WORD OF GOD
God's direct speaking to man in present tense.
THE BIBLE
The God-breathed scriptures containing past words of God and man.
LOGOS WORD
Christ: the EMBODIMENT of God's communication to and into man.
On this page below is a table proving from scriptures what the word of God is(on the left) and on the other side (the right side) what the scriptures are. They prove something shocking which needs to be addressed. The word of God is God speaking directly to you in the present tense. Some of the scriptures contain reports of the word of God in the past spoken in the past (some of it contains true words and doings of men and some of false words and doings of men) but that ONLY becomes the word of God to you if and when you CONTACT God in His Spirit while reading it!!
Oh! There's one more thing! Contact with God is not all! It has to be His will and His time to speak to you! You need to be led by the Spirit and in much prayer before you approach the scriptures.
There is Only ONE Thing Needful
Jesus is not a liar, never lied and cannot lie. This is because He is God eternal Whom the Bible says cannot lie. As it is written in Isaiah 53:9: 'And He is given His tomb with the wicked, a cave from the rich, in His death. For He does no wrong, and no deceit is in His mouth,'.
I am quoting our Savior's words as spoken to Martha: Lk 10:42 'but of one thing there is need, and Mary the good part did choose, that shall not be taken away from her.'
Yes, this is what you and I need. To sit at Jesus' feet daily and "hear Him" as the Father so aptly told Peter, James and John on the holy mount of transfiguration.
Jesus had also told the 12 in "Mt 7:24 'Therefore, every one who doth hear of me these words, and doth do them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house upon the rock;" - if you remember, the house stood if this foundation was present and if not, it blew away. He said "hear OF ME" ... again: OF ME!
Note: this HAS to be a personal relationship between you and Christ. Knowledge of the Holy Bible is not enough!
But do not be discouraged! Paul also wrote that the Word is near you, yes! Even IN you - in your heart. Why? Because within your heart is your spirit. I wrote an article about this which is on the tab above Word in you. How do get there where He is to contact Him? Hallelujah! We have 2 (actually there are more in Romans) tools:
The more you call "Oh Lord Jesus" (1), the more you contact Him and the more liable you are to be sensitive to Him. Now, mix this with the faith (2) I wrote about in my article on Romans 10 and then after you are in solid contact with Him be silent and listen to His voice.
Now do you understand why the 1st century church could survive even though they were illiterate and had no Bibles? Maybe some or most cities and towns had a copy of the Old Testament scrolls (maybe just one) in the local synagogue. But having the written scriptures is not as important as sitting at His feet. If you learn to know Jesus Christ then even being illiterate does not hinder your spiritual life - as long as you listen to the real 5-fold ministry when they admonish and teach the scriptures in your town. For a biblical definition of that please see this link.
Now before I prove this with my 2 side by side lists of verses showing what "scripture" means on one side and what "word of God" means on the other side, please see this quote of George Fox from his journal, section from year 1655 to 1656:
"In the beginning was the word, and none know this word, but those who have come to the beginning. Now all you people and all you ministers, who of you can witness this? Who of you has come to this position? Who of you has come to the beginning? We declare unto you what our hands have handled and what our eyes have seen, what was from the beginning, the word of life. We who know this word are pure, are made clean by the word, are sanctified by the word, are cut to pieces by the word, and are divided asunder by the word. This word is a hammer, beating down everything that the seed of God may raise up [discover], and we have come to the beginning. All who know this word have come into the beginning. It is as a fire, burning up all corruptions; and this is the word that is near you, in your heart.
This is the word by which all the prophets spoke, and this is the word that became flesh and dwelt among us, (said the saints). This is the word of life, which the apostles preached, the substance of all figures, types and shadows. This is the word, which makes all the saints one, that reconciles all their hearts together to the Lord. This is the word by which all things stand and remain and are upheld by his word and power. This is the word which endures forever. All, who are born again of the immortal seed, witness this word along with me. Now the word is made manifest [shown] the same as it ever was, which gathers together the hearts of people, which divides asunder the precious and the vile, and of the two, [destroying the vile] has made one. This is the word that lets you see that all flesh is grass.
This is the word that was before any Letter [scripture] was written. All who do not have this word, put the Letter [Bible] for the word, and are in Cain's nature, envying and murdering, running on swiftly to evil. God does not accept Cain's sacrifice. All your preaching, all your praying, all your reading, all your singing and expounding, all your churches, all your worships, all your teachers, and all you baptisms - these are inventions from the Letter [Bible] as invented and imagined by your carnal minds - these are all for the fire. Your profession must be gathered together in bundles and cast into the fire for they are all works of the flesh, proceeding from the first nature.
Those of you who live in the first nature, not knowing the word of God, but only the Letter [only have knowledge from the Bible]; you crucify the just, and you get up into the just's place, quenching the light within you, with the deceit transforming into the just's place, as Cain did when he slew his brother Abel. He got up into his brother's place and said, 'Am I my brother's keeper?' So all of you, who crucify the just, you are like Cain, for it is the righteous that God accepts, the second birth. As you read, Cain's sacrifice was not accepted by God, but Able (the second birth) God did accept, for he was righteous. Cain murdered Able because Abel's works were righteous, and Cain's were evil. Now all of you, who are in the first birth, are Cain, in envy; manslayers, and God does not accept your sacrifice. Now all that come to the word, come to before Cain was.
All the prophets of the Lord spoke from this word, and then the false prophets got the true prophets' form of word, but did not have the word. Then the Lord sent his prophets, who had his word, to cry against the prophets that "speak a divination from their own brain and steal my word from their neighbor." They use their tongues and said, "the Lord said," when the Lord had not spoken to them. As it was then, so it is now. All the [religious] teachers of the world speak a divination of their own brain, and not from the mouth of the Lord. The Lord is against them. Now I witness this by the same word as it ever was. So they draw people to the Letter [Bible], and tell people the Letter [Bible] is the word, and to listen to them, who speak from their vain imaginations what it means. So they bear rule by their means over the poor people, which the Lord was always against." (bold/italics mine)
Now see these 2 lists:
Jn 6:63 The Spirit is that which is vivifying. The flesh is not benefiting anything. The declarations which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. This Concerns His direct speaking to us. This is ALWAYS life-giving, nourishing and feeding. Also it is always Christ! Since I Cor. 15: 45b says "The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit", then Christ is the Holy Spirit! Of course He is also another One from the Spirit. But this means in any case that when God personally speaks He speaks Christ into us to assimilate into us! God's time is always NOW so even things He spoke in the past could become life to us now. This is why sometimes scriptures can become the Word to us. AV Dt 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Obviously there is not much life to this - this is why the old covenant is referred to as fading away. Without the Spirit of God to "live by Me" as Jesus spoke of those who eat Him ... then we are left to our own devices to try to obey God on our own out of the energy of the flesh. Nobody knows better than God does this cannot be done. This is why He gave the law so we could learn what He already knows. And what is that? That we are hopelessly fallen and cannot make it without Him. Indeed Jesus said "without Me you can do nothing." That is nothing of weight or any spiritual value. AV Jsh 14:6 . Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea. AV 1Sa 9:27 [And] as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God. AV 2Sa 16:23 And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, [was] as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so [was] all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom. AV 1Ki 12:22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, AV 2Ki 14:25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which [was] of Gathhepher. AV 2Ki 23:16 And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that [were] there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned [them] upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. AV 1Ch 17:3 And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, AV Isa 1:10 . Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. AV Isa 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. Although the word of God has lasting effect and fulfillment power, can you see by some of the above scriptures that the word of god spoken to certain men at certain times is not neccessarily for you at this time and place? AV Jer 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. AV Jer 23:36 And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God. AV Jer 35:12 . Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, AV Jon 3:3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. AV Mt 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Proceedeth ... now did you notice that word? It is what God is speaking to you directly whether he is using someone, something or through the scripture - it HAS to be Him and it has to rpoceed from His mouth which cannot be separated from His breathing! AV Mk 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. Even many more "such like" things are being done today. And we are told by such preachers they are doing ALL things "according to the Word of God." But this isn't true. Many many things today are not even being done in accordance with the scriptures, much less the word of God! The next passage starting with Luke 3:1 is interesting: those who were thought to be important including a list of kings and rulers of that day were mentioned in the previous verse ... also: AV Lk 3:2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, .... BUT!! ... the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. CLV Lk 8:11 "Now this is the parable: The seed is the word of God. CLV Lk 8:21 Now He, answering, said to them, "My mother and My brethren are these who are hearing the word of God and doing it." AV Ac 18:11 And he continued [there] a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. AV Ac 19:20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. AV Ro 10:17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. AV 1C 14:36 . What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? AV Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: AV 1Th 2:13 . For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received [it] not [as] the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. AV 2Ti 2:9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, [even] unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. AV Ti 1:3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour; AV Hb 4:12 For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Now you don't believe the mere words from a written page can do this, do you? AV Hb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, My Bible tastes like paper. I wouldn't dare taste my electronic version! This must, then, refer to direct contact with the living God. AV Hb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Ahhhh! This is proof. THIS word of God was surely Christ as no Bible was in existence at that time and besides, the Bible is an object which can be seen. AV 1Pt 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. Again, this has to be Someone living. Yes! It is Jesus Christ. AV 2Pt 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: AV Re 1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. AV Re 19:13 And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
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Dn 10:21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and [there is] none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince AV Mk 12:10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: AV Mk 15:28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. Since much (not all!) that is written in scripture is a record of the word of God as spoken to certain persons and events or even all persons sometimes, that does not mean it is the word of God that God is personally speaking to you today. Scripture does come to pass. Also, it can be anointed again while you read it or if a Spirit lead preacher proclaims it in obedience to God - then and then only is it the Word of God rather than the dead letter. AV Jn 2:22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. Did you see "and" here? AV Jn 5:39-40: Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. Notice THIS! Jesus is not much interested in people approaching scriptures without approaching Him and coming to Him. The PURPOSE of scriptures according to Him is that man might come unto Him! Hallelujah! Amen! AV Jn 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. AV Jn 7:42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? AV Jn 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Let's get one thing straight: I believe the scripture is GOD breathed directly inspired by God. The direct word of God to you will NEVER contradict the scripture. However, some words in scripture records words and sentiments of men not just words of God (for instance the errant sayings of Job's 3 friends). However it is a correct report of what they said. (We must add here that men's translations do have errors in them.)This is one reason why the scripture must be rightly divided and above all else approached in the presence and leading of the Holy Spirit. AV Jn 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. AV Jn 20:9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. AV Ac 1:16 Men [and] brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. AV Ac 8:32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: It is not altogether wrong to approach the scripture without approaching God. Have not many been reached, convicted and convinced by the Holy Spirit in this way? Yes! So what is right or wrong in this case?? Hey!! But THIS man WAS seeking God! Was he not? AV Ga 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed. AV 1Ti 5:18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer [is] worthy of his reward. AV 2Ti 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: Here is the verse that says scripture is God's breath. So there are many positive things here about how the scripture can be beneficial in the hands of a Spirit-led and anointed man of God! This does NOT mean the same brother Paul was not the same who wrote "the letter kills" - he WAS the same man with the same inspiration to write. It is still true that if you approach scripture without approaching the Spirit, it becomes a dead letter and like the ark of the covenant it can kill cause you will try to perform it as a law instead of receiving the Spirit's lead and direction. AV Ja 2:8 . If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: And how does the scripture say that the law can be fulfilled in you and by you? Ro 8:4: "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." AV Ja 4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? AV 1Pt 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. AV 2Pt 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. CONCLUSION: NO ONE, I mean absolutely NO ONE has any right to his or her private interpretation to that which originally flowed as the very breath of God! But folks do it all the time. Well, I don't want to be guilty of it , do you? How can we avoid this? #1: ONLY approach the Bible in the Spirit and BY the Spirit. Approach God 1st. Remember! God will NOT speak anything contrary to His word already spoken in scripture so He surely is not against you searching scripture in His presence as long as you are like minded with Him according to John 5:39 & 40 where He plainly stated that the LIFE of God is not found in scripture but it is found in HIM! #2: There is another side to limiting private interpretation and that is context. Not just the chapter the verse came from kind of context, but we also need historical context. ALSO: we need the correct order of the books written to be rearranged in our New Testament today! This is why I highly recommend the book Revolutionary Bible Study by Gene Edwards. This book also contains the historical background as well as the order written. When you read the New Testament in this way you are stuck in reality! Sorry religious pharisees! Your private interpretation has no place in this arena! The grand conclusion is still this: there is still today ONLY one thing needful both individually and corporately and that is to HEAR HIM! Jesus said so the importance of hearing Him and following His voice cannot be overemphasized. |
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Jn 5:39-40: 'Ye search the Writings, because ye think in them to have life age-during, and these are they that are testifying concerning me; and ye do not will to come unto me, that ye may have life;' Without HIM there is no life in the scriptures, but Oh! How many think there is the zoe life of God there! But not so! Not without coming to Christ!
Now hear this word: 2Ti 3:16 "All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:".
Now the word 'inspiration' means breath so the scripture came to us to holy men of God by God breathing it out to them! Hmmm .... how about into them? Some would say that that could not be true in the OT, but with God all things are possible. Surely the scripture is connected to the eternals, surely it is something from another age and another world. So here's my question: What happens if you separate a person from his breath? He will die, right? OK, but God will not die if you separate the Bible from Him by not coming to Him when you read the Bible, rather you will die!! Do not approach this holy book with your carnal mind! Yes it is true God may touch you anyway but it may be the ministry of condemnation. Paul warned us: "the letter kills but the Spirit gives life!"