or the word of God is living and powerful (Heb. 4:12). The Scriptures are alive and at work in the lives of men. We have seen how the promises and commands which God gave to His people centuries ago apply to us today. Though the Bible was not written to us, it was written for us, for the word of the Lord endures forever.
The author of Hebrews tells us that God's Word is powerful. The Greek word here is energes, powerful to work, elsewhere translated "effective." The word of God is not living and passive, but living and active, working to accomplish God's will. God does not give His word indiscriminately to all men, waiting and hoping that they might hear it and obey it if they want to. Rather, by His sovereign will, He sends His word in effectual power to complete His chosen work. So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Is. 54:11).
When God wills to save men from their sin, He does so by the power of His Word from beginning to end. We can see this in three steps by which men are saved.
First, God's word convicts men of their sin. This is the message of our passage in Hebrews. 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. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account (Heb. 4:12-13). The author warned the Hebrews not to follow the example of disobedient Israel but to listen to God's Word, which reveals our inward being and makes us aware of God's omniscient judgment. The picture is reminiscent of a sacrificed animal being cut open and laid bare on the altar, the sharp blade dividing even joints and marrow. Such is our condition before God. He sees every sinful act and knows every hidden thought. And when we have hardened ourselves to our true condition, God's Word, especially as contained in His law, cuts through our self-deceits, piercing to our soul and spirit to convict us of our backsliding and sin, for by the law is the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20).
Second, God's Word converts men out of death and into life. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul (Ps. 19:7). Having caused us to see our state of spiritual death, the Word of God powerfully and effectively works in us to bring us into a state of spiritual life. The picture so often given in Scripture is one of a new birth. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures (Jas. 1:17-18). This spiritual birth is a good and perfect gift from the Father; it is all of grace. We are no more able to bring ourselves out of spiritual death than an unborn child can bring about its own birth. But God by His own will gives life by the word of truth (cf. John 1:13; 1 Pet. 1:23).
This same message is seen in a different picture from the Old Testament. The Lord brought the prophet Ezekiel into the valley full of dry bones, and said to him, Son of man, can these bones live? So I answered, "O Lord God, You know!" Again he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live' (Ez. 37:3-5). Dead bones cannot bring themselves to life. But in faith Ezekiel commanded the bones to hear the word of the Lord, and by God's Word, life came into them.
In a similar way, God's ministers proclaim His Word of salvation to men dead in their sins, and because the word of God is living and powerful, dead men are raised to life. This truth should give us great confidence as we proclaim the Word of God. This confidence is not in our eloquence or wisdom to find the right words to say, but confidence in God to empower His Word as He chooses. God will bless us as we preach by faith.
Third, God consecrates men to holy living by His Word. Before His suffering, Jesus prayed for His disciples, asking the Father to sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth (John 17:17). In a similar way, just before Paul left the Ephesian elders he commended them to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified (Acts 20:32). God has given His Word to the church to build His people up in their faith, and to lead them into godly living. The Scriptures, Old and New Testament, are God's complete revelation of His will. His church needs no further word or prophecy, for it is by the Scriptures that we are thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:17).
God's word is not passive in our sanctification any more than it is in our salvation. Paul tells the Thessalonians that the Word of God also effectively (i.e. powerfully) works in you who believe (1 Thess. 2:13). God has given us His written Word, and He has also placed His law in our minds and on our hearts, that we may obey Him from the heart.
Thus we see from the Bible that the Word of God is active to convicts, convert, and consecrate men. The Bible just as clearly
teaches that it is God's Spirit who does these things (cf. John 16:8; Titus 3:5; Rom 15:16). This makes sense, for it is God's Spirit who inspired
His Word (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21), and thus He works in men through His inspired means. We see then that God gave His Word by the
Spirit, and through that same Spirit He graciously empowers His Word to accomplish His sovereign will in the lives of men.
