“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
“For the word of God is alive and active.”
What in the world does that mean?
Because the word of God expresses the character and nature of a holy and perfect God, whenever God’s word encounters finite and sinful creatures, the word of God will convict and challenge sinners to repent and change. What the word of God is not and cannot be is mere words that entertain and inform. The word of God will always convict and challenge sinners to repent and change.
It is truly encouraging to hear of so many of you who have taken on the challenge of reading the Bible daily. That makes the hearts of your pastors sing! Well done.
As you are reading and sitting under the teaching and the authority of God’s word, I pray that you are being challenged and changed by God’s truth.
Alistair Begg writes, “The more we sin under the instruction of the Bible without being changed by it, the less likely the possibility of such change becomes.”
So, how can we read the Bible so that God can challenge and change us?
First, read God’s word as if your life depended on it…because it does. Read in a time and place where you can be free from distractions.
Second, read slowly. This is not a race to see how fast you can finish your daily reading. This is about genuinely opening yourself to whatever it is God wants to reveal to you through the reading that day.
Finally, read prayerfully. As you are reading, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what God wants you to know for that day.
The word of God will always convict and challenge sinners to repent and change. What the word of God cannot be is mere information.
Praxis: Faith in Action 