How Do You Respond to the Word of God?

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe" (1 Thes. 2:13, NIV).

Here Paul teaches us that there is two basic responses to the Word of God.  We can treat it like it is a word from men, merely a man's opinions.  Or we can treat it like it actually is the Word of God.  Now specifically, Paul is addressing the gospel proclamation, but his statement can be taken in a more general sense to refer to the whole of God's Word.  Paul makes it clear in his other writings that his message wasn't something he dreamed up, but it was a direct revelation from Jesus Christ.  Peter says,

We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God, as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:16-21, NIV).

Not everyone recognizes God's Word.  Some hear it, but fail to grasp its meaning.  Jesus teaches this in the parable of the sower in Mark 4.  He relates three ways people treat the Word as if it were merely the word of men.  He tells us:

• They ignore it, often with the devil's help (the seed on the hard path)
• They rejoice over it without commitment (the seed on the rocky soil)
• They all other things to drive out the word (the seed in the weeds)

When we respond to the Word of God in these ways, we are treating it as a word from man.  James warns, "Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you" (Jas. 1:21, NIV).

Other, like the Thessalonians, receive the word as it actually is-as the Word of God.  These individuals are like the good soil which receives the seed and bears fruit.  Only when we receive the Word with obedience that comes from faith, can we really say we are receiving it as the Word of God.

In fact, Paul's gratitude for and confidence in the believers in Thessalonica rests in the fact that he is witnessing fruit in their lives.  Paul saw how the Thessalonians responded with faithful perseverance in the face of opposition, and he commended them.  What is more, Paul found in their endurance the evidence of their faith, and he praised God for it.  He went on to explain that those who did not receive God's Word, like the Thessalonians, were under God's wrath.  Their enemies were God's enemies first, but God would take care of them.

The passage, 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16, can teach us many things.  I want point out four implications of this passage.

1. How we respond to the Word of God reveals the true nature of our heart.  We are called to trust and obey the Word of God, because the God, who spoke it, is trustworthy and true.
2. We are to accept the Word of God with both deep conviction and deep affection.  Some people want to over-intellectualize faith, and other want to over-emotionalize it.  True faith combines the best efforts of our (sanctified) hearts and minds.
3. When one tries to take a "middle of the road" approach to Scripture, he usually ends up rejecting it as the Word of God.  When some suggests that the Bible is spiritual book, but not a work of the Spirit; or suggests that it contains the Word of God, but also has the erroneous thoughts of man, they are on a slippery slope towards rejecting most of the truths of the Bible.  The right response to the Word of God is whole-heart trust.
4. Confidence in the Word usually generates faith.  Even when we don't fully understand something, our default position should be to trust the Scriptures because they are not the words of men, but the Word of God.

The Rusty Lock

I am reading a collection of sermons entitled, Gospel Fear, by the Puritan pastor, Jeremiah Burroughs (1599-1646).  In a message preached June 15, 1644 from 2 Kings 22:19, Burroughs states,

Many men's hearts are like rusty locks.  It takes a great deal of work to open them, especially if the key is not the right key and fitted to every notch.  But now come to a lock where the key is fitted to every notch fully and a child may turn it.  You can turn it with one of your fingers.  So the Lord sometimes, indeed, so speaks the Word to many men's hearts which are like rusty locks, so that the Word does not fit.  There are many notches in their hearts.  Many objections lie in their hearts against the Word so that the Word does not fit them, and so their hearts are not opened.  But at another time, the Lord is so pleased to direct His Word that He makes the key as fit for such a man's heart as can be, and then He opens it immediately.  In an instant, the heart of this man is opened that has been shut against God all the days of his life (page 89).

I think the thing that we have to remember in all of this is that God moves as he pleases.  When it pleases the Lord to "fit" the Word into a heart, it will fit.  The lock, rust or not, will open, and the soul will be free to serve.

This does not mean that we have nothing to do in these situations.  On the contrary, our actions are either pouring more water on the lock so that it rusts more, or they are oil the lock so that the key turns more easily.  When we listen to a message, or prepare to listen to one, we must keep in mind our objective.  Our objective is to hear from God.  We are to listen with attentiveness, we are to shake off distractions, we are to have our minds prepared for the event.

If we do not read the Bible throughout the week, it makes it much more difficult for us to understand the sermon.  We need to study it, as well as read it.  We need to search out the meaning of words we don't understand, or we may confuse the meaning of the passage we are reading.

Cherishing sin in our heart also causes the lock to rust more quickly.  If we are caught up in sin, it is more difficult for us to listen to messages that call us to righteousness.  Pride scoffs at humility.  Self-righteousness grits its teeth at grace.  We must continually ask the Lord to open our hearts to understand where sin is present in our lives, and how we can get rid of it.

Fellowship with God's people oils the lock.  By fellowship, I mean living in mutually encouraging and accountable relationships.  When we know one another, it is easier to confront sin or offer a word of encouragement it difficult times. 

Prayer is also vital to loosing the rusted lock.  As we pray for others our heart becomes tender toward them.  As we confess our sins, we remember that grace is needed by all, and that we should give it as readily as we seek it.  Prayer conforms to God's will (if we do it right). 

So what shape is your heart in?  Do you find the Word of God turning your heart toward him with great ease? Or our you an immovable fortress of self-reliance?  May it be, by his good pleasure, that he crack the lock of your heart with ease either way.

Walk in the Way of Life

"For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress" (Prov. 6:23).

The "evil"  adulteress woman is used as a type in the book of Proverbs. Solomon is trying to get his son(s) to understand that wrong woman can destroy a man.  Her power to destroy is not so much in her actions or nature, although she is corrupt and acts without honor.  The power of destruction lies in the man's choice of such a woman.  The heart of her power rests in the foolishness of the man who embraces her.  She represents the path of foolishness which leads to destruction.

Solomon says the remedy for young men, who are tempted to follow her wayward path, is to let the commandment shine light on him.  He says, "The command is a lamp and the teaching a light."  Thus, the Word of God illuminates the mind to instruct it in the right ways to go.  The command says, "Do not commit adultery" and Jesus adds, "If a man looks at a woman to lust after her, he has committed adultery in his heart."  The command warns us not to covet our neighbor's spouse (or anything else they have).

The commandment sets the boundaries for safe conduct.  We are experience some flooding in our area.  The roads have been blocked of because there is water over them.  They are not safe to pass for many reasons.  Wisdom looks at these warnings and seeks alternative roots.  Likewise, the commandment says, "These roads a dangerous."  Death awaits those who follow along these paths.  Maybe a person will beat the odds for a time, but on judgment day justice will be served.

Sometimes, we don't heed good advice, and we take some hard knocks because of it.  Solomon says, "The reproofs of discipline are the way of life."  So you drive through high water, you car stalls and now you have a big bill for towing and cleaning.  At least you lived, and hopefully learned.  Maybe you saw on the news where someone was swept away while driving through water over the road, and you thought I'll never do that again.  Reproof stings when it lands on us.  Discipline is unpleasant, but a heart corrected is a heart alive.

Solomon express universal truths: the commands of God illuminate our minds to his desires and requirements, the teachings of his Word offer us light to guide us, and discipline is a necessary corrective.  He applies these truth to sexual immorality, in general (the evil woman), and adultery, in particular (the adulteress).  Solomon knew what it was to have wondering eyes and fickle heart.  He knew how destructive loving the wrong woman (or women) could be.  So he wants to point his sons in a different direction.  In essence, he is saying, "I was a fool to neglect God's standards, and you would be a fool to follow my example in this."

Is Solomon were alive today, with his 700 wives and 300 concubines, society would expect him to be in rehab for his sexual addiction.  He would be vilified for his insatiable desire for female companionship, and he would probably agree.  He had permitted his heart to wonder without restraint.  His wisdom, knowledge, wealth, and power brought him into unprecedented fame.  His head (and his heart) swelled with foolish pride.  He lost his balance, and fell into disgrace.  Throughout Proverbs, Solomon warns against such foolishness.

Friends, the Word offers boundaries that protect.  The cones and signs that block access to flood covered roads are not there to hinder our freedom.  They are there to protect our lives, and to rescue us from what lies unseen, beneath the surface.  Likewise, the commands do not hinder our freedom.  They protect our lives, and rescue us from the dangers we cannot see.  Allow the Word to illuminate your path, and walk in the way of life.

Trust the Word

I am currently reading the C. H. Spurgeon's Lectures to My Students.  In the passage I was reading today, Spurgeon quotes one Mr. Arthur Mursell.  Mursell had an excellent summary of theologians who reject the Bible.  In part, it reads:

The histories and events of the great chronicle are rudely contradicted and gainsaid, because some schoolmaster with a slate and pencil cannot bring his sums right.  And every miracle which the might of the Lord wrought for the favor of His people, or the frustration of their foes, is pooh-poohed as an absurdity, because the professors cannot do the like with their enchantments.. . . And so our great men are satisfied when they think that their toy wand has swallowed up the wand of Aaron: but when Aaron's wand threatens to swallow up theirs, they say that part is not authentic, and that the miracle never occurred (Lectures, page 229).

In other words, if they, like Pharaoh's magicians, were able to mimic the miraculous, they profess they would believe.  They deny what their eyes cannot see, because they are hard hearted and blind.

Why should we Christians doubt the Bible?  What evidence really exists against it?  Does the fact that some people have questions really undermine the Bible?  Beyond shear imagination, where is the proof that miracles don't happen?  The best evidences put forth against the truth claims of Christianity are usually anecdotal (I have never seen), and theoretical (if, then).  But the rejection of Christianity is as rooted in "faith," as the acceptance of Christianity.  The only way a person could truly know that there was no God is by knowing everything.  If there is any gap in a person's knowledge, then logically it is possible that evidence could be waiting in the gap.  As to rejecting the Scripture, where is the definitive proof?  If you listen long enough, you realize its all conjecture.

As believers, we trust the Scripture because God breathed them out.  They are true and trustworthy, as the Spirit bears witness in our hearts. The Scriptures cannot lie, because God cannot lie.  As we study the truth, the Word takes root in our hearts, and crowds out the lies of the world.  The Word of Truth cannot be swallowed up by the lies of Satan or else it would no longer exist.  Where the Bible is faithfully preached, the gospel of Jesus Christ is still transforming lives.  Hold fast to the truth, stay in the Word, and it will bear its fruit in your life.

Revere the Word

"Whoever despises the the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded" (Prov. 13:13, ESV).

This proverb is about one's attitude toward the revealed word of God. Solomon offers a warning through this proverb, one that is often ignored because of a misconception on our parts.  We often use the images we associate with such terms to help us interpret them when we read them in the Scripture.  These images can help us to understand what it means to despise something, but they may mislead us also.

When I think of someone despising something, I imagine them seeking to destroy it.  Sometimes I envision the person publicly protesting the thing (or person) they despise.  Images from news casts, commercials, television shows, movies, and books flood my mind.  Most of these images have violent content or passionate emotional responses attached to them.  They lead us to assume that every mention of the word, despise (or hate), carries with it strong emotions that lead to public outcry or militant resistance, but that is not always the case.

When Solomon says, "Whoever despises the word," he is not only talking those who seek its destruction, or publicly protest it.  Many people who despise the Word do so without every trying to destroy it, and never utter a complaint against it.  Many of them poses a copy of the Bible and display it with great pride.  They may even speak highly of its contents, characters, and themes.  They may study it, memorize it, and quote it with ease.

Yet, in all of their affirmation one thing is missing: obedience. Even in the absence of negative emotions, one can despise something.  Let's say I am driving down a road and encounter a sign warning me of a collapsed bridge ahead.  Let's say I shrug it off, and drive off a cliff.  It can still be said that I despised the sign.  Failure to heed the warning is the same as defying the warning.  Failure to respond in obedient faith to the Word is the same as despising the Word.

Conversely, revering the commandment means obeying it.  Where there is no obedience, there is no reverence.  We can't really say we understand the Word, if we are not doing what it says.  Obedience brings reward; disobedience brings destruction.  Therefore, we must choose the course we will follow: reverent obedience to the Word or rebellious disobedience to it.  It doesn't matter if rebellion is red hot defiance or cool apathy.  God still views it as despising his Word, and it leads to destruction.  Revering the word leads to reward.

Word Search Ends in Good Discovery

"Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord" (Prov. 16:20, ESV).

How much time would you say that you spend in the Word of God each day?  Would you say 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 1 hour, or maybe more?  How many hours are there in a day? 24.   That means there are 1,440 minutes in a day.  If we tithed our time in the same way we do our money, that would mean dedicating 144 minutes, or 2 hours and 24 minutes, of every day to the Lord.  It has been suggested that it takes a little more that 70 hours to read the entire Bible out loud.  Let's say it took 72 hours (4,320 minutes) to read the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  Reading the Bible for 144 minutes every day means we would be able to read the Bible 12 times in a year.  That breaks down to once a month.  Of course, if we tithed our time, we might not spend all of it every day reading the Scripture.  We must also remember prayer, mediation, evangelism, and other things should do to serve the Lord.  I'm not suggesting that we spend all day reading the Scripture, because God has given us other responsibilities.  My point is that we need to spend some time in Scripture each day.

Solomon's conclusion is that good comes from giving thought to the word.  It is possible that he his is speaking in the sense of listening to both sides of a story.  He may be say that we need to listen to everything before we draw a conclusion.  Then, and only then, will we be able to make the right (wise) decision.  More probably, Solomon is referring to the Word of God.  This proverb links considering the word with trusting the Lord.  In this verse, both are the sure source of positive outcome.  Simply put, good comes from giving thought to the word, and blessing comes from trust God.

This passage compels us to give thought to the Word of God, because it brings us into the realm of his blessing.  This line of thought resonates with other passages of Scripture.  Psalm 1 states that the blessed man is one who rejects sinful life, because of his commitment to God and his Word.  The person who lives in obedience to the Word will be fruitful and prosperous in all he does.  Solomon's conclusion is consistent with the rest of Scripture.  Therefore, we should listen to his wisdom.  If we discover good by giving thought to the Word, then we should give the best of our mental energies to contemplating it.

We shouldn't, however, merely contemplate on the Word.  It isn't enough to think about it.  Good is only discovered in contemplation that comes from faith.  In other words, it is only when we search the Scriptures with a believing heart that they yield their vast treasures to us.  When we fail to spend time in the Word every day we rob ourselves.  We miss an opportunity to spend time with our precious Savior, who died in our place, so that we might become the righteousness of God.  We miss out on how to discern his voice of the sea of voices that seek to lead us astray.  We lose the opportunity to trained for righteous service.  We remain ineffective and unfruitful.  When we neglect the Bible, we condemn ourselves to a life of chasing shadows and signs; of always yearning to hear the voice of God, but never hearing it; of hoping for blessing, but never receiving it in its fullness. 

However, if we, in faith, give the Word serious thought, we will discover good.  We will learn that God still speaks, that he loves us, that the mess we call life has a purpose beyond anything we can fully comprehend, that he is always in control, and that he is always, always holy and righteous.  We discover good in the Word, because we first discover God there.

Not by Bread

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4).

Jesus quotes these words from Deuteronomy 8:3. These words express an important truth about how we are to live. We are to trust the Lord to sustain us by his Word. His Word is of greater daily necessity than bread. Bread stales, molds, and rots. God's Word is living and active, it provides life where it is believed, flourishing abundant life.

Bread will quench a nagging hunger, but only for a short time. The hunger will return, more bread will be necessary. The Word also quenches a hunger, but it continues to satisfy. The regenerate heart never has its "fill" of God's Word like a belly can have its fill of bread. Yet, it never lacks nourishment. Even as our appetite for God's Word grows, we find satisfaction in it.

Many people will endure all sorts of things for bread. For in it they find their security. Jesus says that we cannot place our hope in bread. Rather, we must anchor our hope securely in the Word of God. Bread may pass away, but the Word never will.

Revering the Word

"Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded" (Prov. 13:13).

This proverb contains important truth. One's attitude toward the Scriptures will determine one's eternal fate. If we believe the word, or as this verse puts it, "reveres the commandment," then we will be rewarded with life. However, if we despise the word we will be destroyed.

It seems simple enough on the face of it. But, what does it mean to "despise the word?" Despising the word is contrasted with revering the command. Revering does not mean veneration without obedience. To revere a command of God is to obey it out of reverence for the one who gave it. Therefore, despising the word means refusing to obey it.

There are some people who think they "revere" the word because they read it, study it, and meditate on it. However, when they fail to live out the truths they are reading, studying, and meditating on they despise the word. The Pharisees are a good example of this kind of behavior. They knew the word, in the sense that they could quote verses, but they didn't understand it. They could see Jesus in the Scripture, even though it all points to him.

It is like the story of the two builders: the wise one who built upon the rock and the fool who built upon the sand. Wisdom is building our lives upon the truths of Scripture. Foolishness is building our lives upon our opinions or the opinions of others. We are called to walk in humble obedience to the word--this is what it means to revere the commandment.