BY GREG CRUM
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1-4
John declares that Jesus was the Word made flesh so he could dwell among men. As the Word, He was in the beginning with God and, as part of the Trinity, God Himself. All things were made by him. In him was life—the very light of men that shined in the darkness. This is that magnificent Word that was voluntarily made into the flesh of man. So, Jesus was the Word, but what does that mean? What is God trying to tell us here in the Gospel of John? Additionally, what, if anything, does that have to do with our Bibles that many believers call the “Word of God”?
Well, to get to an answer to those questions, let’s ask and answer this question first: What is a “word”?
In one respect, a word is the highest expression of human communication—our most intelligible, or clearest, form of communication with each other. Another understanding of a word is someone’s expressed beliefs, their communicated attitudes and motives. Still another definition of a “word” would be someone’s authorization, or access to their power and privilege. How do these understandings of the definition of a “word” help us to know the importance of Jesus being the Word?
First, it reminds us that in Jesus, God has communicated Himself to humanity (Hebrews 1:1-4). He has communicated to us clearly and definitively in these last days through the actions and words of Jesus Christ. Jesus was the ultimate mouthpiece of God to the world (John 12:44-50).
Secondly, we see that Jesus is the heart of God in the flesh. In Matthew 12:34 we read that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Jesus was and is the overflow of the heart and mind of God speaking to humanity. Finally, since Jesus is the declared Word of God, we can know that in him God has invested all authority. The power and privileges of Heaven are embodied in our Jesus and available only through him.
So, Jesus is the Word of God, and that means he is the physical representation of God—His beliefs, attitudes, motives, and authority. Now, what, if anything, does that have to do with our Bibles? Why have we come to call our Bibles the Word of God? Is there a correlation between the person, Jesus, and our precious Scripture? There is, but before we go any further, understand that Jesus is a person.
We should follow, serve, and love the person Jesus, not a book. But there is a strong, God-designed relationship between the person Jesus and the book we know of as the Holy Bible. You see, Jesus was the Word made flesh, and these Bibles we are privileged to have access to are Jesus made text!
The point?
Friends, in this life, we will never be able to confidently understand and come to know Jesus the person without coming to know and understand our Bibles. These Bibles give us the framework for understanding the true Jesus, and by extension, the one true God. Some protest and say, “But I’ve got the Holy Spirit living inside of me; I don’t need a Bible,” or “The early Christians didn’t have a Bible and I don’t need one either!” Sure, if you’re born again you do have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, and His voice should be real and strong in believers. But according to I Corinthians 14:10-12 there are “many voices” in this world that we have to decipher.
How do you decide which one is the Holy Spirit? Is it the voice you agree with? The one that sounds “Holy”? The one that is telling you what you want to hear?
Without a framework, an outline without user instructions, you’re left to your own voices, or worse yet, those of the enemy. This is happening way too much nowadays.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus is the definitive Word of God made flesh. Our Bibles are a gift from God, Jesus made text, the written communication of Himself to us so that we can know Him more completely.
Greg Crum is the pastor at Calvary Temple Church in Lovely.