Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Lee Robertson
Pierces the Soul
The Word of God is called a “two-edged” sword because it cuts both ways. When I give the message to the church, I tell them that the Word of God cut me before it ever cut them, but it cuts in order to heal. It pierces the stony heart and it cuts all the way down “to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow” (Heb 4:13a), and helps us remove the cancerous sin that so easily besets us.
Discerns the Heart
I can’t discern what’s in a person’s heart, but the Word of God can. Far too often we judge people by sight, but we know that only God can look into the human heart (1st Sam 16:7), but the Word of God can also discern the heart. I say that because if you are reading a Bible verse and it cuts you to the quick, it is the power of God’s Word (Rom 1:16; 1st Cor 1:18) that rebukes, exhorts, corrects, and admonishes us to stop sinning. It also has the power to discern what we’re thinking and it convicts us as guilty of sin.
Lays us Bare
We know that the Word of God is “discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12), but it’s equally true that “no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb 4:13). Whatever we’re thinking, God’s already aware of it, because, like God’s Word, we are all exposed to the eyes of God and He knows all there is to know about us, and someday (soon?), we will have to give an account to Him. That should make us stop and think.
Conclusion
The Bible is not just a goldmine, it is worth more than all the treasures in the universe because it pierces our souls or consciences; it discerns our thoughts and intents; and it lays us wide open for God to see all there is to know about us, and of course it is the power of the gospel of salvation to save (Rom 1:16; 1st Cor 1:18). Reading the Bible will help us to know how to discern right from wrong, to know God’s thoughts, and to understand that absolutely nothing is hidden from Him to Who we will all have to give an account someday.
