The Word Be Glorified

"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: ²  And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith."

2 Thessalonians 3:1-2

The Word of God is critical in the salvation and growth of Christians.  The Bible helps us to place our faith in the God Who can actually save us:  faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  People perish for a lack of knowledge of the WORD who became flesh and dwelt among us.  Jesus warned against false prophets who posed as genuine, and Paul warned against ravenous wolves which would not spare the flock.  The idea is one of infiltration, not of attack from outsiders.  Paul desired prayer so the "word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified."  There were people outside the church who resisted and flatly denied the truth of scripture.  Lack of faith in professing Christians hinders the free course of God's Word even in the church, and this is more concerning than satanic forces outside.  A single wolf in sheep's clothing with a carefully refined bleat poses a far greater threat within the confines of a fenced flock than a baying pack outside.

I think it was Alan Redpath I heard say, "You go through your Bible, but how long has it been since it went through you?  How long has it been since it burned like a fire in you?"  Agreement is not belief.  I can agree parachutes can safely convey skydivers from a plane at high altitude to the ground safely, but evidence of belief comes through testing.  Suffice it to say there are a lot of people on the ground who would agree parachutes are reliable and even safe when correctly deployed, but would never jump out of a plane with only a parachute strapped to their back between them and death.  Christianity and God's Word is life and death; it is all or nothing.  We are called as believers to allow God's Word to have free course in our personal lives and then it will be glorified according to the perfect will of God.

It is an unreasonable and wicked man who would hinder, distort, add to or make omissions of God's Word.  It is folly for a messenger to alter the words of his king to better suit the masses.  The Bible is quite plain and objective, yet because the desires and tendencies of our flesh run absolutely contrary to it things become quite complicated.  We quickly realise there is a difference between our thinking and practices and what the Bible says.  The Bible is complex and deeper than a man's understanding can plumb, yet plain meaning is provided which transcends all time, ethnicity, nationality, and languages.  It appeals to and correlates with the human conscience as noble and admirable.  Without faith in God, however, the truth of the scripture cannot be received.  Hebrews 4:2 says, "For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it."  Isn't that awful?  A person can hear the words of God but not profit from them when they are not mixed with faith.

I pray the word of God may have free course within me and you and be glorified for Christ's sake.  Since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, how important it is for people to be exposed to the Bible being lived out by Christians who walk righteously.  People who will never open a Bible read your life like a book.  They listen to your words.  They note the subtlety of your facial expressions and try to discern your motives.  They will constantly see to balance your words and claims of scripture against your life.  The good thing is even though we fail, God's Word will endure and remain true, capable of piercing, instructing, correcting, and saving.  All men have not faith, but those will faith ought to live like men of God in whom the Word is glorified.