The Bible is NOT firstly about us.
It is NOT a manual to be followed whereby we may attain righteousness.
It is NOT a set of principles or rules or guidelines or prescription or ordinances or recipe that, when followed, makes us right before God.
The Word IS all about Jesus!
Jesus IS all about you!
The Word of God just screams "Jesus" on every page and in every verse.
If you find Jesus, you find Live.
In Him you are made righteous, are justified, sanctified, made holy, a new person ...
Let's look at the WORD
Let's consider one of my favourite verses in Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of יהוה is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
The epistle of Hebrews was written to encourage wavering believers to stand fast in their faith and not to fall back into law and principles and recipes and prescription.
Against what we have discovered above and the context of the whole book of Hebrews, let's do some direct translation from the Greek ...
The Word (Jesus, the word, Logos, Who was from the beginning) of YHVH is quick (zaō - alive, living breath, life) and powerful (energēs - full of energy, effective, operational), and sharper (tomōteros - decisive, certain cut/s) than any twoedged (distomos - twice-mouthed or spoken again) sword (machaira - from the root word machē meaning combat, fight or argument), piercing (diikneomai - to go completely through) even to the dividing asunder (merismos - to separate into parts) of soul (psuchē - the very essence, the substance of a being) and spirit (pneuma - the very breath of life), and of the joints (harmos - the parts that is fitted together such as a chariot) and marrow (the inner-anointing) and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The picture of Jesus.
But then this verse turns to the the fact that the whole of Jesus is about you ... Jesus (the Word) spoken (recited, poemed - remember this post?) again by you ... in every and any situation.
There is a picture here (not a word picture, but a real descriptive picture) that says that the abiding Word (the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit) is so alive and effective, living inside us that it produces a 100% effective success rate when spoken by us.
So, if we are destined to success ... ?
This is the reason Jesus could say:
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mar 16:15-18
It is the prophetic promise fulfilled in Jesus that the prophet Isaiah had spoken so many years before saying:
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isa 55:11
Twoedged?
Jesus, being the Word spoke it. We speak (repeat) it as doers (poiētēs - poets, appropriations, applicators) of the Word (Jas 1:22).
What does it say?
As followers of Jesus we are not destined to fail!
We speak Him and pierce even the darkest circumstances.
We echo His words and the finished work of the cross and even the mountains will crumble and fall.
We abide in Him as He abides in us. That is exactly why 1 John 3:24 says: And he that keepeth his commandments (from the root word entellomai meaning to be enjoined) dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
Where the Spirit of Life speaks, THERE IS LIFE!
Glory to Jesus!