The Word (not Words) of God

The Word (not Words) of God.

Why do they call it the Word of God and not the Words of God? Think about that for a minute. Is there any difference, other than the addition of one letter, between the two terms? If so, does it matter that there’s a potential difference? Have you ever even thought about it much? I know I didn’t, that is until recently.

In some private time with the Lord I began to ponder that idea, and was able to hone in and really think about, and pray about, what the term “Word of God” means. It’s truly amazing how certain concepts come together as you study it out, and I want to share some of those things with you.

The entire Bible itself was written over a lengthy period of time – approximately 1500 years! That time span is due to many different factors but the actual time period it covers is much more extensive since The Word of God references creation itself. Many people ascribe to a roughly 6000 year age to Earth while others, including some Christians, think it dates much older than that (but that subject is something to be looked at all on its own). There were numerous human contributors, originating from various locations throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East regions. These human contributors were members of vastly different social and political classes of people – from kings to shepherds and merchants to physicians. One of the most fascinating aspects about its formation is to discover how God was able to take the writings of such a diverse group of men and bind it into a cohesive, progressive and ever-revealing unified, whole and complete work!

The first portion of the Word of God, what we refer to as the Old Testament (OT), was written primarily in ancient Hebrew (with a very small amount written in Aramaic). Until fairly recently Hebrew was considered a ‘dead’ language by most people. A language is considered ‘dead’ when no significant population base uses it in everyday, modern communication. With the modern advent of the nation of Israel, Hebrew has experienced a resurgence.

The second portion of the Word of God, what we refer to as the New Testament (NT), was written in a particular style of Greek termed Koine (pronounced KOY-nay). That language was also considered a ‘dead’ language. Although the official language of the modern nation of Greece is of course Greek, the Koine version is, for various reasons, still generally considered a ‘dead’ language.

When a language becomes ‘dead,’ the meaning of the words used in that language retain their original meaning. They don’t morph over time as living languages tend to have their words change meanings through repeated use, and misuse.

A similar characteristic of both languages is that they are written without spacing between the words. While this happens often – but not always – with ancient Hebrew it is nearly always so with Koine Greek. At first glance, if you were to look at passages of Scripture written in such a way then you would, or perhaps should – view those passages as a single word. This is true in the OT, but near-universally so in the NT. That is fascinating, since the OT was a type (or shadow) of the NT the sentence structure was similar part of the time, but since the advent of Jesus (Who IS the Word, made flesh), the sentence structure is consistently the same. Interesting, isn’t it?

Another aspect we need to consider is that the words used in the text of Scripture are very specific. Each individual word was used specifically due to its meaning, and was placed in the position it was given to convey a specific meaning or to influence the surrounding words which are associated with it. An example we can compare is the Koine word phileo. While translated “love” in English, it doesn’t carry the intensity of the Koine word agape, which is also translated as “love. And, since these languages are ‘dead,’ their meaning doesn’t change with time. What they meant then is what they mean today.

So let’s put these different pieces together and see what we get;

•    God worked on this project for 1500 years, yet the completed work is whole, not fragmented
•    He used multiple people spanning multiple generations and crossing multiple social strata
•    He used two ‘dead’ languages which locked in the meaning of the words used
•    He used specific words in specific textual locations to convey specific meaning
•    The sentence structures between OT and NT writing are similar and yet distinctly different, showing a progression from sometimes spacing-free to virtually always spacing-free

Why is all of this important? Because it shows (on multiple levels) God conveying His thoughts without the interference of shifting meaning or changing social considerations and/or applications. It helps us to be assured that what was written was written for all time, and not just on a whim. Most importantly of all is this; just as it is with His Word, God does not change His intention.

Look at these examples, keeping in mind the things we just reviewed;

Num 23:19-2019
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”

Mal 3:6
“For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”

Heb 13:8-9
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Ps 119:89-91
Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.

Heb 1:3-4
“…Who (Jesus)  being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding (present tense) all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…”

Heb 1:8
But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.”

It’s a very comforting thing to know that our God doesn’t change with passing moods. He is always the same, always consistent, and always willing to accept anyone who comes to Him in humility. As we continue to study Him, through His Word, we come to understand the immutable nature of Christ.