\n<\/p>\n
The Bible is often called the \u201cword of God,\u201d which means, among other things, that it has final authority over the life of the Christian. The following passage from the anonymous book of Hebrews seems to make that point rather clearly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nIndeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.\u00a0 And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The author of Hebrews has just finished a lengthy reflection on Psalm 95 and how that psalm speaks a word of encouragement to his readers who are suffering some persecution. And note\u00a0how the word of God is said to \u201cjudge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.\u201d Strictly speaking, the Bible doesn\u2019t judge\u2014God does. But aligning the Bible and God so closely tells us something about how important the Bible is to this writer.<\/a><\/p>\n
Of course, we have to remember that \u201cword of God\u201d was limited to the Old Testament for this writer, since there was no New Testament\u2014and wouldn\u2019t be for a good long time, several generations, in fact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But surely this writer does not mean to say that God\u2019s speaking is simply to be equated with the written Scripture. In fact, this writer begins this letter by saying the exact opposite:<\/p>\n
\nLong ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God\u2019s glory and the exact imprint of God\u2019s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. (Hebrew 1:1-2)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
How God spoke long ago (through the prophets) is not the same as how God is speaking \u201cin these last days,\u201d which is \u201cby a Son\u201d\u2014namely Jesus. Without building a wall between these two ways of speaking, the writer is nevertheless saying that God\u2019s Son is beyond this written word. The Son is, after all,\u00a0<\/p>\n
heir of all things,\u00a0<\/p>\n
the one through whom God created the worlds,\u00a0<\/p>\n
the reflection of God\u2019s glory,<\/p>\n
the exact imprint of God\u2019s very being,<\/p>\n
the sustainer of all things.<\/p>\n
In fact, if we keep reading throughout Hebrews, we\u2019ll see that this writer is quite determined to show how God\u2019s speaking through Jesus is the true and final authority for his readers.<\/p>\n
All of which brings me to my point. I sympathize with calling the Bible the \u201cword of God,\u201d but I wonder if we are not too quick to simply collapse the Bible with the\u2014what words do I use?\u2014deeper, truer, more excellent, Word that is always present with us.<\/p>\n
John\u2019s Gospel begins in much the same way. There we read that the \u201cWord\u201d was present at the beginning of creation. This Word was with God, and in some mysterious way \u201cwas God.\u201d\u00a0 All of creation exists because of this Word, and this Word is a light that shines in the darkness\u2014an unmistakable echo of God\u2019s words on the first day of creation in Genesis 1:3, \u201cLet there be light.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.\u00a0 He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.\u00a0 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Nothing of what is said about Jesus the Word can be said of the Bible as the word. And to remind myself of that, when referring to Jesus I would use the capital Word of God, and lower-case word of God when referring to the Bible.<\/p>\n
For Christians, the Word is what the word is pointing us to. <\/h2>\n
The word is not the same thing as the Word, but points us to the Word whom we can experience in our spirit. Or to put it another way, the word is a thing; the Word is a living being. The word is not the Word, but serves to bear witness to the Word.<\/p>\n