The Spiritual Life Lesson 10 - Feeding on God's Word Part 2

     As Christians, our spiritual growth happens as we feed on God’s Word and benefit from its nourishment. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4; cf. Deut 8:3). Job said, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12b). Jeremiah said, “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart” (Jer 15:16a). Paul encouraged Timothy to be “constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching” (1 Tim 4:6). Peter said, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet 2:2). Pure milk means it has not been watered down. According to Arnold Fruchtenbaum, “The milk is the basics of the Word of God, and it is necessary for young believers. They need this milk in order to grow spiritually…Essentially, the purpose of partaking of spiritual milk is to grow toward maturity so that believers can begin to partake of the meat of God’s Word.”^[1] Earl Radmacher states, “The purpose of studying God’s truth is not only to learn more, but to become mature in the faith.”^[2]

     The Word of God helps growing believers in their spiritual development. It has milk for the new believer, as well as meat for the more mature (Heb 5:13-14). And God wants us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18). The word “grow” translates the Greek verb auxanō (αὐξάνω), which means “to become greater, grow, increase.”^[3] The form of the verb is present tense (implying ongoing action), active voice (the subject produces the action), and imperative mood (it’s a command). Gowing “in grace” means taking advantage of God’s unmerited love and provisions, and in the “knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” refers to our deepening understanding and relationship with Jesus Christ. We need God’s Word of truth to grow.[4]

Areas Where the Believer’s Mind Needs Renovation

     The Bible offers guidance on various life matters, providing believers with a blueprint for living in accordance with God’s will. It does not address everything, but what it does is what God deems important for us to know. The Bible addresses foundational areas of knowledge such as the existence of God, the origin of the universe, mankind, sin, salvation, angels, Satan and demons, marriage, politics, finances, and eschatology. These and other doctrines provide a comprehensive and coherent worldview that allow the Christian to orient to reality from a biblical perspective. Knowledge of who God is takes priority.

     Nowhere in Scripture does the Bible try to prove the existence of God. It starts with the assumption that He exists, that He is the sovereign Creator of the universe (Gen 1:1), and that He is known through His creation (Psa 19:1-2; Rom 1:18-20). The Bible reveals there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons within the Trinity (Gen 1:26; 11:6-7; Matt 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 Pet 1:2): God the Father (Gal 1:1; Eph 6:23; Phil 2:11), God the Son (John 1:1, 14, 18; 8:58; 20:28; Col 2:9; Heb 1:8), and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor 2:11-12; 2 Cor 13:14). God is three in Person, but one in essence, sharing the same attributes. The use of the Hebrew numeral echad (אֶחָד) reveals, in some contexts, the idea of a complex one, which supports the doctrine of the Trinity (Deut 6:4; cf., Gen 2:24; Ezra 3:1; Ezek 37:17). All three persons of the Trinity are co-equal, co-infinite, co-eternal, and worthy of all praise and service.

     The three Persons of the God-head share the same divine attributes. The attributes of God consist of intrinsic characteristics that are equally representative of the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God’s attributes are revealed in Scripture, which means they are objective and can be learned by God’s people. Furthermore, the attributes of God explain His actions. And we cannot separate or elevate one attribute above another. The Bible reveals God is: Living, which means “He is the living God and the everlasting King” (Jer 10:10), He “has life in Himself” (John 5:26; cf. Psa 42:2; 84:2; Matt 16:16; John 1:4) and is the ultimate source of life. Paul states, “for in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). Self-existent (aseity), which means His existence depends on nothing outside of Himself (Ex 3:14). Moses said, “from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psa 90:2). There is no prior cause that brought God into existence, He will never cease to be, and He depends on nothing outside of Himself. Holy (Lev 11:44; Psa 99:9; Isa 45:5-19), which means God is morally perfect and separate from all that is sinful. Spirit (John 4:24; 2 Cor 3:17), which means the nature of God’s being is spirit, not material. Sovereign (Psa 115:3; Isa 46:9-11; Dan 4:35; Acts 17:24-28), which means God acts freely as He pleases, always as He pleases, and only as He pleases. Immutable (Psa 102:26-27; Mal 3:6), which means God’s essential nature does not change. Eternal (Deut 33:27; 1 Tim 1:17), which means God has always existed, does exist, and forever will exist. Infinite (1 Ki 8:27; Jer 23:24), which means God exists in space and beyond space. Omniscient (Psa 139:1-4; Matt 6:31-33), which means God knows all things and is infinite in knowledge. Omnipresent (Psa 139:7-10; Jer 23:24), which means He is equally and fully everywhere present. Omnipotent (Job 42:2; Isa 40:28), which means God is all-powerful and able to accomplish all He desires. Righteous (Psa 11:7; 119:137), which refers to His intrinsic moral perfection, from which He commands all things in heaven and earth, and declares as good that which conforms to His righteousness and as evil that which deviates. Just (Psa 9:7-8; 19:9), which refers to the outworking of His righteousness in which He justifies or condemns, blesses or curses, that which does or does not conform to His righteous character. True (Jer 10:10; John 17:3), which means He is genuine, in contrast to false idols. This means He truthful (2 Sam 7:28; John 17:17). His knowledge and declarations define reality and help us make sense of what is. Love (Jer 31:3; 1 John 4:7-8), which means He is committed to us, desires our best, and acts for our benefit. Good (Psa 100:5; 145:9; Nah 1:7; Jam 1:17), which means all He does is good, and that He is the ultimate source of all that is good. Faithful (Deut 7:9; Lam 3:21-23), which means He is reliable in all He says and does, always keeping His Word. Merciful (Psa 86:15; Tit 3:5), which means He is kind toward us and does not judge us as we deserve. Gracious (Psa 111:4; 116:5), which means He treats us better than we deserve.

Dr. Steven R. Cook

 

 

^[1] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 339.

^[2] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999), 1680.

^[3] William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 151.

[4] The writers of Scripture regarded God’s Word as truth, saying, “Now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are truth” (2 Sam 7:28), “You are near, O LORD, and all Your commandments are truth” (Psa 119:151), “the sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting” (Psa 119:160), and Jesus said of the Father, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17b). The term “truth” refers to the absolute, unchanging, and reliable content of God’s Word. The concept of truth in Scripture is not merely about factual accuracy but also encompasses faithfulness, trustworthiness, and the eternal consistency of God’s revelation and promises. God’s Word is divinely authoritative. It is truth that provides a firm foundation for faith, guiding believers in their relationship with God and in their daily lives. The Bible is the source of God’s absolute truth in all it affirms, and communicates information we could never know independently of it. Our ability to reason, aided by God the Holy Spirit, allows us to understand what is recorded. And, once understood, we are called to a faith response.