To Live is Christ — under the power of the Word

Canadian author Rudy Wiebe spoke last night at a writers’ conference hosted by the group that I’ve been part of for many years. He read one of his stories, a humorous piece that was also profound, a neat trick that not many writers can pull off.

His characters were ordinary folks wrestling with the concept of man being made in God’s image. They were trying to figure out what that meant. We could relate to all their guessing and supposing and the way they awed and argued through their discoveries.

Finally they decided that we humans are creators like God, and just as God spoke to create all things, our creative power is also in words. This offered brilliant encouragement to a group of 75-80 writers. Then I looked again at these words from God to me:

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3, ESV)

This is Isaiah writing under the inspiration of God, a decided step above the words that even the best of human writers by themselves can do. If words have creative power, what do words like this create in the hearts of those who read them?

Paul said that they generate faith. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The Bible generates faith. In fact, I’ve never known anyone to have saving faith without hearing or reading at least one verse of Scripture. This is one reason that the Bible is no ordinary book. James also wrote about its power . . . 

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)

In simpler words, that says that if anyone turns from sin and humbly allows God to plant His Word in their lives, it will save them from the penalty for sin (eternal death) and give them eternal life.

The Apostle John talked about the power of the Word too, only his expression was about the Living Word of God, not the written words in a book. He said,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made . . . . He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1–14)

God spoke and His Word created all things. This Word is Jesus Christ, who also became a man and lived among us. If anyone turns from sin and humbly allows God to plant this Word — Him — in their lives, He will save them from the penalty for sin and give them eternal life.

This is not merely a play on words. This is awesome!