‘The Word of God’ | I feel like I can’t trust that phrase anymore
Bare with me for a minute as I work through some thoughts.
Say it any which way you like:
‘The Word if the Lord’ ‘The Word of God’ ‘God’s Word’ etc…
I think this phrase has lost its meaning, or at least at this point in time it has so many meanings to so many different people that I can’t be sure what they mean by it. When I hear someone say it, I have to either stop them mid sentence to clarify what they mean or just go head and make a judgment call in my head about what I think they mean.
These are the two meanings that I think most American Christians have in mind when they use this phrase:
It’s the Bible
Probably the most popular meaning for Christians and not entirely wrong. But I think God is bigger and we can probably agree that He speaks to us in more ways than just the Bible. Also worth mentioning is the fact that the Bible we know has barely been around for 500 years.
It’s My Interpretation of the Bible
Be honest with yourself, there is a good possibility that your interpretation of the Bible could be wrong. For what it’s worth I can’t have a conversation about Biblical theology with anyone who can’t start by saying they are unsure on at least a few points.
I’m I the only one that has a pause when hearing this phrase? Thoughts?
Within the Bible we are told that every word is God breathed. If I put any faith in that (Otherwise, why would I even waste my time with it) statement then I will trust what I read. Now, not all of it is easily understood, but that doesn’t make it wrong. It just means that I am missing the meaning at this time. Read on and absorb the things you do understand and let the rest go for now. I promise you will gain more than you have to pass up. Ir has been said that “the plain things are the main things, and the main things are the plain things.
[Reply]
Me too vince.
Part of my senior paper in college (a conservative university) included a section on defining the phrase “Word of God.” Sadly, I think the phrase transcends scripture (yet includes scripture).
“God’s Word” is also includes when God whispers to me. In my research, I found a story about a husband and wife who would daily read scripture together, spend some time in prayer together. Then they’d write down whatever they agreed God had spoken to them. That would become “scripture” for them. They treated it as “God’s Word.”
[Reply]
Vince Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 1:07 pm
I agree. We can’t limit what God’s Word is
[Reply]
I’m reading “Bonhoeffer” by Eric Metaxas.
Bonhoeffer said, “when you read the Bible, you must think that here and now God is speaking to me.”
A student of his said that he taught them to “read the Bible as it was directed at us. Not something general, not something generally applicable, but rather with a personal relationship to us.”
Drawing upon that, another meaning for “the word of God” is, or perhaps should be, God condescending to make Himself and his will known to us in a most direct and personal way. And for that to occur we need help.
John 16:12-15 speaks to this. “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”
You’re right, our interpretations can go wrong. That’s why the counsel of mature believers (spoken in person, through sermons, the arts, etc.) is so important. Their lives and actions demonstrate that the “word of God,” means they’ve actually experienced Him and not just His teachings.
[Reply]
Vince Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 1:07 pm
I’ve been on a Bonhoeffer kick the last couple years. Great theologian!
[Reply]
I believe from my years of experience that man confuses the issue, including the Bible. It is a life time study . . . no one ever gets it all right – thus we have the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is God breathed . . . but its not the ONLY way God talks to us. For myself, when He wants me to get something quickly, I will hear the same thing from several sources close in succession, i.e. I will be facing something and may read a verse that relates and then later something I subscribe to will address the same issue and then a friend may bring up the topic or I will hear a sermon on it. Sometimes He just quietly speaks to my heart. God is God . . . and He can speak to us any way He chooses, but it will always be confirmed by His Word. If we didn’t have that blueprint, I can’t even imagine how much we would mess it up with our own arrogance and lack of understanding. Whether it is written on scrolls, memorized, or printed on paper, its His Word and is a treasure to have.
[Reply]
I remember my first class in seminary. The prof got up and said, “yeah, when the preacher gets up in church and says God’s infallible word, he’s lying.” The shock wore off as he explained what we mean by true and infallible, but I never looked at the Bible in the same way. I have a high view of scripture, but that began my journey from knowledge to understanding.
[Reply]