The just shall live by faith
The life of the word is the life of God, for it is God breathed, and the breath of God is life. Its life and power are thus attested: “For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb. 4:12, R.V. The Savior said of the words of God, “The words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63. Let’s see what gives the word its life.
Deuteronomy 30 describes the curses for disobedience to the law, and the blessings for obedience. The people are again admonished to keep the law, and are told what the Lord will do for them if they will repent of their disobedience. Then Moses continues: “For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” Deut 30:11-14.
Now carefully compare with this passage the words of the apostle Paul in Rom. 10:6-10: “But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above); Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead), But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
If you read this carefully you will readily see that the second passage is a quotation of the first, with additions in parentheses. These additions are comments made by the Holy Spirit. They tell you just what Moses meant by the word “commandment.” In Romans, the Holy Spirit has made clearer what was meant in the first passage. Notice that bringing the commandment down from heaven is shown to be the same as bringing Christ down from above, and bringing the commandment from the deep is the same as bringing Christ up from the dead.
What is shown by this? Nothing more nor less than that the commandment, the law-the entire word of the Lord-is identical with Christ. Do not misunderstand. It doesn’t mean that Christ is nothing more than the letters and words and sentences that we read in the Bible. Far from it. The fact is that if you read the Bible, and find nothing but mere words, such as you may find in any other book, you didn’t find the real word at all. What is meant is that the real word is not a dead letter, but is identical with Christ. If you really find the word then you find Christ, and if you don’t find Christ in the word, you haven’t found the word of God.
The apostle Paul says that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Rom. 10:17. But he also says that Christ dwells in your heart by faith. Eph. 3:17. So faith in the living word of God brings Christ into your heart. He is the life of the word.
This is also shown in John 6 where we find the statement made by Christ that the words which He spoke were Spirit and life. In John 6:35 we read, “Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life.” And in John 6:51, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” And again, “Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” Then in John 6:63 He added, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life.” Here you find the plainest declaration that the word of God received in faith conveys Christ to your soul.
The only way that you can eat the flesh of Christ is to believe His word with all your heart. In that way you will receive Christ indeed, and thus it is that “with the heart man believeth unto righteousness,” for Christ is righteousness.
This is a meager presentation of the theme, but who can do justice to it? You can’t do more than take the simple statements of the Scriptures and meditate on them until the force of the fact begins to dawn on your mind. The fact that Christ is in the real word, that the life of the word is the life of Christ, is a most stupendous one. It is the mystery of the Gospel. When you receive it as a fact, and appropriate it, then you will know for yourself the meaning of the words that you shall live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
Living By Faith- E.J.W., and A.T.J
Maranatha