Listen:  153.6

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (NKJV). Let’s take a close look at this precious verse. There are FIVE things said about God’s Word.

GOD’S WORD IS LIVING: One has said that God’s Word is “intrinsically possessed of life, even as He is, whose word it is.” In John 6:63 Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life” (NKJV).

GOD’S WORD IS POWERFUL: The Word has the POWER to save souls, as we see in Romans 1:16, “For I am not shamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.”

GOD’S WORD IS SHARP: Like a two-edged sword, the Word both COMMENDS and CONDEMNS. The Lord Jesus used it in the church of Pergamos for this purpose, as we see in Revelation 2:12, “And to the angel of the church at Pergamos write; These things saith He which hath the sharp sword with two edges.”

GOD’S WORD IS PIERCING: It searches into the deepest parts of man’s being and is able to distinguish between what is “soulish,” or emotional, from what is truly “spiritual.”

GOD’S WORD IS DISCERNING: It is able to JUDGE men’s thoughts and motives, and bring conviction to us.

Before I was saved, I thought the Word of God was a book of fiction, filled with contradictions and myths. I actually set out to prove that the Bible was simply written by men who were delusional and that it couldn’t be trusted. In a word, I was a critic who was judging the Word of God. Can you guess what happened? The more I read the Word, the more convinced I became that it was supernatural in its origin and in time it proved to me that I was a sinner in need of salvation and eternal life. I started out judging the Word and it ended up judging me! I often say that “I tried to prove the Bible was wrong, but IT PROVED ME WRONG!” By God’s grace the Word did give me LIFE and by its POWER I was saved. I experienced the truth of these FIVE THINGS and now I love to tell people to read it for themselves, knowing it can do for them what it did for me.  (153.6)  (DO)