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Dr. MacArthur ably explains the wonderful value and utility of Scripture, but bases his presentation on the wrong verse:
Dr. MacArthur ably explains the wonderful value and utility of Scripture, but bases his presentation on the wrong verse:
He. 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
This verse is not talking about the Bible. "Word" here is Logos:
II. Its use as respects the mind, alone, Latinratio; i. e.:
1. reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating, etc.: once so in the phrase ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, of the divine mind, pervading and noting all things by its proper force, Hebrews 4:12.
That is, Logos is the expression of the mind of God, ultimately the things He says. The same word is used here:
Jn. 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Logos is not graphé, the word found here:
2Ti. 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness...
Dr. MacArthur would have us believe that the writer of Hebrews was referring to the Bible. This is incorrect.
The following blog post was originally published in May, 2017. —ed.
God’s Word is alive in a truer sense than we are. As Peter quotes Isaiah 40:6–8, “For, ‘all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever’” (1 Peter 1:24–25).
In the world around us, the things we call “living” are really dying. What we call “the land of the living” is probably better named “the land of the dying,” because wherever you look, death is doing its work of decay and destruction. In the final analysis, death is the monarch of this world.
Against this background of decay and death, the Word of God stands as eternal truth. The corruption of this world can’t penetrate God’s Word, deteriorate its reality, or decay its truth. Scripture’s life-giving power is readily apparent in many self-authenticating ways.
God’s Word is alive in a truer sense than we are. As Peter quotes Isaiah 40:6–8, “For, ‘all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever’” (1 Peter 1:24–25).
In the world around us, the things we call “living” are really dying. What we call “the land of the living” is probably better named “the land of the dying,” because wherever you look, death is doing its work of decay and destruction. In the final analysis, death is the monarch of this world.
Against this background of decay and death, the Word of God stands as eternal truth. The corruption of this world can’t penetrate God’s Word, deteriorate its reality, or decay its truth. Scripture’s life-giving power is readily apparent in many self-authenticating ways.
- God’s Word is perennially fresh. In every generation, to every person who picks it up, the Bible is living and fresh. I have reread some parts of the Bible many, many times. In some cases I am just beginning to understand what they say. I once read the book of Colossians every day for 90 days and, after all of that, the book of Colossians still holds untapped mysteries that I haven’t yet explored. Every time I read the book of Colossians, I gain new excitement and fresh insights.
- God’s Word is never obsolete. Most libraries have backrooms where you can find all of the old obsolete textbooks. In recent years, scientific discoveries make dozens and even hundreds of books obsolete each day. But the timeless truths of the Bible never become obsolete. They are as up to date as the next generation of men and women that needs its message so desperately. “The word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25).
- God’s Word is powerful. The Bible is a discerner of hearts. Scripture has a living insight into our lives that is alarmingly precise. The Holy Spirit ministers through God’s Word exposing our faults, needs, weaknesses—and sins. No wonder Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “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 . . . able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
- God’s Word produces growth. As 1 Peter 1:23 points out, “You have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” The great mystery of any living thing is its power to reproduce. And reproduce, says Peter, is exactly what the Word of God does. The only way to be a “son of God” is to be born by the Word of God. When the Word of God is truly heard, and sincerely received into a heart that has been prepared by God, that Word, quickened by the Holy Spirit, becomes a spiritual seed that is imperishable or incorruptible. That seed is the germ of a new creation and it springs into life by making the hearer who believes that Word, a son of God.
Jesus illustrated that concept in His parable of the sower (Luke 8:4–15). The farmer goes out to sow and some seed lands on the road, some seed lands on rocky soil, some seed lands where weeds spring up, and some seed lands on the fertile ground that produces bountiful growth. In explaining the parable to His disciples, Jesus said, “The seed is the word of God. Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved” (Luke 8:11–12).
The one source of belief and salvation is God’s Word! Naturally, its sabotage and removal is Satan’s highest priority because of its life-producing power. Hence Jesus’ words in Luke 8:15: “But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.” That’s a vivid description of Scripture and the ongoing results of its life-giving power.
Jesus understood that God’s Word cooperates powerfully with His Spirit: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63). The Word of God, in the hand of the Holy Spirit, is the critical life-giving agent. The Spirit of God, using the Word of God, produces life!
Trying to survive without any scriptural intake is a futile exercise. When it comes to a healthy spiritual diet, God’s Word is the fundamental and essential source of true eternal health.
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