Including, But Not Limited To

Why can we not believe that the Jesus Christ, that we claim “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), is really the same Word spoken of by John in the opening of his gospel writing. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Does God speak to people or not? Does God, through His Word (as written of by John) and His Holy Spirit, influence people’s understanding of Him through the spoken word and through revelation? The Word is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What Word has been with us from the beginning?

Does God speak to people or not? First let’s determine if God speaks or not. “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). It would appear that the word that was with God in the beginning was and is a spoken Word (the same yesterday, today, and forever). God speaks. Does God speak to people or not?

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” (Genesis 2:16-17). “Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire” (Deuteronomy 4:36). “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me’” (Isaiah 6:8). “So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking. And He said to me, ‘Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you’” (Ezekiel 2:1). “And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!’” (Mark 9:7).

As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 9:3-5).

If it is too much to ask that we can have faith in God to communicate to us, then how can we believe in a book written through communications from God? If we can have faith that God spoke to the authors of the scriptures, then we can have faith that God speaks to people. The authors of the scriptures were people. God talks to people. Jesus who is the Word of God from the beginning is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Yesterday, He was spoken – today, He is spoken – forever, He will be spoken.

God spoke to the prophets and apostles and they wrote a letter to me introducing me to God. In that letter God said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:37-38). “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink’” (John 7:37). And to those that will not come to Him; He has said, “You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40).

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14). “He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand” (John 3:33-35). “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: ‘Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world’” (Romans 10:17-18).

The sound we need to hear have gone to the ends of the earth. He who has been sent speaks. The Spirit of truth speaks. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word that has been from the beginning – the same yesterday, today, and forever. That is more than reading out loud what has been written, that is hearing from the Word what is being spoken. Paul was quoting from Psalm 19, where David was writing about the proofs of God in the heaven that He created. The rising of the sun speaks of a Creator so that it is heard in every language. The hearing that Paul was writing about was a witness outside of the written word. When God speaks to you and faithfully carries out the Word, faith comes. When God speaks to you it should build up your faith, even if the speaking is witnessing the creation that His speech created (including, but not limited to, scripture). God is speaking to people. Are we listening?

© 2007, Tim D. Coulter Sr.