How Is Our Faith "Living and Active"?

Many Christians are aware of Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The common and correct interpretation of this verse is that God’s Word is powerful for us as we strive to persevere in the faith. God’s powerful Word accomplishes everything He means for it to as it pierces a Christian’s very soul and spirit. Let’s look, however, at a different aspect of this verse; what does living and active mean regarding (1) God, (2) His Word, and (3) Christians?

The surrounding verses are important to regard as well. Hebrews 4:11 says, “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” And Hebrews 4:13 tells us, “And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account” (emphasis added).

Wow, what a parenthesis to a focused look at our key verse! The words strive in verse eleven, and the phrase give account in verse thirteen, will stand out as we consider the living and active description of God, His Word, and true Christians. The word living as used in this verse is what we’d think — to live or to be alive. The Greek word employed here for active is ἐνεργής (energēs). It’s not hard to see we get the word energetic from this Greek transliteration. Active, as used in this passage, also means operative and powerful (The NKJV translates it as powerful).

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God Is Living and Active

The April 8, 1966 edition of Time Magazine headlined their cover: Is God Dead? As an article looking back at that controversial cover story states, “The story by TIME religion editor John Elson — and the gut-punch question on the cover, the magazine’s first to include only text — inspired countless angry sermons and 3,421 letters from readers.” The authors believed God had been alive but is now dead. No wonder the article spurred such anger.

Lest you think, in these days of quick emails, over 3,000 letters is nothing, in 1966, snail mail was the only avenue for letters. The nature of the article, however, encouraged countless Christians to examine their faith and to dig further into the Bible to make sure they were, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15, cf. 1 Peter 1:21).

What if someone told you today they believe God is dead? How would you answer?

Scripture is our best source for all of life’s queries, including those which question the Creator of the heavens and earth (including us) and His Word.

When the LORD God revealed His name to Moses, He proclaimed, “I AM WHO I AM.” He is the Existing One, and Scripture affirms He is the everlasting, eternal One (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 41:13; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 26:4). As such, God was, is, and will be. 1 Chronicles 16:36 gives us a definitive look at God’s eternality, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.” We can daresay it doesn’t get any clearer than that.

Because Jesus is God, He too has the same character and attributes. Only our Holy God, who is eternal, is able to bestow eternal life to another. Jesus said, “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Romans 6:23 tells us God’s free gift to us who believe is “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20). Jesus speaks in Revelation 1:18, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living One. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

Here's one more verse which proclaims Jesus as our eternal God, John 8:58. “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’”

What of the Spirit? He too is living. “…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14).

Our triune God is alive forevermore and He is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

If God wasn’t alive, His Word wouldn’t be either. Neither would Christians be alive in Christ. If we weren’t alive, His Word wouldn’t speak to us nor affect us.

Other Bible passages to ponder:

Matthew 16:16; Matthew 22:32: Matthew 26:63; John 6:51,57; Acts 14:15: 2 Corinthians 3:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 Timothy 3:15

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God’s Activity

Have you ever known anyone with the delusion God sits on a cloud, unmindful of His creation? God not only lives, but He also acts! The entire Bible is full of God’s actions. Our great and holy God never slumbers or sleeps (Psalm 121:1). Jesus, our Lord and Savior — Lord of the Sabbath — told a group of Pharisees, “My Father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:17).

And now, as the Lord God’s eyes go to and fro over the earth (2 Chronicles 16:9), Jesus is interceding for us (Romans 8:34) and is building His church (Matthew 16:18). The Holy Spirit acts by sealing believers, giving words to our groanings, guiding our speech (Mark 13:11), bringing God’s Word to mind (John 14:26), helping us bear good fruit (Galatians 5:22-25), and more — much more. It’s like John says in his Gospel, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25).

God’s Word Is Living and Active

Many pastors have remarked while preaching that they saw something in Scripture they hadn’t seen before. Every diligent student of the Bible can say the same thing as the Spirit reveals something “new.” God’s Word, as living and active, doesn’t mean it changes. What God’s Word does is meet our needs in every season of life; it changes us. We change. God doesn’t. God’s Word doesn’t either, but as God transforms us from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18), we see God’s Word with new eyes because we are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

A living God spoke His living Word to living men. These men faithfully recorded God’s Word expressed by their own cultural and historical references (and experiences). Any generation of true Christians can understand what God is saying because God’s Word is not a “one and done” entity. It speaks to every generation in answer to every question and need because it is God speaking to us (2 Peter 1:21).

The prophet Jeremiah wrote this about God’s Word, “Is not My word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29). The word Paul used in the passage is active. Another word to use is effective. We will see the effective use of God’s living Word as we consider how a Christian’s role is commanded and effectively enacted by the power of the Word. Disobeying God’s Word is the same as disobeying God. No wonder Paul expressed woe if he did not preach the Gospel (1 Corinthians 9:16). He knew, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

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True Christians Are Living and Active

The Apostle Paul’s words are a summation of a Christian’s life, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). Christians are to be a living sacrifice. What does that look like?

The Apostle Peter conveys, “since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). The Word in this verse is logos. We are introduced to the Logos in John 1:1 — Jesus Christ — the Word who is with God and is God.

Therefore, from these passages, we see our spiritual state encompassed in the Word and what He has done for us. Before God’s kindness led us to repentance (Romans 2:4), we had no idea of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We Christians, who were once dead in our trespasses and sins (Colossians 2:13), were also not just in darkness but were darkness (Ephesians 5:8).

Because of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross, Christians now live to Him (Luke 20:38), and our lives are to be actively in pursuit of holiness (1 Peter 1:16). Time after time we see this throughout the Gospels as Jesus gave us examples of the life we are to live (1 Timothy 1:16). We also see a repetition of godly living examples (living sacrifice) throughout the rest of the New Testament. Earlier in 1 Timothy, Paul speaks of the efforts we are to put in to achieve godliness as the Spirit helps us. “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10).

We know our lives will not be easy (John 16:33), but God opens doors to share the good news actively and effectively with unbelievers (Acts 10:42; 1 Corinthians 19:9; Philemon 1:6; James 2:22).

God has graciously given us His armor, which includes the sword of the Spirit, which is His Word (Ephesians 6:17; Revelation 1:16). The crucial nature of sharing the Gospel is recorded by Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” Paul encourages us in 1 Timothy 6:11-12, “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

1 Thessalonians 2:13 tells us, “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” As God’s Word works in us, we display faith through the preaching of the Word along with the love we show — they go hand in hand, for as James tells us, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:17).

One day every person who has ever lived will stand before God our Judge. True believers will enter eternal life in His presence and others outside of Christ will be thrown into a lake of fire for eternity (Revelation 21:8). Christians will be judged by Christ as described in 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Romans 14:10. What we do as Christians matters, for His love compels us (2 Corinthians 5:14). Thank God His living Word guides us through life.

Lord Jesus,

Help us worship and serve You in Spirit and truth, for You are sovereign over all. Thank You for Your sacrifice which brings new life to us. We can now live for You according to Your Word. You and Your Word are living and active. Help us to live for You and actively share Your good news with a lost and dying world.

Amen.

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