What exactly is the Word of God?
This irritates me often to hear preachers always say that whenever the phrase "Word of God" is read in the Bible, that it means the Bible itself.
Thus equating the "Word of God" and Bible as coequals. I view it much more as a rectangle square thing. A square is always a rectangle, but a rectangle is not always a square: follow so far?
The Bible is the Word of God, but the Word of God is not always just the Bible. Thus is my viewpoint.
Biblical support for my view: I'll take some classic passages.
John*1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John*1:2 He was in the beginning with God.
John*1:3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
And following passage as well... the Word of God is a person: Jesus Christ. But also anyone with common sense knows that in the beginning there was not a book lying there creating anything for the Bible itself had not been written, nor were there any men to write it yet. And the words found on the pages of the Bible do nothing but record the actual words and events. These actual words and events should be the main focus. More evidence:
1 Sam*3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him.
I hear preachers often say that this passage shows that Samuel had not yet been shown the Scriptures for the Word of the Lord had not been revealed to him. I personally don't believe that. I don't know if bar-mitzvahs were being practiced in that day, but if they were, Samuel would have definitely known Scripture by that day. Also if not we read that Samuel ministered before the Lord. How else would Samuel have known how to minister if the Scriptures had not either been read or shown to him? This word in 1 Sam 3:7 must be something more than a written document, but rather be the actual Word proceeding from the mouth of God, as we see God doing in this passage.
If you take the time to read the passage following 1 Sam 3, you will find that the people made a memorial out of Shiloh for the Word of God was revealed there. Did people in that day always make memorials when a child was shown the Scriptures that were being taught? I don't think so. This must mean that this word was yet again more than just Scripture, but rather basis for the Scripture itself.
Furthermore we find a phrase "the word of Samuel" in 1 Sam 4:1. Did Samuel write his own book? No, rather he spoke it to them himself.
I believe that God is still fully capable of speaking to someone in like manner today (go see the Charismatic Movement thread about His Voice and you can read a testimony for yourself)
I also believe that this phase of automatically calling the "word of God" the Bible stems from a practice of Bible deism, an occurence of making a god out of the Bible itself. Spending more time analyzing the Bible than allowing it to reveal the more important God behind it. And then you have doctrine which says that the Bible became flesh in Christ Jesus. (yes I've heard it and do hear it). Based on John 1:1...
A pet peeve of mine. Any thoughts on the matter?
This irritates me often to hear preachers always say that whenever the phrase "Word of God" is read in the Bible, that it means the Bible itself.
Thus equating the "Word of God" and Bible as coequals. I view it much more as a rectangle square thing. A square is always a rectangle, but a rectangle is not always a square: follow so far?
The Bible is the Word of God, but the Word of God is not always just the Bible. Thus is my viewpoint.
Biblical support for my view: I'll take some classic passages.
John*1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John*1:2 He was in the beginning with God.
John*1:3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
And following passage as well... the Word of God is a person: Jesus Christ. But also anyone with common sense knows that in the beginning there was not a book lying there creating anything for the Bible itself had not been written, nor were there any men to write it yet. And the words found on the pages of the Bible do nothing but record the actual words and events. These actual words and events should be the main focus. More evidence:
1 Sam*3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him.
I hear preachers often say that this passage shows that Samuel had not yet been shown the Scriptures for the Word of the Lord had not been revealed to him. I personally don't believe that. I don't know if bar-mitzvahs were being practiced in that day, but if they were, Samuel would have definitely known Scripture by that day. Also if not we read that Samuel ministered before the Lord. How else would Samuel have known how to minister if the Scriptures had not either been read or shown to him? This word in 1 Sam 3:7 must be something more than a written document, but rather be the actual Word proceeding from the mouth of God, as we see God doing in this passage.
If you take the time to read the passage following 1 Sam 3, you will find that the people made a memorial out of Shiloh for the Word of God was revealed there. Did people in that day always make memorials when a child was shown the Scriptures that were being taught? I don't think so. This must mean that this word was yet again more than just Scripture, but rather basis for the Scripture itself.
Furthermore we find a phrase "the word of Samuel" in 1 Sam 4:1. Did Samuel write his own book? No, rather he spoke it to them himself.
I believe that God is still fully capable of speaking to someone in like manner today (go see the Charismatic Movement thread about His Voice and you can read a testimony for yourself)
I also believe that this phase of automatically calling the "word of God" the Bible stems from a practice of Bible deism, an occurence of making a god out of the Bible itself. Spending more time analyzing the Bible than allowing it to reveal the more important God behind it. And then you have doctrine which says that the Bible became flesh in Christ Jesus. (yes I've heard it and do hear it). Based on John 1:1...
A pet peeve of mine. Any thoughts on the matter?
