THE WORD OF GOD

John 12:48

Morning Meditation 3/11/2014

“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

Our most prized possession is the Word of God. One of our Lord's Names is the Word. John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." It is no wonder that the Scriptures are under attack by Satan. Our faith will be no stronger than the Word we put our trust in. If our Bible is corrupted, then our faith will be frustrated. Note the following:

AS THE ENGRAFTED WORD IT IS TO BE RECEIVED

James 1:21, "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls."

The words “lay apart” is an aorist middle participle. The aorist tense refers to a once-for-all act. The middle voice is where the subjects participates in the result of the action, i.e., is benefitted by the action. Gill says, “All manner of filthiness, both of flesh and spirit; all pride, vanity, wrath, malice, and evil speaking, under hearing the word: the allusion seems to be to a boiling pot, which casts up scum and filth, which must be taken off: and such is the spirit of wrathful men; it throws up the filth of haughtiness and pride, of anger, wrath, and wickedness, which must be taken off, and laid aside; or the word will not be heard to any profit, or advantage.”

The “engrafted word” translates “emphutos” and means, “inborn.” This is what Peter is talking about in 2 Peter 1:4, "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." The believer is a partaker of the Divine Nature which indwells him.

Barnes says, “The word here rendered filthiness, occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means properly filth; and then is applied to evil conduct considered as disgusting or offensive. Sin may be contemplated as a wrong thing; as a violation of law; as evil in its nature and tendency, and therefore to be avoided; or it may be contemplated as disgusting, offensive, loathsome. To a pure mind, this is one of its most odious characteristics; for, to such a mind, sin in any form is more loathsome than the most offensive object can be to any of the senses.”

James says we are to receive with meekness the engrafted word. The word meekness translates “prautes,” and means, “mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit.” James is saying that we need to have a positive mental attitude toward the Word when we hear it and receive it. Next,

AS THE FAITHFUL WORD IT IS TO BE HELD FAST

Titus 1:9, "Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.."

Here we are told to have a tight grip on the faithful word. It will be challenged but when the dust settles we still have the word of God and all the attempts to change it are rejected by the true believer. It is called “the faithful word” because it can always be counted on. When God says something, you can count on it being true. It does not change with the times.

The Word of God is to be used to exhort and convince the gainsayers. It is to be done by sound doctrine. Next,

AS THE WORD OF LIFE IT IS TO BE HELD FORTH

Philippians 2:16, "Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain."

This means reaching out to people with the Word. It is the word of life that transforms and directs their destiny. The words “that I may rejoice in the day of Christ.” Paul knew that the time of rejoicing was coming. He knew that there would come a time when he would see the converts in the eternal state. The day of Christ will prove that Paul had not run in vain. Next,

AS THE WORD OF TRUTH IT IS TO BE RIGHTLY DIVIDED

2 Timothy 2:1 says, "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

As early as the days of the Apostles Satan had his false Apostles to misinterpret the Scriptures and carry off disciples after them. 2 Peter 3:16, "As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."

One of the heresies that was prominent in those days was antinomianism. They took the doctrine of grace and taught that the more you sinned the more grace you would have. They based it on Scriptures like Romans 5:20, "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:" Someone has said that there is enough truth mixed with error to make it attractive.

Every Scripture that we use should be used the same way it was originally given. To do otherwise is to “wrest the Scriptures” to one’s own destruction.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White