Though the word "indispensable" is not often used in casual conversation, the meaning is plain enough: absolutely necessary. The Word of God, the Bible, is absolutely necessary to the Christian walk of knowing God and His perfect will. Romans 10:17 says "...faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Without the revelation of God's Word there is nothing definite to place our faith in. When the Bible touches a believing heart, it is most profitable. The writer of Hebrews pointed out the importance of God's truth to mix with faith by using the example of Jews who did not enter into the land of promise in Hebrews 4:2: "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." Faith combined with knowledge of God's Word leads to obedient action.
The Bible is not merely a launching pad for faith, but it is the foundation our lives are to be continuously built upon. God's Word illuminates the narrow road which stretches on before all of us, a "...lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." (Ps. 119:105) There should be in all faithful servants of God complete submission to the truth of God's Word. We can all sadly become as King Saul, who began humble in his own eyes but was later lifted up with pride. On one occasion he commanded the priest to bring the Ark of the Covenant before him to inquire of the LORD. But when he heard the sounds from the Philistine camp growing he told the priest of the Most High God, "Withdraw your hand" (1 Sam. 14:19), basically saying, "Never mind. I've got this." So said the man who intentionally fell on his own sword, and when we toss aside God's Word as a light or trite thing we do the same.
I recently purchased R.A. Torrey's book, How to Obtain Fullness of Power. In the first chapter he made a very good observation concerning the importance of God's Word in bringing people to salvation through the Gospel. The Philippian jailer, shaken body and soul by the earthquake, sprang into the cell of Paul and Silas and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" I expect many people familiar with the passage will remember their response in Acts 16:31, "So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." It is what they did next which is indispensable, giving the man something definite to believe and do according to scripture. It goes on to say in Acts 16:32-33, "Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized." They did not just tell the man to believe, but "spoke the word" so the man could know what to believe and how to respond. Being mixed with faith, the word of God was used to bring a family to eternal salvation. Our words cannot save sinners, but the Bible can.
Paul's exhortation to Timothy is an important one to lay to heart today in 2 Timothy 4:1-2, "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." This great error of drifting from the preaching of the Word of God was a temptation from the infancy of the church. Paul did not preach himself, making his personal experiences a central focus of his talks. Stories and illustrations have their place in an engaging discourse (as we see demonstrated with Jesus with His parables), but the Word should be as indispensable in our preaching as Jesus said the Holy Spirit is to guide and lead us into all truth. Man's opinions are fickle, but God's Word endures forever. There is no life in our sermonising or discussions except we make the Word of God central to them, for God alone has the words of life. Stories lead to more stories, but God's Word brings salvation and personal transformation.
The Bible is not merely a launching pad for faith, but it is the foundation our lives are to be continuously built upon. God's Word illuminates the narrow road which stretches on before all of us, a "...lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." (Ps. 119:105) There should be in all faithful servants of God complete submission to the truth of God's Word. We can all sadly become as King Saul, who began humble in his own eyes but was later lifted up with pride. On one occasion he commanded the priest to bring the Ark of the Covenant before him to inquire of the LORD. But when he heard the sounds from the Philistine camp growing he told the priest of the Most High God, "Withdraw your hand" (1 Sam. 14:19), basically saying, "Never mind. I've got this." So said the man who intentionally fell on his own sword, and when we toss aside God's Word as a light or trite thing we do the same.
I recently purchased R.A. Torrey's book, How to Obtain Fullness of Power. In the first chapter he made a very good observation concerning the importance of God's Word in bringing people to salvation through the Gospel. The Philippian jailer, shaken body and soul by the earthquake, sprang into the cell of Paul and Silas and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" I expect many people familiar with the passage will remember their response in Acts 16:31, "So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." It is what they did next which is indispensable, giving the man something definite to believe and do according to scripture. It goes on to say in Acts 16:32-33, "Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized." They did not just tell the man to believe, but "spoke the word" so the man could know what to believe and how to respond. Being mixed with faith, the word of God was used to bring a family to eternal salvation. Our words cannot save sinners, but the Bible can.
Paul's exhortation to Timothy is an important one to lay to heart today in 2 Timothy 4:1-2, "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." This great error of drifting from the preaching of the Word of God was a temptation from the infancy of the church. Paul did not preach himself, making his personal experiences a central focus of his talks. Stories and illustrations have their place in an engaging discourse (as we see demonstrated with Jesus with His parables), but the Word should be as indispensable in our preaching as Jesus said the Holy Spirit is to guide and lead us into all truth. Man's opinions are fickle, but God's Word endures forever. There is no life in our sermonising or discussions except we make the Word of God central to them, for God alone has the words of life. Stories lead to more stories, but God's Word brings salvation and personal transformation.
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