Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
There are times when we doubt the word and the promises of God. What is doubt? It is a temporary period of unbelief, and we all have them. At times, our faith is shaken by a trial or a hardship or a tribulation. Or our faith is shaken by the hostility and opposition of the godless world around us. Sometimes, in our small, fallible minds, we think we know and understand better than God. Whatever the root cause, we have a tendency to doubt God’s word. So the writer of Hebrews reminds us of the power of God’s word. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…” There may not be a more powerful description of God’s holy word in all of Scripture than these words. These opening words destroy the world’s view of the Bible. The world views the Bible “as just another book.” An old, outdated book that has no relevance to today’s “progressive” culture, but Hebrews 4:12 tells us an entirely different story. First, we are told that the word of God is living. It is living because God is the One True Living God. A Living Person is revealed in the pages of sacred Scripture. God’s word is a divinely inspired word, so when we encounter God’s word, we are encountering God. Do you think about that when you open the pages of sacred Scripture? Therefore, God’s word cannot be taken lightly. Whoever chooses to dismiss, disregard, or disobey God’s word will answer to God himself. The Bible is much more than simply a collection of religious writings from ancient times. It is an enduring word that is living. It is relative and pertinent to all generations in all ages of time history. And the Bible demands a response. God does not tolerate indifference or disobedience to his sacred word. When we read, study, and meditate on God’s word, we are meeting with God. This is what makes the Bible so uniquely different from any and every other book. There are various people I have had great interest in over the course of my life. Theologians, sports figures, musicians. I recently read the excellent authorized biography on theologian R.C. Sproul. It is a great book, chronicling the life of this extremely influential theologian. I have read a number of other things about Sproul’s life as well. I have a good knowledge of his life and the events that shaped his life. But there is one thing I will never get, no matter how much more I read about R.C. I will never get to meet him because he is dead. But that is not the case with the word of God. The author of Scripture is not dead. He is living and his word is living. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God manifests himself in the words of Scripture. When we read the word of God, we meet with its divine author. When we open the word of God, we are encountering the Creator God of the heavens and the earth. How often does that cross your mind when you open the word of God? In addition to being a living word, v. 12 also tells us the word of God is active. The Greek word translated as active is where our English word energy comes from. That means that the word of God is a powerful word. The word of God doesn’t simply say things. It does things. God’s word convicts. It encourages. It rebukes. It exposes sin. It transforms hearts. It enlightens. It reveals a holy God before whom we all stand guilty. It reveals our only refuge from the just wrath of God. It reveals Jesus Christ. To see the power of God’s word, we only need to open our Bibles to Genesis 1. God spoke this created order into being. Throughout the creation narrative, there is the constant refrain, “And God said, ‘Let there be…” And it was so. In Mark 4, Jesus calmed the winds and the waves simply through his word. “Peace! Be still…” And immediately, the winds ceased and the waters became calm. The word of God still possesses the same power today. As God brought his beautiful creation into existence by his word, his word makes new creations in Jesus Christ. He brings dead spiritual corpses into newness of life through his word. Only God’s word possesses that power. Only God’s word is living and active. V 12 also declares that the word of God is “…sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” At the time Hebrews was written, between 65-70 AD, Israel was still an occupied territory. This was a world that was under Roman oppression, so the mention of a “two-edged sword” would instantly be understood by the original audience. The sword the author has in view is probably the Roman sword, called a gladius. This sword was about 18” long. It was double edged, and it was designed especially for close combat. In the hands of a skilled soldier, it was the deadliest of weapons. It was sharp enough to cut through armor in close combat. But the word of God is “sharper than any two-edged sword…” God’s word tells us what the hardest substance on the earth is: it is the human heart. The human heart is calcified and recalcitrant. It is “deceitful above all things and desperately sick” (Jer. 17:9). Nothing can penetrate it. Nothing that is, except the word of God. God’s word is like a surgeon’s scalpel. It penetrates what is otherwise impenetrable. The writer tells us God’s word, sharper than any two-edged sword, “(discerns) the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” God’s word does more than reveal God. It reveals who we are. Nothing remains untouched by God’s word. Our thoughts and our attitudes all face the sharp edge of God’s word. God’s word is like holding a mirror up in front of ourselves. It shows us how we really are, and it shows us who we really are. God’s word reveals this. It reveals all, but God’s word also brings us healing. It has transforming power. It offers comfort and restores hope. It renews the heart and the mind as we allow it to sink into our hearts and minds. It is that word, that unchangeable, inerrant word, which has brought us out of the darkness into the marvelous light of the Gospel. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). It is that word that is sanctifying us and conforming us more and more to the image of Christ. It is that word that gives us hope in these dark, uncertain times. God’s word is truth, and it is unchangeable truth. It is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. The Bible is not a “progressive” book because God is not a “progressive” God. As the prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”