The Word of God, Living and Active

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Once again I am spending my morning devotional time in the New Testament Book of Hebrews. The verse quoted above is one of my favorite verses in this book. It is a verse that is filled some wonderful truths in regards to the Word of God, the Holy Bible. This verse speaks of the Word’s characteristics and the Word’s actions. It starts off by telling us that the Word of God is living and active. Let’s pause here for a bit of exploration.

Logos is the Greek word that is translated as word in this verse. Throughout the New Testament Logos is the Greek word that has several different translations, such as,  “reason,” “word,” “speech,” or “principle.” Logos also relates to a universal, divine reason or the mind of God. The gospel of John connected this Greek term with the nature and existence of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 1:1-3, 14).

The writer of Hebrews tells us that the Logos is alive and that it is active. The writer wants us to understand that God’s Holy Word is pulsating with life. When one sits down with their Bible opened before them, they are sitting before a book that is like no other book on the face of the earth. First of all, this book was not written by man, it was breathed by God into the hearts of men of God who were in essence secretaries writing down the words that God gave them. II Timothy 3:16-17 say, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God (Christians) may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

This book is unlike other books, even other great books that are recognized as classics down through the ages. In it, God reveals Himself to mankind. In it, God reveals everything that He wishes us to know about Him. In it, He reveals everything that we need to know about ourselves. And when, by faith, we believe that the Bible is the living Word of God, it then becomes, in the life of the believer, an active force.

Through the Logos, one becomes born again. Through the Logos lives are transformed into the very image of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the one true and living God. “And we all, are being transformed from glory to glory into the very image of Christ” (II Corinthians 3:18).

Before I move on from this living and active statement about God’s Word, I want to say this. Whether or not you personally believe that the Bible is God’s living word, does not change the fact that it is! However, if it is ever going to be an active force in your life, you will first have to believe that it is the Living Word of God. And that belief, my friend will change everything. You will then begin to realize that when you sit down before the open Word of God, you are literally taking into your very being, through the actions of  the Holy Spirit, the living Christ, whom the Spirit has come to reveal through the Word of God.

Stay tuned, there is much more that God wants to show us through this verse.