The thought struck me. The Bible is not the Word? What? I've seen much discourse recently that the Bible is never spoken of as God's Word. It is Yeshua (Jesus) who is God's Word. The Bible is an inspired work of God, but not the totality of the Word. We have put God in a box and squeezed him within its pages.
So what does that mean, The Word? John 1:14 says, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Okay, so THE WORD was Yeshua. We've established that. But what exactly does that mean?
(I use www.blueletterbible.org for study purposes. On that site, you can click on the C for concordance and get the original Hebrew or Greek for the scripture. Below that is a breakdown of the scripture where you can choose the specific word you are looking for: in this case "The Word." I clicked on that and it brought up it's definitions, but it also mentions "Vines" and says, "See Entry." As I clicked on that link, it brought up a list of definitions available through Vine's Expository Dictionary. I prefer Vine's over other reference materials. I scrolled down until I found the listing with the scriptures John 1:1-1:18, I believe.) This is what it says:
"(II) "The Personal Word," a title of the Son of God; this identification is substantiated by the statements of doctrine in Jhn 1:1-18, declaring in verses Jhn 1:1, 2
(1) His distinct and superfinite Personality,
(2) His relation in the Godhead (pros, "with," not mere company, but the most intimate communion),
(3) His deity; in Jhn 1:3 His creative power; in Jhn 1:14 His Incarnation ("became flesh," expressing His voluntary act; not as AV, "was made"), the reality and totality of His human nature, and His glory "as of the only begotten from the Father," RV (marg., "an only begotten from a father"), the absence of the article in each place lending stress to the nature and character of the relationship; His was the Shekinah glory in open manifestation; Jhn 1:18 consummates the identification: "the only-begotten Son (RV marg., many ancient authorities read "God only begotten,"), which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him," thus fulfilling the significance of the title "Logos," the "Word," the personal manifestation, not of a part of the Divine nature, but of the whole Deity (see IMAGE).
The title is used also in 1Jo 1:1, "the Word of life" combining the two declarations in Jhn 1:1, 4 and Rev 19:13 (for 1Jo 5:7see THREE)."
So He is the Sheikinah glory manifested. He is the personal manifestation of God's will, of the totality of Deity. HE IS.
I got to thinking back to the Genesis account. He spoke His Word, and immediately life was created. So when Yeshua, The Word, was "spoken" or sent, new life was created. The Bible does not produce life. The Word produces life. Yes, we can use it as an access to Yeshua, to get to know Him. Yes, it is important to know the history. But the Bible is a compilation of letters, written with inspiration from God. They are not His Word. They are men's words about Him.
With this new understanding of The Word, think about Isaiah 55:11, "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it." So think about it this way. Yeshua is the Word. He accomplished what God sent Him to do: He brought new life to a spiritually dead people. He encompassed the Law and gave us freedom in Grace. He saved us from sin, paid the debt (the wages of sin are death), and rose again to show victory over death hell and the grave. He did not return to the Father without accomplishing what He said He would do. Doesn't that show that He fulfilled that scripture? Who knew that's what God was talking about when He spoke those words to Isaiah!
Remember, seeking HIM is the goal. Don't just read your Bible, but seek to know Him intimately. Don't only search for Him within the pages of Your Bible. Surely, He's there. You can learn a lot about Him. But the key word is ABOUT. Truly get to know the Word. Find out His character, His Love. Get to know the Word. You will be surprised at what you find. :)
