THE WORD OF GOD AND How We See Him

By William R. Cunningham
March 5, 2006

INTRODUCTION

The word of God is very important in a Christian’s life, which we shall soon discuss.  However, there is something very specific that we should be careful not to overlook when considering the word of God, i.e., the Bible.  The Bible is the revelation of God to us.  God has revealed himself to us through the written word.  The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Word (John 1:1).  We strain to really understand how this could be, but with a better understanding of the concept of “word” then we will be able to grasp it that much more.

I have found that there is a rather common misunderstanding about God and that is because we view God from a source other than the Word.  We perceive God to be what He is not because we gain knowledge about God through various dogma and doctrine.  However, the Bible tells us about God.  God in effect says, “Here I am.  This is what I am like and what I want.”  All we have to do is read and understand the Bible to learn more about God.  Our affection should be towards God and not the world (See Matthew 6:19-21).

We are going to discuss the Word of God in this lesson.  We are going to look at what the word “word” means from the Christian perspective and how the Word is important in our lives.

SCRIPTURE TEXT

Consider the following passages of Scripture.

Matthew 4:4 (NKJV) -- {4} But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

See also Deuteronomy 8:3 and Luke 4:4.

John 8:31-32 (NKJV) -- {31} Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. {32} And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) -- {105} Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Psalm 119:111 (NKJV) -- {111} Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, For they are the rejoicing of my heart.

Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) -- {12} For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

These scriptures tell us a lot about the word of God.

1. We should live by every word that God speaks
2. Hiding the word in our heart could cause us not to sin against God
3. The word of God will guide us in life
4. The word of God pierces every aspect of the human being

You probably strive to live according to the word of God.  How many times have you heard someone tell you that you should live your life according to God’s word?  There is a problem here though.  Do you know what God’s word is?  Furthermore, do you realize how important it is to know God’s word?  The above and other scriptures indicate that it is indeed crucial that we know the word of God so that we would live according to it.  But again, what is the word of God and how do we live by it?

DEFINITION OF “WORD”

There are many Hebrew and two Greek words that are translated into the word “word.” 

“Word” From the Hebrew Text

The following are the Hebrew words that have been translated into the English word “word” in the Bible.

1. Emer, which means a saying, or speech.  See Genesis 49:21; Numbers 24:4; Deuteronomy 32:1
2. Omer, which means a saying or speech.  See Psalm 68:11, Habakkuk 3:9
3. Emrah, which means a saying or speech.  See Lamentations 2:17
4. Imrah (or Emrah), which means a saying or speech.  See Deuteronomy 33:9, 2 Samuel 22:31, Psalm 12:6, 18:30, 105:19, 119:11
5. Dabar can refer to something spoken, a saying or command, a speech, story.  In general it refers to spoken communication.  It could also refer to a matter or a thing. See Genesis 15:1, Exodus 4:5; Deuteronomy 13:3.  Most of the words translated to the word “word” in the Old Testament come from the word Dabar.
6. Dabberoth – speeches, utterances, words.  See Deuteronomy 33:3.
7. Memar, which means saying, speech.  See Daniel 4:17
8. Millah, which means a word, speech, Matter.  See 2 Samuel 23:2; Job 4:4, 6:26; Psalm 19:4
9. peh, which means, “mouth.”  See Genesis 41:40; Numbers 3:16; Deuteronomy 21:5
10. pithgam, which means a matter, a sentence.  See Ezra 6:11

“Word” From the Greek Text

The Greek words that have been translated into the English word “word” are as follows.

1. Rhema, which means a saying, something said, utterance, a thing (what was spoken of).  See Matthew 4:4, 12:36, 18:16, 26:75.
2. Logos, which means something said including the thought, a topic (subject of discourse), reasoning, motive, a computation, divine expression, and account.  See Matthew 5:32, 37, 7:24, 26, 28, 8:8, 8:16, 13:19.

The difference between logos and rhema are important to understanding the concept of “word” and especially as it pertains to ministry.

Rhema basically deals with something that is spoken.  It is not associated with the underlying thought or reason for what is said.  The recipient of rhema either believes or disbelieves what was said.

However, logos not only is something that is spoken, but it also includes the thought or reason behind the thought.  The logos is an expression or perhaps more simplified, a representation of what is spoken of.  Logos is like painting a picture of what is inside of your mind so that someone else would see the same thing.  Logos requires understanding in most if not all cases since it is the expression of something that is inside or a concept.

Now relative to Christianity in a strict sense, rhema is the spoken word of God.  The rhema is what God said and what we should obey.  The Logos is more than that.  The Logos is the understanding or the spirit behind what is said as well.  This is why we call the Bible the word of God, i.e., the logos.  However, it also is the rhema of God in some cases because it records what God actually said in times past.

The Written Word

Sometimes people think of the rhema as the spoken word and the logos as the written word.  That is not correct since both are spoken.  The rhema deals with speech whereas the logos deals with ideas, concepts, and reasoning.  Philosophically we could say that the logos deals with logic, thus understanding.  There is a Greek word that is used to describe something written and it is the word GRAMMA.

The Greek, gramma means a writing, letter, note, book, epistle, scripture (a writing), plural learning.  See Luke 16:6, 23:38; John 5:47; Romans 2:27, 29, 7:6; 2 Corinthians 3:6:7; 2 Timothy 3:15.

Differentiating Mere Talking and Logos

Another thing that I would like to point out is that neither logos nor rhema deal merely with speaking.  Both at the very least relay a message.  There is a Greek word that refers to the mere act of speaking or speech and it is the word lalia. Consider the following scriptures that illustrate this point.

John 8:43 (NKJV) -- {43} Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.

The first word translated “speech” comes from the word lalia, which we discussed previously.  The word “word” is translated from the Greek “Logos.”  So you again see the distinction between mere speaking and the concept of the Word.  Here Jesus tells the Pharisees that they couldn’t comprehend what he was saying (the message) because they couldn’t understand his speech (language).  Today I might say something like; “You can’t understand my concept because I am speaking ‘Greek’ to you.”  This is consistent with the teaching in the Bible that the things of God are not comprehended by those who are not of God (the world).

The “Word OF GOD”

 The “word of God” is a phrase that is used to express the means by which God reveals himself to humans, declares his will, and brings about that will.

• 1 Samuel 9:27
• 1 Chronicles 17:3
• Proverbs 30:5
• Mark 7:13
• Luke 3:2, 4:4, 5:1
• Acts 6:2, 7

The phrase, “word of God” is also used to refer to the following.

1. Ten Commandments.  See Deuteronomy 5:5.
2. The Whole Mosaic law (Isaiah 2:3)
3. Specific parts of the Old Testament (Romans 9:6; 1 Timothy 4:5)
4. Personal communication from God (1 Samuel 3:21; 15:10)
5. Jesus’ message of the Kingdom of God (Luke 8:11)
6. The gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:31)
7. Jesus himself (Revelation 19:13)

God’s word is the primary method that God communicates and works in our world.  Keep in mind that the Word is seen as Christ, the incarnation of God on earth.

The Word of God and the Bible

I cannot stress enough the importance of knowing what the Bible says.  However, we shouldn’t think of the Bible as a series of rules to live by.  The Bible is also not a roadmap to follow so to speak.  The Bible is the revelation of God.  We find the following general messages in the Bible.

1. Reconciliation (The activities of God to reconcile humans to himself)
2. A view of God (We can see what God is like based on what He tells us in His Word)
3. A view of humans (We can also see the nature of humans through the Bible)

Our view of God should come from the Bible.  If you want to know what God is like then read the Bible.  If you want to know what God is doing then read the Bible.  However, read the Bible with “message” in mind.  Don’t read the Bible in order to know which way to go to work, or what car you should purchase.  Read the Bible to know God and what He wants.  Read the Bible as you would interpret a painting that you see.  What does the painting say?  What does the Bible say?

1. God wants you to be saved
2. God wants you to know Him
3. God wants you to give up trying to save yourself
4. God wants you to know how helpless you really are

Jesus said that we live by the Word of God.  We do.  We already do.  We also need to know the Bible if we are going to know what God revealed to us.  The Bible is not a collection of stories.  It is the revelation of God to us.

We should take the time to get the revelation of God into our very being.  We should come to know what God said in His word.  We would be that much better for it.