The Power of God's Word

The Power of God's Word is demonstrated in the very first Chapter of Genesis, where Scripture says in verse three, "And God said, 'let there be light,' and there was light." (NIV) God went on to create the rest of the universe in Genesis 1, including stars, planets, trees, woolyworms, and mankind with His Word. This sets the precedent for the entire Bible on how powerful the Word of God is.

We must look upon it in reverence by understanding just how powerful the Word of God really is. Second Peter 3:5b says, "by God's Word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water." Later in verse seven it says, "by the same Word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." The Word of God formed the heavens and the earth and the Word of God is what will bring judgment and destruction at the end of the age.

Compared to the heavens and the earth, we humans are immensely small. Our minds can't even fathom the size of the universe. Yet it was God's Word that created it. Because of this fact the Word of God should be seen with reverence at its great power. But the Word of God did not stop at creating and judgment, it also holds all of creation together. Hebrews 1:3a says, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful Word." (NIV) The powers that cause the earth to spin in orbit and that make the sun burn are too great for our minds to comprehend. Yet the power of God's Word holds these things together and keeps them working in their perfect processes - sustaining not only that, but all of creation, great and small. Because of the great power of God's Word we should stand in awe of it, just as a tourist might stand in awe as they see the power of Niagara Falls, or as an onlooker sees the power of a space shuttle blasting off. This power should be respected and handled carefully just as a hunter respects the power of his rifle, and uses it with caution.

There is no other power in all of the universe that is as great as the power of God's Word, because it is the power of God's Word that created the entire universe. Because of the great power of God's Word we must handle it with fear. Revelation 22:18-19 says, "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds anything to them God will add to them the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." (NIV) Although these Scriptures are speaking specifically about the book of Revelation, it can and should be applied to the entire Bible. Mankind should in no way attempt to change or distort The Word of God. We should respect the power of God's Word and should be fearful of maligning and tampering with this living, active force.

There are people today that too willingly tamper with what the Bible says in order to suit their own beliefs. These are the people John was warning about when he commanded that we must not add or take away from the Word. In the first century church there were false teachers who also changed the Word of God for their own beliefs and deceived many. John, Peter, and Jude all speak harshly against these false teachers, warning believers not to follow those who change the Word of God to teach something different than what they heard at the beginning. These warnings to false teachers can be found in

In First John 1:10 John addresses an issue about our own sinful state. It is possible he was addressing a teaching that some of the false teachers had been proclaiming. The verse says, "if we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our lives."(NIV) It is possible that some of the false teachers that had seeped into the church were teaching that not everyone had sinned. The truth of the Word of God is that all have sinned. If people do not believe God's Word, especially on such a major issue as this, John proclaims that God's Word has no place in their lives. Therefore doubting and challenging God's Word is a serious offense that can have destructive consequences.

God's Word must be handled with reverence and fear. Those who do handle God's Word in this way are truly blessed. First John 2:5 says, "but if anyone obeys His Word, God's love is truly made complete in Him. This is how we know we are in Him." (NIV) If God's Word is handled in obedience it leads to God's love being made complete within the person who obeys. This is the power of God's Word that can take mankind with all its faults, flaws, evil, and corruption, and fill them with the full, complete, unconditional love of God through simple acts of obedience.