By Pastor Augustine Olorunfemi Obalemo, FCA
The mystery of the word of God refers to truths about God’s word which cannot be unraveled by the natural human mind. Without divine wisdom, it would be absolutely impossible to unravel these mysteries. To the natural mind, the one who only functions in the physical realm, these mysteries are nothing but foolishness.
The remarkable relationship between the “words of God”, the “Word” of God, and “Jesus” is one such mystery in the scriptures. In the Book of John 1:1, the Bible explicitly declares,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, And the Word was God.” (KJV)
What a mysterious message! There is no doubt, from the scriptures, that the Word addressed here refers to a Divine Being who is Himself, God. He was there at creation and was a functional part of creation.
There is a need to emphasize here that the Word of God and the words of God, as regularly used in the scriptures, do not mean the same thing. Take the scripture John 8: 47 as an example:
“He that is of God heareth God’s words…” (KJV)
“God’s words” as used here do not refer to the “Word” in John 1:1 where it declares that “In the beginning was the Word…” Words, as used in John 8:47, define God’s words with which He, in many different ways, reveals Himself and His will to men through his servants and his prophets. In effect, The Word of God is revealed in God’s words! This is the origin of the scriptures: God’s instructions, directions, and revelations to his children. In all these, we discover that the keyword, the common word, is a revelation!
We can conclude from all the above that the Word is God revealed; God has gone forth into His creation. It is pertinent to note at this juncture that scriptures are not the only revelations from God. Creation, by itself, is also a revelation of God. The Divine Being called the Word is also a revelation. He revealed Himself at Creation. Interestingly and unbelievably, this Divine Being eventually manifested Himself physically among men on earth!
The Book of John 1:14 (KJV) testified saying,
“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.”
Notice that the scripture specifically stated that “the word became flesh…”! This does not in any way mean that he took on a human body or that he possessed a human body. No, it actually describes the fact that He became human in its entire entirety: spirit, body, and soul! The same Word that is God now became a human being! His entire being was a revelation of the invisible God. This human being, who is fully God, the Word and was fully human, is Jesus. The Bible declares,
“For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:9, KJV)
He was fully God as he was fully a man! This is the depth of a mystery that only the spiritual mind can comprehend. It is pertinent to emphasize here that the Word spoke words, by which he not only revealed Himself to us, but also by which He revealed to us the character of the Godhead, the will of God, His mission on earth, and much more.
Note carefully that the Word is in the words He speaks. So, while He is not any more physically present on earth, his words remain with us, preserved in the Bible, as a complete revelation of God and His will for us which He wants us to know. These words are the Logos of God, which are in the scriptures. So, all you need do to get to know Him or meet Him is pay attention to His words. This is why the Lord is calling the Church to the words. Deeper knowledge of His words is the secret to our spiritual maturity, a fuller knowledge of God and our rod of authority to rule.
The scripture in Joshua 1:8 actually anchors this reality of the Christian life:
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shall meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (KJV)
A careful study of Joshua 1:8 above shows that God’s words are the food that the Christian needs to regularly consume in other to mature! It reveals that one who chews it regularly and digests it can take charge of his or her destiny: thou, not anyone else (not even God Himself), shall make thy way prosperous, and then thou shall have good success! This is the measure of Christian maturity, the point at which one ceases to be a babe and is actually getting things done for himself!
In the New Testament, we see the Apostle Paul once again laying emphasis on the study of God’s words as a maturing instrument for the Christian, with emphasis on workers or leaders in general:
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV)
What is this scripture saying? It is simply instructing that you consistently study God’s words so that you can successfully demonstrate your divinity in Christ to the world. This demonstration of divinity manifests itself in your attitude, words, actions, successes, outlook, etc. One thing that is certain from here is that the Apostle of God was referring to your ability to take charge of your destiny. He was referring to Christian maturity.
God is very emphatic about his children maturing because his end-time army will be an army without blemish and an army that will get the job done:
“The invaders’ charge. They climb barricades. Nothing stops them. Each soldier does what he’s told, so disciplined, so determined. They don’t get in each other’s way. Each one knows his job and does it. Undaunted and fearless, unswerving, unstoppable.” (Joel 2:7-8, MSG)
This is God’s vision for His Church in these last days. It is the same with every earthly father: he rejoices at his children growing to maturity and being able to assume responsibility for themselves. The power to attain this level of maturity, for the Christian, is in God’s words!
In conclusion, we see that the Word is a person. The Word pre-existed the Beginning. He was present in the Beginning. The Word was in God. The Word made all things. The Word is life.