Jesus – The Word of God

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” – Revelation 19:11-13 NASB

Jesus is The Word of God. The Word of God is one of His many names. It is clearly stated in the scriptures in more passages than the one I just quoted from Revelation. Yet, many Christians call the Bible the Word of God, and defend that title for the Bible with great conviction. They have elevated the Bible to the point of idolatry or worship without even being aware of it.

Please understand, I am not trying to disprove the Scriptures. The issue lies with the implications of the name “The Word of God” being assigned to the Scriptures, and the effects it has on the church and our culture which He, Jesus, loves.

In all fairness, I don’t think anyone will ever vocally give worship to the Bible, but it is held in such high regards, so much to the point where it has been given the name “The Word of God,” one of the very names of Jesus! Many Christians argue that the Bible is sufficient to guide us in our life and faith. But that depends on how you are seeking to live your life. If you are seeking to live your life by a set of doctrines, or rules and principles, then yes, the bible is sufficient and you need not look elsewhere.

But if you are seeking to let your life be lived by the Divine Life of the indwelling Christ, then He is the all-sufficient guide in our lives and our faith is in Him, not in the scriptures. The scriptures are then viewed for what they are, as an arrow pointing to Jesus. When one seeks to establish the Bible as the authority and central “figure”, the focal point of the Christian faith, they are seeking to supplant Christ from the place that belongs to Him, a place that has been His from eternity and they rob Him of glory and honor that is due Him. Christ is to be central and supreme in the lives and meetings of those who believe in Him.

To quote from this story by James Shelley on The Ooze.com,

“They have forgotten that what they believe is older than that which they read. They say, ‘We have the Book, and therefore we believe,’ but they forget those who believed before there was a Book. They forget that before the Book was formed, the Faith was sought. The Book did not give birth to faith. No, faith gave birth to the Book. The Book did not write faith, but faith wrote the Book…

…even now they worship the Book. They worship the words that speak of the Creator, as though such words were equal to the very essence of the Creator. Herein lies their sacred idolatry: they worship their faith, not the Creator who gave them faith. They place their faith in words and pages, not in the Creator who inspired the writing. They ascribe absolute truth onto mere words, and then settle for the truth they render from these words.

Forgetting their ancestors who sought the Creator, they interpret the Book to explain the Creator. Forgetting their ancestors who knew the Creator before there was a Book, they claim the only way to know the Creator is through their rendition of the Book. They assert that knowledge of the Book is a prerequisite for communion with the Creator, yet it was communion which first brought the Book to life. They proclaim that the Book must be understood for faith to take root, yet faith is what gave root to the Book. The Book tells the stories of men, women and children who knew the Creator before the Book, and yet they claim the only way to know the Creator is through the Book.”

Conclusion – Jesus, The Word of God

When we elevate someone or something to a position that belongs to Christ alone, be it in name, priority or authority, we are making that person or thing an idol and stealing glory and honor from Christ.

To illustrate this point, in his book, From Eternity To Here, Frank Viola rehearses a story the Lord gave to his friend, Mike Broadie.

“Every year Mary, the Holy Spirit, and the Bible get together and weep. As they are weeping, Mary says, ‘I brought Him into this world. I gave Him life on this earth. But they have worshiped me and have stolen glory from my son.’ Then the Holy Spirit speaks and says, ‘I did not come to speak of Myself. I did not come to reveal Myself. I came to reveal Him. I came to magnify and glorify Him. But they have made Me central.’ Finally, the Bible, also weeping, speaks and say, “I came to point men and women to Him. I came to testify of Him. I came to make Him known. But they have made a god out of me.’ ” (pgs. 171-172, From Eternity to Here, Frank Viola)

But there remains this hope…

“May it dawn upon this generation that the communion they seek with the Creator transcends even the scope of the Book. May they embrace and value the book above all others, yet not derive and measure the soul of their faith by their limited interpretations. What great revolution might occur if they truly discovered the heart of their Creator? Imagine with me the limitless possibilities! Oh, that humanity may be enraptured once again in a hunger for far more than the study of a book or the worship of contrived ideas. Let them intimately search for the Creator, not fabricate their cognitive explanations about the Creator from the Book.”

Oh, that we would know Him and allow Him to reveal Himself as He desires, not by our own interpretations, but by His will and through the various manners in which He desires to use.

There is more to come…

Suggested Reading:

The School of Christ by T. Austin Sparks

Beyond Bible Study: Finding Jesus Christ In Scripture by Frank Viola

Christ The Center by David Flowers

Christianity or Christ? by Milt Rodriguez

Living Room Faith: The Couch of Completion by David Flowers

The Bible is Not A Jigsaw Puzzle by Frank Viola

Radical Church Restoration: A Book Series Review by David Flowers

Give Up On The Historical Jesus? by David Flowers