And
I appeal to you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation,
for I have written to you in few words. Know that our brother Timothy
has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly.
Greet all those who rule over you, and all the saints. Those from
Italy greet you. Grace be with you all. Amen. (Hebrews 13:22-25,
NKJV).
In
Greek, the word here translated exhortation (paraklesis),
is the same root word used to refer to the Holy Spirit as Helper in
John 14. It's meaning encompasses supplication, entreaty, admonition,
encouragement, consolation, and that which affords comfort or
refreshment.
This
is the essential nature of the entire Word of God.
It
is the
one source of all those things provided by the Holy Spirit Himself as
He inspired holy men of God to record His thoughts, intents, and
instructions for all posterity. It is that which shall never pass
away. It is that which shall outlast the current material Universe.
It is that which saves and transforms and makes alive.
And
it is ours for the taking.
What
a gift!
Thus
it is fitting, as we near the end of this series of devotions on the
marvelous Book of Hebrews, to include a brief examination of one of
the most tangible gifts from God to men: His Word.
It
is His Word that caused Existence to come into being. He spoke and
all that ever was or will be leapt into time and space and the
spiritual realm.
He
spoke and His Word brought forth light and darkness, the heavens and
the earth, animals and mankind.
His
Word bespoke the curse upon sin and the Promise of redemption.
And
it is His Word to which we look for joy beyond measure for in it we
find eternal life (John 5).
Yet,
sadly, even Christians often neglect the edification and nourishment
that comes from feasting on this gift of wisdom and truth. We set
aside divine revelation for earthly philosophy and so-called science.
We look to human experts rather than to seek first the Kingdom of God
in His Word.
It
is not that Bible-believing disciples of Christ eschew human wisdom,
it is that we measure all such information against the source of
wisdom itself. When there is a conflict we align ourselves
unapologetically with God's Word.
Otherwise
(and this is vitally important), we find ourselves adrift in the
turbulent sea of worldly opinion, and the shifting, treacherous sands
of fallible and fallen human priorities.
Thus,
for example, we spiral downward from the lofty position of the
inviolable sanctity of human life, to the evil and barbarous
profanity of institutionalized and legalized abortion on demand.
We
move from the foundational family of husband and wife to the various
and inevitably chaotic alternatives of virtually anything else.
This
is not surprising. In fact, this end times apostasy is foretold
throughout God's Word, but it is nonetheless tragic. Among other
things, it places the gossamer and fragile “wisdom” of man above
the revealed will of the Eternal Creator, Himself.
The
unmitigated hubris evident in these “modern” trends is
astonishing, but it is most decidedly not new.
The
long war against God has been ongoing since the expulsion of Adam and
Eve from the Garden, and is destined to continue until the return of
the King, our Lord Christ.
Such
statements as these are ridiculed and marginalized by the
intellectual and cultural elites in this life. These are viewed as
throwbacks to a more “primitive” age, but such arrogant dismissal
is merely symptomatic of the long war itself, and should in no way
undermine the believer's faith in God's Word and goodness.
On
the contrary, this fulfillment of prophecy - this superior and
vindictive attitude toward the things and purposes of God - is
incontrovertible proof that His Word is true.
What
then are we who base our lives and eternal destiny on the Bible to
do?
The
answer is in the focus verses above: we are to bear
with the word of exhortation.
This
means to submit to it by the renewing
of the spirit of our minds
by the washing of the
water of the Word.
We
are to esteem it more
than our necessary food.
And
most importantly, we are to live by it as
the truth is in Jesus.
The
requirements of a godly life are not complicated, but it does entail
the one ingredient that makes all else possible: faith.
And
we know that faith comes
by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
