My name is Carmen so it may not surprise you that there was a season in which I was often asked, “Where in the world are you, Carmen San Diego?” It was an educational video game released in the mid eighties and it had a catchy musical tune.
When I grew tired of rolling my eyes, I came up with a question I could pose instead: “Where in the Word are you?” It matters little where we are in the world if we’re not in God’s Word.
When you hear that the Bible is the Word of God, what does that mean? When you hear that Jesus is “the Word of God made flesh,” what does that mean? And what does it mean to practically apply the Word of God to real, everyday life? Those questions provide the basis for an ongoing conversation as Christians engage with the Bible.
The Bible is the Word of God
In Philippians 2:16, Paul refers to the Scriptures he had (what we call the Old Testament) as “the word of life.” Hebrews 4:12 says, “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Second Timothy 3:16-17 says,
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
The Bible is alive, through God’s Spirit, in the Christian life— helping us walk out our faith each day. Have you ever read over a passage of Scripture you’ve read many times, only to see something fresh you’ve never seen before? That is the active, living Word, capable of changing our very lives.
Jesus is the “Word of God made flesh”
In John’s beautiful introduction to his gospel he says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And he goes on in verse 14 that “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Jesus, eternal and fully God, became flesh to dwell among us. This is the story we celebrate at Christmas, but holds life-changing implications for us all year long. Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). He is God fully expressed for us to see and know.
After His death and resurrection, Jesus was talking and walking with two of His disciples. He revealed to them— and to us— that all of the Scriptures are about Him (Luke 24:15-27). If we want to know Christ better, to become more like Him, to find comfort and refuge in Him, we must know His Word. We must be in the Word.
The Word of God for Life
All of which leads to the question: Do you receive the Bible as the living Word of God? And if so, how is the Word of God living and active in your life?
I know the value of being in the Word of God not for Bible study sake but for the sake of my life as a Christian in the world. If I’m not in the Word of God then the Word of God can’t get into me – which means I’m going to be full of something else.
Why does that matter? Well, we’re all full of something and when the world squeezes us (and it does) what we’re full of comes out. John says that Jesus came “full of grace and truth.” So, as a Christian, I want to be full of grace and truth as well. That comes by the power of the Holy Spirit and intentionally filling my heart and mind with the Word of God.
So, where in the Word are you today?
