Last week, we discussed the Truth of the Word and how the Bible is not only historically accurate, but also, it’s much more than just a book of stories and lessons.
The Word is not only a book, but it’s God expressed through words. The Father’s character and heart is expressed and shown through the entire Bible, Old and New Testament, and it became flesh through the life of Jesus. With how awesome Jesus was while on this Earth, the Word must be pretty cool too right?
The Bible, like I said is not just a book, it’s the living Word of God, and it can radically transform our lives. But in order for it to do that, we must know what the role of the Word is in our lives.
Fortunately, the Word doesn’t just have one role, but many roles! Let’s learn what they are!
The Role of our Foundation
As we discussed last week, the Bible is the truth. It is the only truth. If something disagrees with the Word of God, it is undeniably a liar. Just as Paul tells us, “let God be true though everyone were a liar” (Romans 3:4).
So, what that means for us, is that we can ultimately live by every word in the Bible. We can depend on it and stand on it in every situation. It will never pass, never die, never expire.
“The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8).
The Word of God is not something that was said thousands of years ago, never to be used or said again. The Word of God is living, and powerful. It will stand forever, and we will never know a day where the Word of God cannot be used. At least, not a day on this Earth.
The Word of God will stand forever. Even when everything around us is falling and crumbling before our feet, it will sustain. When we lose our jobs, the Word of God remains. When we lose a loved one, the Word remains. Our house falls apart, the Word is standing strong. It will never die, never lose it’s power, and never pass by us. It will stand forever.
That is why the greatest role it can play in our lives is as the foundation. If we were to build our house and our lives around what the Word of God says, we wouldn’t have the issues that many Christians still have today.
Everything flows from this role, so it must be important to you. The Word must be your foundation.
The Role of our Deed
So, what does it mean for the Word to be your foundation? I believe that it means that we live by it with everything we do. Obviously, there are some things that are easier to do and live by faith in the Word than others, but we must start to place the Word of God as our foundation. A good place to start, is with who we are in Christ.
A deed is a legal document that shows that we have ownership of something. People have deeds with houses and businesses and such. But we have a deed of our own.
A major role of the Word of our God is as our deed. It shows us and proves our inheritance, our identity, and our position in Christ.
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16-17).
The Bible shows us exactly who we are in Christ. It proves that to us. We are no longer spiritual orphans. No longer peasants and worms. No longer dead in sin. Instead, we are children of God with Christ, and heirs, with Christ. We have new life in Him, and the Word of God doesn’t just tell us that, but it proves it, as the Spirit proves it to ours.
I can’t think of many better ways to use the scriptures than to find your entire identity on it. We all should use the Word of God as a deed of your inheritance and identity.
The Role of our Guide
When we live by every word in the Bible, it starts to fulfill a new role. The role of our guide.
I’ve found that what I read or listen to, leads me to a destination similar to that which I had heard or seen. For instance, if I were to read books about leadership, I’ll eventually start to lead. If I read about cooking, I’ll most likely start to want to cook. On the other hand, if I listen to worship music, I’ll find myself worshiping. It’s just the nature of it all.
Similarly, when we are in the Word, we will eventually be led or guided towards a life that’s based on the Word. That’s kind of self-explanatory but let us go further.
When we start to get into the Word, and let it take the role of our guide, we can start to let our hair down and cast our cares away, because life gets much simpler.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.”
The Word of God as our guide can direct our paths, and because of that, life can be so simple.
With our next steps, the Word can guide us. In tricky situations, the Word can guide us. When we aren’t sure what to do, what to pray, where to go, the Word of God can guide us. How amazing is that!
Live by every word in the Bible and let the Word guide and direct your paths.
The Role of our Sword
The last major role that the Word plays in our lives, though it certaintly does more, is as our sword.
Now to many, that’s going to sound weird, and I get it. Referring to a book as a sword can at first be confusing. But just a reminder, that the Word is so much more than just a book. It’s living. And according to Hebrew 4:12, it’s “sharper than any two-edged sword”.
We don’t just fight a fleshly battle. In fact, we shouldn’t be fighting a battle of flesh at all. But one of the spirit.
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:11-12).
We no longer fight against others, and against flesh and blood, but we fight against the demonic forces of darkness. That is our ultimate enemy. In this, we are told to put on the whole armor of God, which consists of many things, including the sword of the Spirit, that is, the Word.
When we are up against spiritual warfare and trials, the one thing that we should be using is not our works. It’s not a small wooden crucifix. And it isn’t anything, but the Word of God.
A conflict doesn’t even need to be “supernatural” for the Word to be used as a sword. As long as we are standing firm with the Word, not backing down, not in fear, the Word of God is a powerful weapon against the enemy and his tactics.
Stand firm with the Word, and watch as you see it become your greatest weapon against all spiritual conflict.
Practical Applications
The Bible can play many great roles in our lives. It can be your sword, your guide, your deed, and so much more, but it won’t play a role at all, if you don’t know it.
They say that a weapon is the most dangerous in the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to use it. For us, that’s true. When we don’t know the Word, we are putting ourselves in a dangerous position. We won’t be led by it, or defended by it, and most importantly, we won’t know the Lord as well as we should.
So, my practical application to you is this:
Get in the Word. Memorize some scripture. Lay it as your foundation.
When we start to know the Bible and understand it, better yet, when we mediate on it, we will see the Bible start to take over those roles that we discussed today.
Most importantly, we will start to know the Lord, better and better.
Final Thoughts
The Word of God can play a multitude of roles in our life. From our guide to a literal weapon against the enemy. From our deed to our foundation. The Word can be such a major blessing.
But, if we don’t know the Word and don’t have any scripture memorized, we can never truly place it in any of those major roles. We won’t be led by it, we won’t be able to defend against the attacks of the enemy, and we won’t know our identity in Christ, along with all the other ways that scripture can be a blessing in our lives.
We should all pursue knowing the Word, not only for those blessings, but also, to know the Lord better, and to grow in understanding his ways. Like we talked about last week, the Bible is God expressing himself through words. In it, we can find God’s character and heart painted on every page. When we come to know the Word, we come to know God in a deeper and more beautiful and impactful way.
Join us next week, as we dive into that very topic and get to know the Lord better, through his Word.
Have a great week!
