly significant, for one of the important truths set forth in the Old Testament was that the Messiah would suffer and die for the sins of the people. It shows that the disciples understood these truths little better than those who recorded them, until they received the Holy Spirit.
Jesus realized the difficulties his disciples had in understanding his teachings, and on the night before he was crucified he said to them, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.”—John 16:12-14
Earlier, in another promise of the Holy Spirit, Jesus explained that it would teach the disciples all things, and bring “all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26) While it was true that the disciples did not understand much of what Jesus said to them, these truths were, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, later remembered, and their meaning grasped. Thus Jesus prepared the minds of his disciples for the subsequent revelation to them of the plans and purposes of God.
Pentecost
It was at Pentecost that Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled on behalf of his disciples. And what a wonderful change that made in their ability to understand the divine plan! We recall the zealous manner in which Peter opposed the idea of Jesus’ being put to death. To him this would be completely out of harmony with God’s will for the Master. He believed that Jesus was the Messiah, and how could a dead Messiah accomplish all the wonderful things which had been foretold in the Old Testament concerning him?
But with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter saw things differently. In his pentecostal sermon, asserting that Jesus had been raised from the dead, Peter quoted one of the prophecies relating to both the death and resurrection of the Lord. (Acts 2:24-28) This and other prophecies of Jesus’ death had always been in the Old Testament, but Peter had been blind to their meaning until he received the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. Here, then, the revealing ministry of the holy power of God began with the followers of Jesus, even as it had with the Master himself at the river Jordan.
For Jesus and his apostles the Holy Spirit became not only a revealing power, but an inspirational one also. That is to say, the teachings of Jesus and of the apostles are inspired, and therefore can be accepted as the absolute Word of God, the truth, as it relates to his great plan of the ages. This is also true of the Old Testament writers, the difference being that they did not necessarily understand what they wrote, whereas the teachings of Jesus and the apostles were understood by them.
The Inspired Bible
Briefly we have reviewed the manner in which the inspired words of God were brought together for his people of the Gospel Age in a composite whole which we call the Bible. To us the writings of the Old Testament and the New Testament are of equal importance, for they all contribute toward the Lord’s purpose of instructing and encouraging his people—the people whom he is preparing to be the spiritual rulers in the forthcoming messianic kingdom. And we can be certain that God’s Word will not return unto him void; that it will accomplish his design, and will prosper in the things whereto he sent it.
Since the Holy Spirit had such a major role in producing the written Word of God, the work of the Lord in the lives of his people is often accredited to this powerful and holy influence. But this work of the Holy Spirit should be understood as being accomplished largely through the written Word. And what is the work of God in the lives of his people during the present age? One of the ways in which the Bible answers this question is by the number of expressions it employs in referring to the work of the Holy Spirit. According to the Bible, we are “begotten,” “anointed,” and “sealed” by the Holy Spirit. We are also informed that the Spirit bears “witness” to us that we are the children of God.—Rom. 8:14-17
The word “begotten” suggests the beginning of a new life. Actually the Bible does not use the expression, “begotten of the Spirit,” but it does speak of our being begotten by the Word of truth, which means the same thing. (James 1:18; I Pet. 1:22,23) In the Greek language from which our English-language Bible is translated, there is but one word for both begotten and born, and one needs to determine from the context which meaning is indicated. This has led to misunderstanding in that many suppose it is possible to be a “born again” Christian, as the expression goes, while still in the flesh.
Jesus did say that it was necessary to be born again in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven; but in his explanation of the great change this would involve, he said that those who are born again can come and go as the wind, invisible to human eye. (John 3:3-8) Clearly this is a description of the power of a spirit being; and the followers of the Master are, in the resurrection, to be partakers of the highest of all spiritual life, even of the divine nature itself.—II Pet. 1:4
The beginning of this new life takes place while we are still in the flesh, and it is this beginning that the Scriptures refer to as the begetting of the Spirit, through the Word of truth. God, through his Spirit, draws us to himself by revealing to us some of the glories of the divine plan. We read in the Scriptures of the hope set before those who surrender themselves to him to do his will. We learn that God’s will is that we deny self, and take up our cross and follow Jesus into sacrificial death. (Matt. 16:24) We learn of God’s many assurances of guidance and strength in every time of need, and of the wonderful provision he has made through Christ to cover our imperfections with a robe of righteousness, even the righteousness of Christ.—Isa. 61:10
Continuing to meditate upon these precious truths as they come to us through the Word of God, we are finally brought to the point of full consecration, or the full surrender of ourselves to God, and to the doing of his will. It is at this point that we are begotten of the Spirit. Now the precious promises pertaining to “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” belong to us. (Phil. 3:14) We now realize that we have become “partakers of the heavenly calling.” (Heb. 3:1) All the wonderful statements in God’s Word appertaining thereto begin to work powerfully in our lives, causing us to grow into maturity as new creatures in Christ Jesus. Thus, through the Word, we are begotten, and our new minds are nourished in preparation for Spirit birth in the resurrection.
The Anointing
The Scriptures also speak of our being “anointed.” Jesus mentioned his own anointing, quoting from Isaiah 61:1-3. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” Jesus quoted, “because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor.” (Luke 4:17-21) John wrote of “the anointing which ye have received” from Christ. (I John 2:27) So we have the same anointing of the Spirit as that which came upon Jesus.
The kings and priests of ancient Israel were anointed to office by the use of anointing oil which was poured upon their heads. The Scriptures use this custom as an illustration of the fact that we are “anointed” by the Holy Spirit to a high position in the plans and purposes of God. This authority is expressed through the Word of God. The prophecy quoted by Jesus is a case in point: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because he hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” (Isa. 61:1) Over and over again the Scriptures declare that it is the will of God for his people to proclaim the glad tidings of the kingdom. Each text that bears on this point confirms the anointing which we have received from the Lord. We know that in this respect, also, God’s Word accomplishes the purpose for which it was given. This anointing is not limited in its scope to the present life. Jesus was anointed not only to proclaim the glad tidings, but also, through the agencies of his kingdom, to extend God’s promised blessings to all mankind; and we are anointed to share with him in this work, This is the complete and ultimate purpose of our calling. We are called of God not merely to enjoy the blessings of salvation for ourselves, but to participate in the outworking of his plan for restoring the world of mankind to life during “the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”—Acts 3:19-21
Sealed by the Spirit
In Ephesians 1:13 we read that we are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples, and he did so at Pentecost. Paul could be referring to this. It is also true that the Holy Spirit has caused promise after promise to be recorded in the Bible by which God “seals,” or guarantees, our relationship with him, and assures us of the necessary strength to complete our sacrificial walk in the narrow way victoriously unto the end. And how essential it is that we have this blessed assurance! Without it we would probably become discouraged, and cease to run for the prize of the high calling. God realized that we would need this portion of his Word, and by furnishing it supplied another reason it will not return unto him void, but will accomplish that which he has been pleased to plan.
Witness of the Spirit
Paul wrote, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: … if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Rom. 8:16-18) Peter wrote that the Holy Spirit “testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” (I Pet. 1:11) The Spirit-inspired prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the sufferings of Christ had their fulfillment in him, and are continuing to be fulfilled through his followers; for, as Paul wrote, we “fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ.”—Col. 1:24
Participation in the sufferings of Christ is thus seen to be a very important factor in the Christian life. If, through our faithfulness to the Lord and his truth, we are called upon to endure suffering, either through persecution or otherwise, then we can rejoice, for it means that we have this witness, this evidence, that we are the children of God. Truly this should be a great source of strength and encouragement to those who are being prepared to live and to reign with Christ!
How wonderful, indeed, is the Word of God! Jesus prayed for his disciples, saying, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth.” (John 17:17) Peter wrote concerning this same work of sanctification, saying, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit.” (I Pet. 1:2) Sanctification of the Spirit is the same as sanctification by the Word, because it is by the Holy Spirit that the Word of God has reached us. Peter says that those thus sanctified are the “elect according to the foreknowledge of God.” Paul wrote of this class, saying, “Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.” (Rom. 8:29) If we are to maintain our position among the elect it is clear that we will have to be conformed to the image of God’s dear Son, and it is through the Word of truth that this image is presented to us, and it is through the Word of truth that we are exhorted and encouraged to be conformed to that image.
In Ephesians 4:13, Paul refers to the time when “we all come into the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” This is the divine objective for the whole Christ company being called out of the world to follow the Master during this Gospel Age. God knew that in his Word every provision was made for the accomplishment of this purpose, and therefore that his Word would not return unto him void, but would accomplish that which he pleased, and would prosper in the great design for which he prepared and sent it.
To those who have heard the divine call, and have dedicated themselves to the doing of God’s will, his Word is rich and satisfying spiritual food for their nourishment as new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is as water of life to refresh them when faint and weary. The Word is also the “armor of righteousness” designed to assure victory for the good soldiers of Jesus Christ. (II Cor. 6:7; II Tim. 2:3) Indeed, the Word of God contains everything we need to guide us, and to enable us to walk in the narrow way.
Through his providences God guides his people in a way to bring them into contact with his Word, and with those who are able to help them in its understanding. We need all the servants the Lord has provided. We need one another as we fellowship in the glorious truths of the Word. But may we ever remember that the Word is the only authoritative source of truth which sanctifies, and makes us “meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Col. 1:12) May the Word continue to be a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path!—Ps. 119:105