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1 That
which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our
eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of
life; 2 (For the
life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you
that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which
we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship
with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ. 4 And these
things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. (1 John 1:1-4)
We have heard much of the Word of God and what it means. When the Roman
Proconsul, Pontius Pilate, declared, “Behold the Man!” he was not
referring to any man in the multitudes gathered – he made reference to only One
Man – the Lord Jesus Christ! When the Holy Scriptures make reference to the
Word, to which word does it make reference? The bible scholar will know that
that reference means the WHOLE Word of God as presented in Holy Writ – to every
SINGLE Word. This directly refutes the so-called ‘dynamic equivalence’ of the
higher critics and the editors of the new bible versions such as the NIV, ESV,
NRSV, etc. So the WORD incorporates every utterance, phrase, jot, and tittle of
the Holy Bible!
But the allusion to the Word has an even greater meaning than alphabetical
symbols printed on a sheet of paper. It makes direct reference to that Great
Personage of which those printed words symbolically represent – Our Lord. He is
the Word Incarnate. 1 That
which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our
eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of
life; 2 (For the
life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you
that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which
we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship
with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ. 4 And these
things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. (1
John 1:1-4)
The Apostles knew our Lord in the First Person sense. They walked with Him,
talked with Him, dined with Him, and even touched Him because He was the Word
in the flesh. Thomas touched Him out of doubt. The lepers, whom no one would
touch, were touched by Him. The dead little daughter of Jairus awoke from the
sleep of death with the Lord holding her tiny hand. He was both fully God, and
fully man. But His blood was not infected with the sin of Adam. He had none of
Adam’s blood coursing through His veins since God was His Father.
Being both Alpha and Omega, He is the Beginning and the End – and,
incidentally, He is all things in between. A powerful reference is made to this
eternity of past, present, and future begins in the first verse of Genesis and
is the final word of Revelations. 1 In
the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Gen 1:1) The Hebrew word for God used
here is ‘Elohim’ which means a plurality of ONE! The English vocabulary have no
such exceptional word possessing singularity and plurality in the same sense.
The Triune God was present and active in the Creation; but it was the WORD that
was the Executive Power of Creation: 1 In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same
was in the beginning with God. 3 All things
were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was
life; and the life was the light of men. (John
1:1-4) This
references the Lord Jesus Christ –
14 And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
From the above texts, we see that Christ was the very Beginning, not only at
Creation, but in Eternity Past. The Written Word is a perfect picture of the
physical manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see Him in every book,
chapter, line and word of Scripture.
But do not forget the Omega-character of Christ in the End of all things. To be
sure, we are given the Alpha and Omega nature of Christ so our minds, being
imperfect in understanding, can envision a beginning and an end; but there is
neither beginning nor end to Christ. Remember, He is the Great PRESENT - the
great I AM! But as an example of the scope of life given this earthly life and
world, we must consider an end in the course of events before the Last Trump
shall sound.
Do you remember the last Word of the Holy Bible? 20 He
which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come
quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Rev 22:20-21) How
routinely we conclude our prayers with that ‘AMEN!
Why do we conclude our prayers with ‘Amen?’ This word comes down to us from the
Hebrew worship service of the people proclaiming AMEN after the readings and
prayers. The purpose of the practice was the same as it is in the Anglican form
of communal prayers which end with the people proclaiming ‘Amen!’ It is in this
way that we make the prayers our own in confirming our faith in them. A Hebrew
word that is closely related is the word ‘Amam’ with means I believe. The word
originally meant verily or faithful. Amen implies that we have absolute trust
and faith in that which has been stated. It is said to be the most used word in
the English language. (see Strong’s)
But the greater meaning of AMEN is simply another Name for our Lord Jesus
Christ. Of all things certain, there is One ABSOLUTE – the Lord Jesus Christ! 14 And
unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith THE
AMEN, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. (Rev 3:14) Being the
End of the dispensation of all time, He is also the Beginning of all Eternity
in the Eternity of the Presence. Since our mortal minds cannot comprehend
Eternity, God must give us simple references with which we might grasp a shadow
of the reality.
Unlike the American Constitution which has been amended many times and whose
interpretation varies with the compromising opinions of the judges, the Word of
God does not change. Every single Word we are told will be preserved. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass,
one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matt 5:18) We are
told, by those who despise the freedoms its original authors safe-guarded
therein, is a so-called ‘living’ Constitution. That means its meaning is
growing and changing. But when God refers to His Word as living, He means just
the opposite. It draws an exact image of our Lord Jesus Christ who, like the
Father, is unchanging. 8 Jesus
Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (Heb
13:8)
He shares that same nature with His Father: For I am the LORD, I change not;
therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. (Mal 3:6)
The Word of God is a Living Word because it is organic. It begets life to the
believer. It does not change, but it changes US! All of the words of men
dissipate as the vapors of the desert morning because they are INORGANIC – or
non-living words. But God Word is full of the Bread and Water of Life! 13 Whoso
despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment
shall be rewarded. 14 The law of
the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. (Prov 13:13-14) That Fountain
of Life is our Lord and His Waters gush forth in such abundance that the human
heart cannot contain them – it is overflowing. Those overflowing waters are the
joys of truth we share with others. 24 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life. 25 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall
hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26 For
as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in
himself; 27 And
hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. (John 5:24-27)
The Word is Immortal and cannot die. Therefore, if His Word ABIDES in our
hearts, neither can we die! Jesus castigated the Scribes and Pharisees – the
prominent preachers of His day, with these words: 38 And
ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
39 Search
the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they
which testify of me. 40 And
ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. (John 5:37-40)
I have often heard it said a good and loving God could never send a creature of
His making to hell. They say this to insist that all shall be saved without
regard to sin or faith. How wrong they are! It is true that God sends no one to
Hell for we send ourselves to that place if we are bound for it. God lovingly
invites all to abide with Him whose sins are covered by the blood of His Son,
but He will not open the gates of His Paradise to those who harden their hearts
through the rejection of His only Begotten Son. None of us would invite any
into our homes who would hate our son or daughter and who are already guilty of
their murder. Jesus cried and said, He that
believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that
seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that
whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man
hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the
world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my
words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall
judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father
which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should
speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I
speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. (John
12:44-50)
