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God has always attached great importance to His word. And
naturally so. As the motive expression of His person and mind that it is, the word of God
is "quick and powerful." It is thereby capable of putting into effect and
accomplishing the things God purposes. From Creation itself this is recognized, just as
David declares.
"By the word of the LORD were the heavens
made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth…For he
spake, and it was done;
he commanded, and it stood fast." (Psalm 33:6,9)
Creation, therefore, is the result of God’s word functioning as the
motive expression of His will. "He commanded, and they were created," was the
issue, pure and simple. No matter how astounding this is to think about, it is in truth
purely elementary for the creatures of creation to acknowledge it.
Yet to the creatures of creation there is much more to the word of God
than motive expression. From the very beginning, as Genesis 1 records, God also spoke
directly to His creatures, both blessing them and commanding them concerning His will.
They heard and comprehended His word to them. As such, the word of God functions as the
communication and living expression of His person and mind, and His creatures live unto
Him by means of its operation within them. Such was the case with all God’s
creatures, including especially man, whom God created with the greatest capacity for the
effectual working of His word within.
Adam understood and appreciated that the word of God was the living
expression of God’s person and mind to him. He knew it was the lifeblood of his
relationship with God; that he lived by it. In essence he knew that, "man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
However, this was also something the Adversary understood very well. Hence, as Genesis 3
records, before the appointed time when Adam and his wife would again hear "the voice
of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day," Satan struck. Before
any further education in man’s godliness could occur, Satan made his move. With four
simple words — "Yea, hath God said,…" — Satan struck at the very
lifeblood of man’s relationship with God, and severed it. As a result the word of
God, which should have been glorified by man in an ever-growing appreciation of its
effectual working within; and which should have been glorified by man for its capacity to
produce the godliness man was created to possess, was replaced with the word of another.
Since man fell into sin and became by nature an ungodly creature, the
rightful and full glorification of the word of God by man has not occurred. Even Israel,
though created by God to be His godly nation on this earth, has yet to be so. In view of
their failure to learn the lessons of their own inherent inadequacies after God brought
them out of Egypt, Israel’s history has been one of learning the hard way the lesson
of Deuteronomy 8:3. Therefore, Moses reproved Israel, saying,…
"And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to
hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know;
that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live." (Deuteronomy 8:3)
It will not be until God resumes and fulfills His program with Israel,
and they receive the "adoption" with all its provisions, that they will be
God’s godly nation. Then they will exclaim along with the Psalmist, "thou
hast magnified thy word above all thy name," and will magnify and glorify it
themselves on this earth.
Amazingly, however, it is to us in this dispensation of God’s grace
that the privilege has been granted of glorifying the word of God. The full glorification
of the word of God for what it is as the lifeblood of man’s relationship with God,
and for the more excellent power that it has as it works within us, is something we today
have the privilege of dramatically putting on display.
The Apostle Paul declared not only the reality of this to the
Thessalonians, but also the fact that they were examples of how it was done.
"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the
word of the Lord may have free course, AND BE GLORIFIED, EVEN AS IT IS WITH
YOU:" (II Thessalonians 3:1)
When something is glorified it receives the full measure of
honor, praise, and exaltation that it deserves. Its excellency is acknowledged and put on
display. Its superior capabilities are magnified and manifested. It is also dignified by
being given its rightful place of honor. From the beginning God’s word has been
deserving of its rightful glorification, and now by the riches of God’s grace unto us
in this dispensation we have the privilege of doing it.
As Paul states, the Thessalonian saints are examples to us in this. They
glorified the word of the Lord. Throughout I and II Thessalonians Paul deals with the
various aspects of this issue. However, most everything can be assimilated under five
major categories, three of which are brought together in one verse. Briefly consider,
therefore, these issues that comprise the glorification of the word of God by us.
"For this cause also thank we God without
ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it
not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually
worketh also in you that believe." (I Thessalonians 2:13)
First, Paul says that these Thessalonian saints received the word
of God, "not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God."
This is naturally where our glorification of God’s word begins. We first acknowledge
it for what it is in truth, not men’s word, but God’s very words that proceeded
out of His mouth and are recorded for us. As such, our attitude towards it is to be one of
complete submission to its truthfulness and authority. It alone knows the truth, is
"the word of truth," and so sets forth the truth. It also has the right to tell
us what to think and how to think, no ifs, ands, or buts. These are intrinsic properties
of God’s word because it is God’s word. Our ready submission to it is the
foundation for its rightful glorification.
Second, Paul says they "believed" the word of God. To
these saints, if God said it, they believed it, and that settled it. Since it was the
infallible, inerrant word of God they were dealing with, that was all that was necessary
to produce a spirit of faith in them when dealing with it. The same ought to be true of
us. We do not sit in judgment of God’s word, nor does it need to commend itself to
our evaluations before we are to believe it. Instead, God’s word sits in judgment of
us, and the only commendation it ever needs it carries by nature — it’s
God’s word. It needs no other commendation. For that reason, and that alone, it ought
to be believed by us, nothing wavering.
Third, Paul says that as they believed the word of God it
"effectually worketh" in them. The edification unto godliness that God has
specifically designed His word to produce within us, effectually took place within these
saints. And this, naturally enough, glorifies God’s word. In contrast to the vanity
of mind, darkened understanding, and ungodly thinking of the unsaved as they follow the
course of this world, the effectual working of God’s word within us produces
godliness and brings forth "the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ,
unto the glory and praise of God."
Fourth, Paul describes how the Thessalonians relied upon what the
word of God said, and went by what it said, regardless of circumstances, feelings,
opposition, etc. This they demonstrated in the midst of all the tribulation they endured.
It was what God said that was real to them. What they saw, what they felt, what they
experienced, and the like, was evaluated on the basis of what God said is going on today
and what He says He is doing. As Paul says in II Corinthians 5:7, "we walk by faith,
not by sight," and this is what these saints did. In accordance with the fact that
God is dealing with us as "sons" today and not as "children," walking
by implicit faith in what God says to us today also glorifies His word.
Fifth, Paul relates how these Thessalonians used the word of God
as the "sword of the Spirit" that it is, and in so doing effectively withstood
the Satanic policy of evil against us. This, too, naturally glorifies the word of God.
Wherefore Paul says,…
"For this cause, when I could no longer
forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and
our labour be in vain." (I Thessalonians 3:5)
Paul calls Satan "the tempter" here in accordance with the
only other time Satan is so called, that being when he tempted our Lord. The parallel is
not simply a coincidence. At that time the Lord responded to every temptation with "It
is written," thereby standing fast and unmoveable on the very words that
"proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Consequently, our Lord dispatched the
tempter, and in so doing He glorified the victorious power of the word of God. In similar
manner did the Thessalonians respond when they were tempted by the tempter to depart from
the faith. And in so doing they also glorified God’s word.
These five issues do not exhaust all there is to the glorification of
God’s word, but they are certainly major components of it. May it be that we likewise
glorify the word of the Lord, as did these saints.
The riches of God’s grace abound unto us in this present
dispensation. Gracious privilege upon gracious privilege is ours to appropriate and revel
in. Though each is rich in and of itself, the privilege of glorifying the word of God is
one of the highest accorded us.
Did Paul Pray
for the Impossible?
by Keith R. Blades
Prayer involves the issue of intelligent communion with God. Intelligent
especially in the sense that it operates not on superstition, ritual, feelings, or some
mysterious key to getting God’s attention, but on a clear understanding of what God
is doing in His plan and purpose, and a clear recognition of how He says He operates with
His people. In accordance with this, when God’s program with Israel entered its
climactic stages with the kingdom of heaven being preached to be "at hand," the
disciples asked the Lord to teach them to pray.
"And it came to pass, that, as he was
praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord,
teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." (Luke 11:1)
The disciples knew from "the gospel of the kingdom" and from
the Lord’s doctrine that things were coming to a head in Israel’s program. They
also knew that the Lord had spoken about some very special operations of God that would be
in effect at that time, from which they would need to benefit. Hence, in view of this,
they desired to pray intelligently in full accordance with knowing both what was going on
in God’s program and how He said He would deal with them. To this the Lord responded
with a description of intelligent prayer for them at that time.
What constituted intelligent prayer for them, however, is not
intelligent prayer for us today. God suspended the outworking of His program with Israel
when He raised up Paul as a brand new apostle, and we today live in the dispensation of
God’s grace to the Gentiles. In this dispensation God’s program is vastly
different from His program with Israel, and the way in which He deals with us is
dramatically different from how He dealt with Israel. Therefore, intelligent prayer for us
in this dispensation will be strikingly different from that of the remnant of Israel.
It is through the example of the Apostle Paul that we are taught to pray
intelligently in this dispensation. As the one to whom the revelation of "the mystery
of Christ" was committed, along with the issue of living "under grace,"
Paul’s prayers reflect and demonstrate intelligent communion with God for us today.
For this reason numerous prayers of Paul are contained in his epistles to us, from which
we learn to appreciate similar intelligent communion with God as we grow in our
edification.
Of particular interest in this area is Paul’s prayer for the
Ephesian saints set forth in Ephesians 3:14-21. In this prayer Paul sets forth in no
uncertain terms the special sphere in which the power of God operates today in the lives
of His people. But not only this, this prayer also sets forth the fact that the special
sphere in which God’s power operates today also provides for the greatest working of
His power.
14 "For this cause I bow my knees
unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven
and earth is named,
16 That he would grant you, according
to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all
saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ,
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
20 Now unto him that is able to do
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh
in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Ephesians
3:14-21)
As Paul makes clear in verse 20, God’s power today "worketh in
us." This is done through the effectual working of His word and the Spirit of God in
us. Hence, all the issues in this prayer are inner man issues. This, once again, is the
sphere of the operation of God’s power in this dispensation. And this stands in
marked contrast to Israel’s program in which God covenanted to do marvels among them
so that they would "see the work of the Lord" in their midst as He worked in the
outward circumstances of their lives.
In addition to this, however, Paul also makes it clear in this prayer
that the power of God’s word at work within us today is the most excellent display of
God’s power. The exceeding great power that belongs to God’s word is able to be
put on display today in an unprecedented and impressive manner. This is because not only
is God’s word working within us able to do "exceeding abundantly above all that
we ask or think" regarding the condition of our inner man, it is also able to do
exceeding abundantly above all that Satan thinks he can do, as he works to show the
capacity he still has to influence us in our inner man. That Satan desires to show that he
is still able to affect our inner man, is something Paul makes clear throughout our
epistles. However, it is the soul-stabilizing excellency of the power of God’s word
operating within us, (even when we are pressed out of measure), that we have the privilege
to put on display today. And this we are privileged to do both to the glory of God and His
word, and to the chagrin of the devil.
It is in view of the fact that Satan’s policy of evil was adversely
affecting the inner man of the Ephesians with terrifying fear, anxiety, and great
distress, hoping to make them "faint," that Paul prayed for what would seem to
be impossible to their fearful souls. But God’s word operating within them not only
had the power to strengthen them with might, but also fill them with all the fulness of
God.
Did Paul pray for the impossible? No, for he knew all about the
excellency of the power of God’s word operating within us today with its capacity to
do "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." The real question,
however, is this: Do you know what he knew? |
