In Christianity the phrase “Word of God” is a very common one. Most of the time it is used when referring to the Bible.

“Let’s see what the Word of God says about this subject”

“The Word of God says that we should …”

“God said in His Word …”

These are all common phrases that are littering the Christian landscape today. If we would poll Christians on this subject an estimated 95% would respond with the Bible when asked the question: “What do you consider to be the Word of God?”

However, the so-called “Word of God” – the Bible – says something totally different. The Apostle John began his account of the Gospel with the following statement:

So if the Word was in the beginning how could the Bible be the Word of God. As you know, the Bible is a compilation of many different writings, written long after the beginning of time.

If Christ is actually the Word of God, and the Bible is the Word of God then we could conclude that the Bible is Christ. Or the Bible is our Messiah. Or the Bible is our Prince of Peace. That is absurd and we would never ever think of calling the Bible our Messiah.

By calling the Bible the Word of God we essentially do just that and elevate the Bible to something it was never intended to be.

The Apostle John – one of the closest companions of Christ – never made the claim that he was writing the Word of God or that his account of the Gospel be followed and lived by to the dot. In contrary, at the end of his account he clearly told the reader what the purpose of his writings was: That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ and by doing so you might have LIFE in Him. (John 20:31)

John goes on to write that the Word became flesh. John had a deep revelation of what the Word was, what the Gospel was. His account is written from a truly “New Covenant” perspective. Like none of the other three Gospels, he focused much of his writings on the last interactions of Jesus with His followers and culminating in Christ’s last public communication with the Father (John 17) foreshadowing what His sacrifice and resurrection would mean for believers after He left this earth.

Don’t think we are trying to discredit or devalue the Bible. This is in no way our intention. Without the Bible we would probably not have come to know about the Gospel in the first place. Please see the heart of what we are trying to say. The Bible is the greatest book ever written. It is the greatest history book on this earth because it recorded the greatest event ever to happen on this earth since creation itself. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was an event that changed humanity forever. It is the greatest event to ever occur on this earth. And the Bible is the book that preserves this event for you, for me and for future generations to come. That is why the Bible is the greatest book ever published.

The Bible is the messenger and Christ is the message.

To glorify the Bible and call it the Word of God (Christ) would be like saying the messenger is the same as the message. That is foolish and is one of the reasons why Christianity is struggling and confused and why more and more denominations are still started to this day. For too long Christianity has glorified the messenger at the expense of the message.

If truth came through Jesus Christ, how could the writings of the New Testament, which came much later, in itself be The Truth? When the Apostle Paul wrote his writings he never intended for it to be truth in itself, but his purpose was to point to The Truth – Christ. Paul never made the claim that He is writing the Word of God, he never even claimed to be writing the New Testament. That came much later when a council voted on what writings should be called the New Testament but none of the writers of the “New Testament” were involved in that “debate”.

The Bible preserves the truth, but it is not The Truth.

The main purpose of the Old Testament was to point towards Truth (Christ), the main purpose of the New Testament is to preserve Truth – Christ – specifically, the historic event of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Paul himself declared that his purpose is not to promote the letter (a legally written code) but to promote the New Covenant (Christ). He went even further and said that the Law kills but the Holy Spirit makes alive. The Law was given by Moses – not because God wanted it but the people asked for it. If the Mosaic Law could do the job of restoring God’s Spirit (the Holy Spirit) to man, Christ would not have had to come. So we know that keeping a certain set of rules, trying to live up to a certain standard or living by a written code of conduct does not accomplish the desired result – it will never convey LIFE (God’s Spirit) upon man.

When Jeremiah and Paul were talking about the New Covenant, they were talking about the same thing. For Jeremiah it was a future event, for Paul it was a past event. For Jeremiah it was still out of reach, for Paul it was already a reality. But the event was the same – Christ – the manifestation of God in humanity. The manifestation of God’s Spirit in man. Christ was 100% God and 100% man. The New Covenant is Christ living in us and we living in Him. This is what Jeremiah foretold when he said that “I will put My law within them”. God put the law of love in us – Christ. This is the law that He envisioned for humanity. This is the will of God for mankind today. For God so greatly loved the world …

The New Covenant is already inside of us through Christ living in us. The New Covenant is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit of God in us – because of Christ’s love.

The New Covenant (God’s will for us in Christ) is not something that can be contained with a letter, a code of conduct or a written law. It cannot  be contained by 66 books of the Bible – 777 books could not suffice.

Jesus said this to His followers as one of the last conversations before His capture and ultimate death on the cross. He told them that the Holy Spirit (whom He will send after His resurrection) is the one that will lead and guide them into the full truth, into all the truth. He even told them how it will happen. The Holy Spirit will draw upon what is Christ’s (truth) and will transmit it to them/us.

This is how the law of Christ works, this is the modus operandi of the New Covenant. The Holy Spirit draws upon truth (Christ) and transmits it to us. Truth is already living in us and the Holy Spirit will lead us into the full truth – Christ in us!

We no longer have to look on the outside for truth but we look on the inside.

When we look at the inside, we will see this new perfect spiritual being of ours. We see Christ and see the perfect being that He made us to be. Now, in this life. As something He did and not what we did or now do. Perfect love. This new and restored being of ours is perfectly rebuilt in Christ. It is truth (spiritual truth). The more we look at ourselves in this spiritual manner, the more we will see the image of Christ in us.

By viewing ourselves in this spiritual manner, it will automatically change the perception we have about ourselves. We will start loving ourselves (our spiritual self) and that in return will affect how we see others. It will affect how we treat others. It will affect how we love others. It is an automatic result. You no longer have to try to walk in love but it comes organically as a reflection of who you are in Christ (The Organic Christian).

Once we stop trying to live a certain way and start focusing on our perfect spiritual being, we automatically fulfill the law of love (Christ). This is the fruit that comes naturally by focusing on our perfect Spirit being. The works of the flesh are a “production”, they are produced by human effort. Fruit cannot be produced. Fruit grows automatically, you cannot produce fruit. You cannot work or produce the Spirit.

There are no works of the Spirit.
There is only the fruit of the Spirit as a result of reflecting on who you are in Christ, as part of your new identity in Christ.

This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and this is how Christ intended for Christians to live in this world.

If the New Testament really was the “User’s Manual” on how to live the Christian life …
If it really is the standard that Christ wants us to live by today …
If it really is a “Second Law” or a written code of conduct for Christians today …
If it really is “The Authority” on Christian living …
If the New Testament really is the Word of God …

I think you get the point … but seriously, if this is how God really intended it to be, WHY, WHY, WHY …

… did Jesus not write the New Testament Himself?
Wouldn’t He have been the most qualified to do so? Why did he not spend His time on earth writing the perfect new law of Christianity? The “User’s Manual” for Christian living? Leaving His legacy in written form?
Could there be a reason for why there are no writings authored by Jesus?
Could it be that what Jeremiah prophesied, actually came true and the law of love (the law of Christ) is written on our heart?

… did it take so long for it to be written?
If indeed it is the standard that Christians should live by, why did it take decades for it to be written and centuries for it to be declared the New Testament? How could early Christians know how they should properly live their lives? How could they please God and live a certain standard if that standard had not yet been defined and ratified?

… did Jesus tell His followers that the Holy Spirit will lead them into all the truth?
If it required the New Testament to know truth, wouldn’t Jesus have said something like this: “Wait until Paul writes his letters and they will lead you into all the truth.”

Could it be …
… that Christianity is more about what He did for us than what we do for Him?
… that what He did for us, is so much grander than anything we could ever do?
… that what He did for us, is actually a finished work, requiring nothing but faith from us?
… that God no longer sees us as human-beings but as perfect spiritual-beings in Christ?

Let’s explore this subject a little more and see what the Apostle Paul considered the Word of God to be: Continue Reading >>