The Ministry of the Word

I suppose that a pretty foundational question for all of life is “how do we know God?” How do we know that He is, what He is, and what He is like? This is a question that all of us have to approach at one point or another in our lives, and it is especially important for the faithful Christian to deal with. Most of us have two goals in mind when approaching the question of how we know God. The first is: “how do I get closer to God?” The second is “how do I become a better person?” I don’t think any of us would say deny that by getting closer to God, we do become better people. But what is the vehicle that draws us closer to God? What is it that allows us to know Him? For the practicing Christian, it is revelation. It is the ministry of the Word of God.

So what exactly is revelation? Basically, it is anything that God shows us. And anything that God shows us is His Word. As sinful and corrupt humans, we cannot know anything about God unless He shows us and reveals Himself to us. It is not in the nature of the corrupt, imperfect, finite creature to seek the incorruptible, perfect, infinite Creator. Any conclusion about God we can come to without seeking His Word and revelation is useless and probably wrong. Therefore I submit to you that we can know nothing about God by means of our own faculties but only through what He wants to let us know about Himself. And what He tells us about Himself is called His Word.

So practically speaking, if we want to grow as Christians, we’d better be in the habit of frequently encountering, hearing, wrestling, and applying His Word. Where then can the Word of God be found? Well first of all, it is found in the person of Christ. The Bible calls Him the Word made flesh. By having a personal relationship with the Son and reading about the nature of Jesus as recorded in the Bible, we come to know Him better. Secondly, we can encounter the revelation of God in the Bible. The Bible is also the written and inspired Word of God. It contains the message of the gospel: that we are sinners in need of a savior. All of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, points to the salvation that Jesus brought. We can encounter this message in multiple ways.

The first is through the exposition and preaching of the Bible. Preaching can come anywhere these days, from campus ministries to books to podcasts. Probably the best setting for preaching is in a local church in the community and fellowship of believers. Second, we encounter God’s gospel message through daily reading, prayer, and meditation on the Bible. This is commonly referred to as a quiet time. This discipline is often neglected these days, but it brings great reward to those who seek God in this way. Third, we encounter God’s Word through the local church. The local church provides us with spiritual friends and advisors, love, room for growth, fellowship, encouragement, and the ordinances/sacraments. By partaking of all that the local church has to offer, we grow in grace. Fourth, we encounter God’s Word through individual relationships. Friends have a responsibility to confront, love, and correct those who are in error. We must preach the gospel to our saved friends as well as unsaved friends. Or take the case of marriage, in which the two partners are called to minister to one another for all of life.

And the gospel probably comes through many other ways as well. As long as Christ is lifted up on the basis of the Word, then we can be sure that the ministry and kingdom of God are growing. We must also remember that in all of this, the Holy Spirit is allowing us to understand the truths that God reveals to us.

One last thing. We must always remember that the Word is not a system and it certainly can’t be manipulated. You can’t come to the various ministries of the Word just to become a better you. And you can’t force the issue. Manipulating God is the one sin that it is impossible to commit because God cannot be manipulated. Also, sanctification is not a system; it is a relationship that is the job of the Holy Spirit. There are no steps to becoming more in love with Jesus. So go out into the world and dig deeply into His Word in all its manifestations, from preaching and teaching to reading to prayer to fellowship to marriage. And then we might come to understand and love God more. We would do well to remember that.