Use The Bible

Serving – April 2014 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Use The Bible

“But He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” ’ ” —Matthew 4:4 NKJV

The Lord had been fasting for forty days and forty nights. Luke says that he ate nothing during this fast. Both Luke and Matthew said he was hungry. Satan, the adversary, tells the Lord that He should command the stones to become bread. The verse we are meditating on is the Lord’s answer. We do need physical food, but the spiritual food that comes from the Word of God is more important. What the Lord makes us realize is that the Word of God in its entirety is food for our souls.

The word in our verse that has caused me to stop and think is that word “every.” How important is every word in the Bible to us – or do we pick and choose what we want to accept and believe? I understand that we must “rightly divide,” or properly interpret the Word of God (2 Tim. 2:15). But all of the Word of God as found in our Bibles is important.

• The Word is alive and it sorts things out. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
• The Word of God is divinely inspired and it speaks to us whatever our needs are. We read in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
• The Word of God is permanent and its message does not change. First Peter 1:24-25 tells us that “all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
• The Word of God produces faith in the Lord. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

I think the Word of God is more important than anything I can say about it. When I preach the gospel to the unsaved or when I teach those who profess faith in Christ, I always like to explain Scripture. There are some today who tell people what the Bible says and they often do it quite well, but they seem to be reluctant to actually read from the Bible to show that their messages are scriptural. I think that is a mistake.

I recall a story about a man that had a neighbor whose life spoke of Christ. Before the man was saved he began to ask that neighbor questions about spiritual things. The neighbor did not have a Bible degree, but he read his Bible often and regularly. The neighbor’s answers to the questions always began by pulling a Bible out of his pocket and saying, “Let’s see what the Bible says about that.” Because the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God, the man was saved and became a very effective evangelist.

Yes, the Bible is different from other books. Every word in it is precious and powerful. As we know, the Lord even quoted it to Satan!

The Lord knew the Word, applied the Word and quoted the Word. May we who trust in Him learn to use our Bibles!

By Bruce Collins, Edited

We can never overestimate the value of the Bible, for it is God’s Word. Only through the Word do we get to know God and His thoughts. In the Old Testament God revealed Himself through the Word He spoke and caused it to be written down. Therein He told who He was, what He had done, what He would do and how man should serve Him. Then the Son came to earth and declared God (Jn. 1:18). But we also know all things about the Son – His birth, life and death; His words and deeds – through the Word alone. And God the Holy Spirit, too, who now is on earth and who indwells all who believe, reveals all things to us through the Word. It follows that when we speak to unbelievers to bring them the gospel, we must know the Word of God. Our own words will never bring a man to conversion. God’s Word alone does that. —Hendrik L. Heijkoop, Beginning With Christ