Pierced by the living Word!

by Martin Luther, et al.

(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
 

Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword; it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

There is no book like the Bible. It is not a dead letter or a relic of the past, but the living voice of the living God. It speaks with divine authority, breathes with divine power, and works with divine precision. It does not merely inform the mind--it pierces the heart!

The above verse describes the Word of God as living and active--not stagnant, not silent, not powerless. The same Word that spoke galaxies into being, continues to speak, convict, and transform today.

Unlike the dull blade of human reasoning, the Word of God is sharper than any double-edged sword. Its edge is not dulled by time, culture, or resistance. It cuts with divine skill, reaching into the deepest recesses of our being. No other voice can penetrate so deeply, discerning what no eye can see and what no man can judge--the secret thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

God's Word divides soul and spirit--terms that speak of the hidden and complex depths of man. It exposes what is natural and carnal, separating it from what is spiritual and holy. It . . .
  uncovers our hypocrisies,
  shatters our pride,
  and strips away all self-deception.
This wounding of the Word is not to destroy--it is to heal.
It convicts in order to cleanse.
It wounds that it might restore.
It rebukes to bring repentance.

We may hide from men, but we cannot hide from God's Word. When it is wielded by the Holy Spirit, it lays us bare before Him to whom we must give account.

Let us never handle the Word deceitfully, carelessly or casually. Let us not harden our hearts to its searching truths. Rather, let us come before it humbly, reverently, and prayerfully--asking the Lord to use it to search us, sift us, and sanctify us. May we ever study the Word, as a love-letter from our merciful Savior-God. May we never merely read it--but meditate on it, and be transformed by it.

"When Your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight!" Jeremiah 15:16

The Reformer Martin Luther, wrote these profound truths regarding God's Word:

"The Bible is alive, it speaks to me.
 It has feet, it runs after me.
 It has hands, it lays hold of me."

"Let the man who would hear God speak, read Holy Scripture."

"The Word of God is the greatest, most necessary, and most important thing in Christendom."

"The Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid."

"I have made a covenant with my God that He send me neither visions, dreams, nor even angels. I am content with this gift of the Scriptures, which teaches and supplies all that is necessary, both for this life and that which is to come."