St. John Studies

Students of John Wesley know several things about the man.

He was the “unofficial founder” of the Methodist Church.  I say “unofficial” because his intention was not to start a new Protestant denomination.  He wanted to reform his own denomination, which was the Anglican Church [the Church of England].

He was a priest in the Anglican Church to his dying day even though he was also the head of the Methodist Movement.

He was a very educated man, a graduate of Oxford University, elected a fellow of Lincoln College and ordained a priest two years later.

Wesley was very serious about his faith and very serious about the study of God’s Word.  He referred to himself as a “man of one Book.”

He developed a methodology of studying scripture called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral.

What is this Quadrilateral and how does it work to unlock the meaning of the Bible?

First of all, he put the scripture itself at the forefront of understanding the Bible.  Wesley insisted that scripture is the first authority and contains the only measure whereby all other truth is tested. It was delivered by authors who were divinely inspired. It is a rule sufficient of itself. It neither needs, nor is capable of, any further addition.

Secondly, Wesley does not discount the role of tradition in the existence of the Bible.  In his age, he knew that the Bible went through 1,700 years of history and that does not need to be ignored.  It is a reality.  That does not mean that horrible error occurred or disrespect toward the text was the norm.  For Wesley, he felt that the years have helped all of man understand Scripture and that understanding should not be ignored.  That understanding can actually unlock the meaning of the Bible.

The third part of his quadrilateral is devoted to reason.  As stated above, he was a highly educated man.  He knew that man has a brain and he should apply it to Scripture.  With reason applied to the Bible, it can only unlock the meaning of Scripture even more.  He does not rule out the power of the Holy Spirit for we need that to understand the mysteries of God.  But with Wesley, “a pure heart” emotional approach to Bible study was not his approach.

Lastly, the role of experience in the life of the Christian was important to Wesley.  He said  “What the scriptures promise, I enjoy.”  Wesley was a student of the Bible first as he worked to educate himself as a minister at Oxford.  Being a young man, he wanted to experience God’s grace first-hand but history records that he forced himself to do God’s work.  He was very legalistic in his approach to his faith and wanted to control his life as he made a serious effort to do the will of God.  It was not until he felt God’s presence at a time that was a surprise that he knew he was finally made right with God…he was justified.  His study of Scripture just made his relationship with God even stronger.  He did not want to stop with justification, he wanted to grow more, what he labelled sanctification, the act or process of acquiring sanctity, of being made or becoming holy.

Wesley felt that sanctification is the lifelong work of the Christian.

Many regard Wesley’s Quadrilateral as a very intelligent approach to understanding the Bible, especially the Methodist church.

In United Methodist understanding, both laypeople and clergy alike share in “our theological task.” The theological task is the ongoing effort to live as Christians in the midst of the complexities of a secular world. Wesley’s Quadrilateral is referred to in Methodism as “our theological guidelines” and is taught to its pastors in seminary as the primary approach to interpreting the scriptures and gaining guidance for moral questions and dilemmas faced in daily living  [from Wikipedia, The Wesleyan Quadrilateral].

Certainly, in regards to understanding the word of God, his methodology is helpful.

In understanding how to have a conversational relationship with God, it is also helpful to understand God’s written Word for the Bible is the Word of God in its unique written form.  It may not be a conversation because a written word is the intermediary between God and man.

For knowledge of God and better conversation, where can you go for better information?  One of the most helpful people in the process of the founder of the Methodist Church…John Wesley.

What does that word mean and why do so many Christians get upset about it?

It means the Bible “is without error or fault in all its teaching”; or, at least, that “Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact”.

Some Christians take it even further.  They claim that the Bible is without fault in every letter, every word.  It is the direct word of God.

I have listened to them make that statement and I have kept my mouth shut.  My experience is that a Christian who makes that kind of statement is not open to a little debate.

Before we go too far and have you wondering about me, let me explain a little of my past and what I know about the Bible in its form today.

My undergraduate education at the university was not good for my faith in God.  I took a class called “The English Language”.  I remember my professor.  She was very strict in her discussion of how language has evolved and how printing has impacted the production of books.  She did not directly address the printing of the Bible but one could easily see that what she said applied to this Book also, especially if you thought it was not a special Book [which of course it is].

The bottom line is that language does change; it is not static.  It evolves just as life evolves.  Many word meanings change over time as some words happen and become permanent in the language, while some words disappear from use.   Every time a book is printed, the printers usually make a diligent effort to reproduce a text as close to the original as they can but human error creeps in from time to time.  She spent a lot of time discussing the slow, painstaking work of the manuscript writer but even there, error can occur.

At that time in my life, I let the word “error” linger in my mind too much.

I began to doubt God’s Holy Book.

I knew my Bible was in English but I also knew that it was a translation.  The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, with some passages in Aramaic.  As Christianity spread, the Bible was translated into Greek.

I began to imagine monks in monasteries copying the Bible on papyrus, parchment and vellum.   In my study, I knew they took their work very seriously.  The handwritten word was all they had since the printing press did not exist.  Owning a Bible was a privilege since the construction of the Book and the cost of the Book was prohibitive for the common man.

As I began to learn all of this, I began to doubt and the more I learned, the more I realized that the Christian who had an inerrant stance did not want to hear what I was taught.

I learned about the Dead Sea Scrolls, parchments of the Bible that were discovered in a Qumran cave.  These very old parchments were the oldest dated manuscripts, going back to 980 A.D.  These manuscripts were discovered 980 years after the Crucifixion of Christ.  Many more years after the actual writing of the Old Testament, two to three thousand years the scholars tell us, the New Testament was written after Jesus’s ministry on earth. These writings were done by various authors, many who knew Jesus first hand:  Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, Jude and Paul.

The writing was again done by hand and it was transferred by hand from manuscript to manuscript.

What books made it into the New Testament?  That brings in the issue of the canon or the authoritative books picked for scripture in the Bible.  Who decided which book of spiritual writing made it in; which were eliminated?  Again if you focus on the fact that councils of church leaders met and made these decisions, and those church leaders are men, you may have doubts.

But what if God showed up?

How can a person educated in the evolution of language and the process of printing have faith?

Because God showed up…

Dr. Willard expresses this best when he states “Inerrancy by itself is not a sufficient theory of Biblical interpretation because as everyone knows, the Bible in our hand is not the original text….Our dependence as we read the Bible today must be on God, who now speaks to us in conjunction with it and with our best efforts to understand it.”

I don’t debate with a person who claims that the Bible is without fault in every letter, every word.  It is the direct word of God.

For me it is not necessary to make or believe that statement.

Was God with the original writers of the Old Testament and the New Testament?  I believe He was.  Was God with the people who did the serious work of transcription by hand?  I believe He was.  Was he with the translators as the Bible was translated from one language to another?  I believe He was.  Was God with the leaders who attended the councils as they determined the canon?  I believe He was.

Most importantly, is God with me as I read His word?

Most importantly, I believe He is.

Legalism is a term that is tossed around in Christian circles.  When I got serious about having a personal relationship with God, I began to hear about it and I began to practice it.

What is it?  Dr. Willard says it is the idea that “overt action in conforming to rules for explicit behavior is what makes us right and pleasing to God and worthy of blessing.”

Let me stop before I launch into this topic that drives me crazy.

1.When I was a “baby” Christian, I practiced legalism because I knew no other way.  Finding favor with God through devotional reading, daily Bible reading, daily prayer etc. seemed to be a great thing to do.  Don’t get me wrong; all those things are wonderful but what is dumb is the finding favor part of my statement.  How do I know whether God is going to favor me or not?  Do I know the mind of God?  Of course I don’t.  What did I do?  I set up a daily discipline, a set of rules and those rules were my way of feeling good about my faith.

2.”Let’s don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.”  You may have heard that old expression.  Are all rules, all disciplines bad?  Of course they are not.  Discipline can lead to extraordinary accomplishment in this world.  How do outstanding musicians get outstanding?  How do outstanding athletes break records?  How do artists draw masterpieces?  Some of it is natural talent but a lot of what they accomplish is through hard work, discipline and keeping their rules.

Back to the stuff that drives me crazy—legalism.

Why is it so prevalent in Christian circles?

1.It is world based.  Our “world” is materialistic.  Our world worships success.  Our world loves great accomplishment through hard work.  Naturally, Christians want to take a goal-centered approach to life and apply it to their faith.  They want to have a list and they want to put check marks on their list and then they can show others what they have done.  This is tangible evidence.  This is the type of behavior that Jesus disliked in the Pharisees.  They did their “righteous work” in a public manner and they wanted the world to see their efforts.  They wanted credit.

2.It is based on control.  No one wants to lose control.  I am very close to people who center their whole life around the need for control.  We all do to a certain extent.  Who wants to live out of control all the time?  No one.  But who really has control in life…really?  No one.  God has control 24/7.  We don’t.  This flies in the face of how most people want to live life.  Artificial control through legalism gives people the sense that they are able to accomplish things in their spiritual life; they can control their destiny.  If they have a “good run” in their life, they will reach heaven.  Four hundred sixty three thousand six hundred and fifty two straight days of reading the Bible will get you into heaven.  That’s their way of thinking.  That’s their effort to control God.

3.Life comes from law.  I was with someone the other day and I could see that this person was struggling.  She was unhappy with her life.  Too many people were breaking the rules.  She saw life as black or white, right or wrong and good or bad.  Wouldn’t it be nice if life were like that?  No mess.  But life is not like that.  Sure we want it to be neat but maybe God has other ideas.  Maybe He wants us to struggle with people who are not capable of coloring “within the lines.”  Are they wrong because of their inability to follow the rules?  Maybe they are but how are we to help them?  How are we to deal with them?  How can we be who we are in a world with their behavior as it is?  Maybe we need to learn the beauty of having fun.  I have a musician friend who is very talented and I have listened to him play the piano for many years.  He always messes up a measure or two in everything he plays but he always get to the end of the piece.  He always plays.  Stop for a second and think about that word PLAY.  What does it mean to play?  It means to act in a joyful manner, to have fun, to get a positive emotional lift from what you are doing.  If he is having fun, and yet he messes up a measure or two, so what?  The attitude that we have to be perfect and abide by the law can really be a killer.

I wonder if this is what Jesus meant when he said “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”  Where is the letter?  The letter means the letter of the law.

Where is life really?

It is in the heart and the soul.  That is the real God connection.  God does not relate to our efforts to accomplish a goal, our efforts to control Him or our judgements based on some interpretation of “the law.”

God wants us to bypass these artificial, human measuring sticks and follow Him.

When I follow Him, I find myself doing what He wants me to do.

As an added benefit…

I avoid going crazy.

Have you ever had a conversation with an agnostic?  How about an atheist?  Maybe you have talked to a “former” Christian who has turned into a full-time doubter.

One of the things you may encounter with these people is the fact that they don’t know what the God-man connection is.

They may even say that Christians believe in superstition.

Dr. Willard says as much in Chapter 6.  He states “Many people have difficulty accepting the more spectacular episodes of God’s Word at work.”  But Dr. Willard also says “The Christian’s faith is not superstition.”

People who believe in superstition vary from people who joke about it to people who really believe in the magic of acts, rituals and spoken incantations.  Many folks joke about the black cat crossing the road or the desire not to walk under a ladder, but some people have sincere thoughts about superstition, magic and voodoo.

How do we counter their claims that the Christian who speaks and acts with the power of God is no different from purveyor of spells?

First of all, the work of God does not reside in words or rituals.  Christians don’t control reality with their words; they may affect reality with their words but they don’t control reality.  Who is in control?  The Christian knows that God is.  He always has been in control and will always be in control.  We as believers are under His authority.  If we speak or act and do some good in His name, that is God working through us.

I was with a Christian just the other day, a person who just did something that took great poise and courage.  I stated that I could not do what she did.  She merely said, “It wasn’t me.”  I knew immediately what she was saying.  It was God working through her.

Secondly, if we as Christians have understanding, faith, love and hope it has been brought about by our mental connection with God.  We have a Holy Spirit and an ability to grow in our lives as Christians.  People who do grow have tapped into the power of God, the power of His divine mind.  To put it bluntly, our power cord can be plugged into God if we want to plug in [forgive my crude image, but if it works…].  Dr. Willard expresses this idea: “This mind is what mediates between the word spoken by God’s servant on his behalf and the physical structure of the waves [that Jesus calmed], the rocks [that Moses struck] or of the body or mind to be healed.” [italics mine]

Christians who do God’s work don’t just dream up their acts on their own.  They are God-directed to do what they do.  Some would describe this as the conscience but as Christian grow in their belief, God can show them what to do, when to do it and how to do it.  God can mentally direct a person’s life if a person is willing [we have talked about this in an earlier post].

What agnostics, atheists or doubters have problems with is the cause-effect connection.  The action has been brought about but what has caused it?  Maybe the action is a full-blown miracle [a person who has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain cancer beats cancer].  Maybe the action is a word that is spoken to a person and the word causes them to declare God as their savior.  In either case, the agnostic, atheist or doubter can’t see how these things are brought about.  They can’t understand that prayer, words spoken to a loving and caring God, can bring about changes in our world.  They don’t believe that God causes things to happen, sometimes on His own and sometimes through his followers.

This is how life in God’s Kingdom works.  We are supplicants and God grants miracles, personal directions, inspirations and things get done.

I repeat, things get done.

In His name.

As we consider our conversational relationship with God, you may be asking yourself “What can I do to make this happen?”  “What is the magical formula for that special me to God connection?”

Have you ever known someone who wanted to do something to bring about a result but their “worker bee” attitude was not bringing about results?  It happens all the time I believe.

I once had a friend who was a church hopper.  He told everyone he was a Christian.  He was, to all who knew him, a good man.  He did good works.  He would help you if you had a problem.  Yet he was in a perpetual search for the right church with the right pastor who could guide him to his right relationship with Jesus.

I know of a woman who ticks off her list.  She has certain disciplines she does in her days of the week and she has her “faith” list.  She makes sure she ticks off the items on her list and she is rather open with others in telling them she has “done her list.”

I have another friend who is so knowledgeable about the Bible.  He can quote entire books of the Bible and has a deep understanding of the meaning of the Scriptures.  When I am around him, I listen to his words and even look at his Bible.  It is worn out.  I can see evidence of his study in the cover and on the pages.  I covet his knowledge and I even covet his Bible.

What is my shortcut?  Are there cliff notes for the Bible?  Do I need to find a way to “antique” my Bible, giving it the “well-read” look?

How stupid.

Dr. Willard speaks of all these matters in his comments about Mark 9, when the Disciples failed to drive out a demon from a man.  They bring him to Jesus and Jesus drives the demon out with a command.  They ask Jesus why they cannot do this and he said “This kind can only come out through prayer.”  Yet Jesus did not pray; he commanded.

How confusing.

What is the purpose of this story in the Bible?

We want results if we are working our way toward something.  Are you desiring to get a word from God?  Do this and this and this and you will get it.  Are you desiring to be healed?  Do this and this and this and you will be healed.  Do you want to go to heaven?  Do this and this and this and you will make it.

I wish it was that easy.

It’s not.

Dr. Willard says “If we are to exercise the Word and rule of God in a way regarded as spectacular by human beings….there will be nothing forced or hysterical about it and we can count on God Himself to lead us into whatever we are to do.  He will do this in a way that is suitable for our lives and our calling.”

God knows what we need.  God knows what we can handle.  God knows where we are in our relationship with Him and there is nothing we can do to “quick fix” this.

“When we consider a life of participation in God’s kingdom rule, we are not looking at anything that we must make happen.  The extent of our obligation is to be honestly willing and eager to be made able.”

Think about what that quote means.

To me the heart of Dr. Willard’s thought is the phrase “honestly willing and eager.”

We have to be willing to go where God wants us to go.  We have to be willing to do what He wants us to do.  We have to act when He wants us to act.

I don’t mean that all quests for a good church and a good preacher should be called off.  I don’t mean that all disciplines should be discarded.  I don’t mean that efforts at knowing the Bible should be suspended.

Just realize that God will grow you the way that is best for you and His idea of what you need may not be yours.

There is a very trite expression that you hear from time to time: “go with the flow.”

Can you “go with the flow” with God?  Dr. Willard writes of the woman who searched and search for a deep relationship with God but she failed.  She was angry about her failure and had adjusted to a life of “being a good person”, going to church and helping others.  With anger at God as her side item.  He writes of another women who sought a deeper relationship with God only to be rebuffed by her friends.  They classified her as a “second-class citizen” because she did not experience what they were experiencing.  She switched denominations.

These people were forcing God.

Can we do that?  Really?

This brings me back to my opening question: “What can I do?”

Be willing…

Dr. Willard’s book is a work of great insight and I learn so much from reading it.

I think his explanation of God’s transfer of power is excellent. Being a student of human communication, I know that man’s use of words is important but I never really knew that words had a Divine origin.

In the Old Testament, we have a record of God’s attempt to set the Jewish people up as an exemplary nation.  They had a mission and that mission was to be God’s nation on earth, or as Dr. Willard states “the light of the world.”  Their mission was not accomplished so God took away their exclusive connection with Him.  “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” [Matthew 21:43]

The transfer began with Jesus. Jesus was Jewish and He was educated in the Torah but we must remember that He was born into a working class family in the small Galilean village of Nazareth.  He may have gone to Synagogue School and may have been taught by Joseph who was a very observant Jew but Jesus did not have the status of the Pharisee, the Sadducee or the Essene.  Yet He did exhibit the power of God’s Word and people began to take note of His words of healing.

Jesus began to consider the need to spread the words of God and His first experimentation was with His 12 Apostles. Matthew 10:7-8 states His command to his Apostles:  “And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.”  They went out and reported success.

Then Jesus sent out seventy-two associates to spread The Word. They were not close to Him like his Apostles were but they also reported success: Luke 10:17  “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your Name.’”

The book of Acts is a continuation of God’s transfer of power. Jesus said his disciples would receive power through their Holy Spirit, power to perform miraculous feats.  He also said His disciples would receive power to be faithful witnesses for God.  I read that to mean they would have the ability to use words of power to spread the Gospel to the world.

Finally, I get directly to my point.

If you follow Dr. Willard’s discussion that God transferred power to Godly men on purpose, what are you doing with your power? Even more specifically, what kinds of words are you speaking to others?

I was with a woman in church the other day and she commented that she really disliked a person in our church. Someone had said something she did not like and she was angry.  She held her anger and did not want to overlook the situation.  She passed her angry words on to me.

I was with a man the other day who told me some negative information about another church member; I was mildly shocked. I did not accept the information at face value.  I checked it out.  When I asked the person involved, I found out it was all wrong.  This man had passed on gossip to me.

When I was with another man he told me his take on society today. Kids are out of control. Our leaders are satanic.  Law enforcement is incapable of stopping the riot in the streets.  The economy is collapsing.    God has withdrawn His favor from America.  He passed on his negative words to me.

If we as Christians take Acts seriously, we should recognize what we have.

We are God’s people. We have the ability to do great things for the Lord through the use of our words.

Do you think God transferred the power of His words to us so we could tear down others with our words?

I think not.

I prefer to think that God intended us to build up others with our words.

All of us have the Holy Ghost power; we can choose to tap into it and do God’s work or we can waste our words on the negative aspects of life.

God transferred His power to us.

Let’s use it for Him. That was His intention.  He never intended us to share anger, gossip and negativity.

Instead, let’s talk about forgiveness, truth and the positive nature of His love.

The centurion in Jesus’ day was a man of great power. According to the Liberty University Online Website, this person was referred to as  “captain of 100” soldiers in a legion. The centurion was loyal and courageous, beginning as a soldier in the army and working his way up the ranks. When he was noticed by the general for his skill and courage in battle, he was made an officer. The centurion received pay that amounted to more than 20 times the ordinary soldier’s pay, about 5,000 denarii per year.

Needless to say, the centurion was used to people responding to his words. Literally, when he gave a command his soldiers did it.

What is the reason for this background information?

Dr. Willard points to the centurion in Matthew who came to Jesus and asked in a humble manner for Jesus to help his paralyzed servant.

Jesus asked if he should come to the man.

The centurion replied “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

What is the significance of this?

The centurion understood the power of the word.

The centurion believed in the authority of Jesus.

How many Christians today have the same understanding? How many of us have the same faith?

Over the years have you found yourself speaking words to no effect?

My wife has commented about my telephone conversational behavior and one of the things she often says about me is I repeat myself too much. I have developed a habit of thinking my words have no effect.

One of the prime examples of this is when I speak on the phone to my 85 year-old mother. She has her way of doing things.  That’s ok.  We all develop habits.  She also has a way of needing advice from me [or so she says].  When she asks for my advice I offer it because I think she wants it.  When my dad passed away and she was left alone to make decisions she asked for my advice.  Over and over, I gave it to her.  Yet she seemed to ignore it.  I repeated myself because I thought she did not understand it.  To be honest, I got upset that she was not taking my advice.  She was not listening to my words and taking action.

Then it hit me. She really does not want advice. She wants to tell me her problems and then do what she wants.  She does not want her son [21 years younger] to tell her what to do.  She just wants me to affirm that she has made the right decision and she is going to do what she wants.  Today, I rarely tell her what is on my mind.  I know my words have no effect.

This is just one specific example.

What if you feel your words have little effect in multiple settings? You are talking but no one is listening, no one is taking action.  You might as well be in the room all alone, talking to yourself.

You lose faith in the power of your words.

That’s the edge the centurion had. He knew words are power.  He knew that words can show authority.  He had not lost faith in words.  When Jesus realized this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith”.

Wow what a compliment he paid that man.

It was based on the centurion’s faith in the power of words.

What does this story mean for us?

We need to realize that our words do have power and God has given us the ability to express ourselves because He wants us to utilize our ability to further His kingdom.

Yes, I may have no effect on my mother, but that does not mean that I need to hold back when I have a chance to invite someone to church. I ask them to come and they may or may not come.  That does not mean that I need to hold back when I have a chance to show God’s love to someone who is hurting.  I do that and they may wonder where I got inspired to show I care.  That does not mean that I need to hold back when a man asks me about God.  When I tell him, God may start working on him.  All I have to do is tell him. God will do the rest.

I just need to have the faith of a centurion.

Dr. Willard says the following about words: “Seeing clearly the power of words at the merely human level may help us to understand the power of the creative word of God in His kingdom.”

What will words do for humans?

What impact do they have on our lives?

The most obvious function of words is that they convey meaning that is the basis of communication between humans.

The more two humans understand each other, the more words they have in common. Words are the basis of this shared thought.  Words are the basis of this understanding.  I know you have been in a situation where you have listened to two people communicating in a foreign language.  If you don’t know their language, you really don’t share their words.  When you do share words with another, a simple way to think of this is overlapping circles.  The words that are the basis of understanding can be pictured as the overlapping part of the two circles above.

But what other things do we do with words “at the merely human level”?

We name each other for one. Juliet in the play Romeo and Juliet states “What’s in a name?”  Turns out, quite a lot.  Names shape the way others people think of us and hence, the way we view ourselves.  In the Christian world, the name of Jesus takes on holy significance and the Son of God has several divine references: Emmanuel, Christ, Lord, Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David and Lamb of God.  All of these shape the identity of Jesus.  In a similar way, a human’s name shapes a human’s identity.  Communication researchers have found that unusual names cause a person to suffer everything from psychological and emotional disturbance to even failure in life.

Words can also denote affiliation with others or lack of affiliation. Using words that fit the viewpoint of a listener can help communication.  Using words that do not fit the viewpoint of the listener can harm communication.  In the Bible, Jesus used the parable to communicate to large numbers of people.  Parables are easy to relate to and easy to remember.  For people who have a hunger for God, they work well.  For people who have a hard heart against his Divine Word, they can be confusing.  For the believer, Jesus rarely used words that made communication difficult.  In the study of words, most of His words in the Bible brought people together [convergence] rather than separated people [divergence].

Words can also communicate power or lack of power. The root of much of the power that a person has exists in the words they use.  When you have confidence, you will use words that denote confidence.  When you lack confidence, your language reflects that.  People who study words suggest that we avoid hedges [I guess I would like to go], hesitations [I wish you would –er— be to work on time], tag questions [It is about time we started work, isn’t it?] and disclaimers [I am no expert but this is what I think].   All these wording patterns show uncertainty.

Jesus had to use words to communicate his ideas to man. Dr. Willard says that “in the incarnate Christ, the word of God is characterized by overwhelming power….Mere human thoughts, though effective within their appointed range, are as far below the power of God’s thoughts (and words) as the earth is below the heavens.”

Why do we need to study the word of God?

The response that seems obvious is, that is a way to know God. Without serious consideration of the word of God, this is impossible.  As followers of the Lord Jesus, however, we should be motivated to study the Bible in order to continue growing in the things we have learned. We need to deepen our understanding of the backgrounds and contexts of scriptural books in order to better understand and apply to our lives the truths they contain.

Yes, humans use words to communicate but God and Jesus His Son do too.

People use all kinds of excuses to avoid the study of God’s word [it’s boring and it’s too hard to understand].

Even though God’s word and the words of God’s son may be challenging, the payoff is great.

As we reconsider the two circles, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the circle on the left were God and the circle on the right is you.

And you have overlap.

Dr. Willard speaks of God’s creativity. One need not look any further than Genesis to see God being creative.

But the big debate always has been, how did he do it?

Scientists have tried to come up with a practical and literal interpretation of Genesis but Dr. Willard does not worry about that.  He just says God spoke the world into existence.

“Let there be light” is God making light.

God is God. He has no concern for the limitation of earthly structure.

As humans we have to do more than that. I can’t say in a dark room “let there be light” and light occurs.  I have to strike a match to a candle, flip a switch or maybe clap [if I have a clapper, you know the “clap on; clap off” remote control device].

On the other hand, God is not inhibited by the need to use structures. God “dictates the structure and order of all things.”

Where is man in his highest creative state? Dr. Willard says “in his creative voluntary motions of the body and in his creative voluntary thoughts.”

Why is this important?

It is explained here: “A realization of how our own thoughts (inner words) translate themselves into an act of creation is absolutely vital if we are to gain any concrete sense of God’s rule through His word. Only if we have some understanding of what it means for his word to act will we have any grounds for believing that God can have a personal relationship with us.”

This is the creative intersection that can occur between us as human beings and God.

Creativity is an amazing thing.

I was reading a handout from an artist just yesterday. She gave it to me to encourage me to be creative.  It was about a sculptor.  This person was at an open air street fair and he was working with his clay and making pots.  Countless people were coming by his station and watching him.  As he worked he listened to their comments and was astounded by the huge percentage of people who said things like “I can’t do that.”  “It must take a special talent to do that.”

It doesn’t.

It takes two things we all have: creative voluntary motions of the body and creative voluntary thoughts.

Why don’t we see that?

Life gives us pictures that we begin to believe. We are told our pencil drawing is trash.  We play our piece on the piano and we stumble through it and no one is there to encourage us to continue practice.  We give it up.  We compare ourselves to others and they are so much better.  Their talent is phenomenal; ours is abysmal.

Eventually we say things to ourselves like “I have no talent.”

We believe it.

We are told as Christians to be “of the world but not in it.” What that phrase means is to value God and live a holy life.  Don’t value the world.  The world is hard on creative people.  One might say that the world does not value creativity.

But God does.

The joy you get from snapping a photo of a beautiful sunset is the joy of God. The joy you get from sketching a bottle is the joy of God.  The joy you get from writing a poem is the joy of God as well as the smooth dance move, the beautiful notes on the clarinet, the new recipe for stew, and the design of your landscape.

Creativity is not just something we should take for granted.

Creativity is the special moment when we can interact with God.

What kinds of picture have you placed on the walls of your mind? What has life told you about yourself?  Are you buying into others views of you?

Pray for God to help you cast those off.

It won’t be easy. Change is never easy.  Many of us are carrying around negative feelings that have been in place for many years.

It will be worth it to cast those off.

In the photograph, the sketch, the poem, the dance move, the notes, the recipe, and the design…

You can spend some special time with God.

I say that is worth it.

When I used to teach classes on words, I would ask students to close their eyes. Then I would say the word “chair”.  Then I would ask them to open their eyes and ask them to describe their chair.

Some would describe a “lazy boy” type recliner, some would describe a ladder back chair, some would describe a simple folding chair.

The point of the exercise? We all have different experiences that shape the way we attach meaning to words.

Chair has different meanings for everyone because we have different referents that we attach to the symbol “chair.” My referent may not be the same as yours.  When the word is used, I call up an object in my mind and my object may not look like your object.  To the extent that it does, we have shared meaning.

Dr. Willard starts Chapter 6 with a discussion of words, “If we wish to understand God’s personal relationship to us, including how He speaks to us individually today, we must understand what the word of God is in general and how both the Son of God and the Bible are the word of God.”

It is important to know that words don’t mean anything in and of themselves. For words to have meaning, a person has to apply their thoughts and feelings to the words.

Of course words are symbols. A symbol is an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualities [Merriam Webster Dictionary].  Typed letters joined together or handwritten letters joined together mean little without a reader to interpret them.

When words work, meaning is shared. I am able to share a piece of my mind with my reader.  Dr. Willard goes further and says “souls impact souls, sometimes with a great spiritual force.”

What does the statement “God created, God rules and God redeems” mean?

To me, this is what God means to us. This is the defining statement that expresses what having a relationship with God means.  God created me.  God rules over my life [if I am wise and let Him] and God is constantly seeking to get me to be closer to Him [regain a relationship He once had with Adam and Eve in the garden].

This leads to the spiritual dimension of words. Jesus knew His words conveyed a spirit.  He says in John 6:63 “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless.  The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”  Since Jesus was the Son of God, His words imparted the thoughts of God.  When Dr. Willard says “When God speaks, He expresses His mind, His character and His purposes.  Thus he is always present in His word.”

When we hear the words of another, we can understand more than their thoughts. We get a glimpse of the person.  We begin to understand their level of intelligence.  We begin to understand their perspective on life.  We begin to understand a little of their character and value system.

Word’s reveal a lot or so we think.

God’s word should do the same. The personal force of God is revealed in His words.  As we read our Bibles, we are reading the word of God, not just some ordinary book.   As we hear words from another person, they may be words of prophecy, not just some random thoughts by some random person.  As we pray and have a thought that leads, guides and directs, the thought may be from God, that still small voice.

Surely we take words for granted. My wife says I am a man of many words.  At times I think she would rather I not say about 80% of what I say.  She speaks a lot less than I do.  Even though we are entirely different people I am glad to be her spouse.  I think she is glad to have me as her husband.  When we do share ideas with each other, there is a magic that occurs, a sharing of minds and spirit that is called communication.  The basis of that communication is the words that we use.

As Christians, we should not take God’s words for granted but many of us do. Our Bibles remain unread.  Our prayer time is rushed and for some nonexistent.  We don’t spend enough time listening to God. For listening to happen, we have to be quiet and allow Him to speak.

I am reminded of one of the iconic advertising phrases of the 70’s and 80’s: “When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen.”  That was a successful slogan that made E. F. Hutton a lot of money.  To me it always communicated the idea that the brokerage firm was knowledgeable, well respected.  They knew something that the rest of us did not know.  It was of great benefit to listen to them.

For the Christian, the word of God should be all-important.

When God talks to us no matter what the method, as Christians, we listen, for we know He is revealing His mind, His character and His purposes.

He created me, He rules over me and He is constantly attempting to redeem me.

I listen to Him because I need Him. I need His words.