The Bible is filled with verses about what God has done, is doing, and will do. This is a source of much comfort and encouragement to me.
We serve a God who is alive and active. He is the great Doer of great things. He is the ultimate Worker. Amen?
We don’t have to look far to see evidence of this. Creation abounds with the work of His hands. And if you are a true believer in Jesus, you only have to look at your own life to see His handiwork, “For we are his workmanship” (Ephesians 2:10).
God has been at work in your life since the day you first believed. What Paul said to the Philippians is also true of you and me. “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
This is great news! God is working in us, making us more like Jesus every day. Even on days when we don’t see it or are not aware of it, God is doing what only He can do – so that He is glorified through us. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Have you ever wondered how God does this work? It’s no secret. He has told us.
For example, how does God do His initial work of salvation in our hearts, granting us the gifts of faith, repentance, and eternal life? Peter answers this question succinctly: “You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).
Nobody becomes a born-again believer apart from the work of the Word. It doesn’t just “happen.” We come to Christ because God draws us to Jesus (John 6:44), and God does that drawing in conjunction with our hearing of His Word. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
Likewise, God’s ongoing work of sanctification is done by His Word. Paul told the Thessalonians “When you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). I find it significant that the Bible not only says that God works through His Word (as in 1 Peter 1:23 above), but Scripture also says that it is the Word itself that works in us. What God does, the Word does. You can describe salvation and sanctification either way because these statements are interchangeable.
This is why Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
James makes this point, too. “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). Of course, God the Father is “our Savior” (Jude 25). He can rescue us from the penalty, power, and presence of sin. And Jesus came to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). And the Word, too, “is able to save your souls.”
What is the point of all these verses about the saving power of God’s Word? The Word of God is indispensable to both our salvation and our spiritual growth. Without it, we cannot experience the life of Christ-likeness that God wants us to have.
Oh, how precious is this Book! May we not take it for granted. May we treasure it, guard it, and love it because we know the unique role it has in our relationship with God. May we say with the psalmist, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103).
Questions for Further Reflection
1. What would your life be like today if you had never heard and believed the truth of God’s Word?
2. How have you tasted the sweetness of the Word lately? Take time today to offer praise and thanks to God for this!
3. What changes are needed in your life to cultivate a greater hunger for the Word?
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2-3).
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