The Bible is the Word of God. Through the Bible God speaks to us.
Why does God speak to us through human beings? Why does He not speak to us directly from heaven?
That is because God’s own people chose this way of communication between God and us. In Exodus 20, we can read that God spoke to His people from the mountain Horeb in the Sinai desert. We read about it in Exodus 20:18-19: Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”
In Deuteronomy 18, Moses reminds the people of God of this event and of what they asked. He noticed there that God approved of what the people asked and God spoke to the people through Moses, and through other prophets, all those whom He decided to use for this. And in the end, He even sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to become a human being. Jesus Christ spoke to God’s people all that they have to know about God’s work of salvation.
Deuteronomy 18:15-18 : “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’
“And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.”
God chose those people, prophets and apostles, to write down His Word for us, God’s people. And the church (which is God’s people) in faith and obedience to God, accepted these sixty six books as the Word of God.
That means for us, that we shall listen to what the Bible tells us, because it is not just the words of human beings, but above all, it is the Word of God, our Creator, Who comes to us and decided to communicate with us.
The Bible has divine authority, because it is God’s Word.
The Bible is also powerful, because God’s own Spirit works through the Bible. It is through the Holy Spirit of God that Christians have faith, and it is through the same Spirit that Christians are being transformed, all as the result of the Word of God being spoken to us.
That is why reading the Bible is important. And when we say ‘reading the Bible’, then we mean more than just superficially reading through the words on the pages of the Bible. Reading also means, taking to heart, reflect on it, and let the Word of God change us.
We can summarize it with three ‘R’s: Reading, Reflection, Renewal.
Reading
‘So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ Romans 10:17 (NKJV)
One of God’s greatest gifts to humanity is his Word: the Bible. It is in this book that God reveals His love to His people, and tells us about His wonderful act of salvation through Jesus Christ. This word is deep, and rich, and beautiful in meaning and in writing, yet it can sometimes be difficult to fully understand without some help. Therefore, God has given us to each other as people of God, within the Church. Within the Church, we help each other to understand the Bible. Throughout the history of the Church and also still now, God gives people with special gifts to explain and teach the Bible. God has also given the special task to men whom He has chosen to preach His Word to us during the worship services on Sundays. Together, we learn to listen to God’s Word, and to respond to it.
Reflection
‘Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.’ Psalm 119:97-99 (NKJV)
The Bible is more than just any simple book. It is God’s Word to us. It tells us the story of God, and how
He chose to save us. It is very important, therefore, that we take the time to reflect on what is written here. The more we meditate on God’s Word and its meaning for our lives, the more we will be amazed by God’s wisdom and find comfort in it.
Renewal
‘And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.’ Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
The way God works faith in us is through the Word of God. When we read the Bible and reflect on what we read, God opens our hearts for His revelation so that we may believe what God speaks to us in the Bible.
The result of this faith is that we are going to be renewed. We will not continue to live as we did before, but our lives are going to be changed. The more we are convinced that God’s Word is good, the more we are also going to live according to it. This is a beautiful and powerful transformation, and only one that true faith can create.