Do You Know the Word of God?
Every Christian knows what the Word of God is. Ask them and they will tell you without hesitating. They have said it their whole lives. They have never been asked to prove it.
The Bible itself says the Word of God comes from God's own mouth. It says the Word is the Gospel you were born again by. It says the Word became flesh. And it names the passage where that Word was first spoken. The question is whether you have ever actually looked at what that passage says, or whether you inherited an answer and never checked it against the book you claim to believe.
One argument. Built passage by passage, from God's own mouth, through Isaiah, Peter, Paul, Mark, and John. If it holds, it redefines what you thought you knew. If it fails, you will be able to show where. Either way, you will never read the phrase "the Word of God" the same way again.
The Question
The Gospel came from God's own mouth. Do you know where?
1 Peter 1:23-25
Since you have been BORN AGAIN, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding WORD OF GOD; for 'All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass; the grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.' And THIS WORD is the GOOD NEWS that was proclaimed to you.
Peter says you are born again by a Word, and that Word is the good news. Paul says faith comes from hearing this same Word.
Romans 10:17
So faith comes from WHAT IS HEARD, and what is heard comes through THE WORD OF GOD.
This Word comes from God's own mouth.
Isaiah 55:11
So shall MY WORD BE THAT GOES OUT FROM MY MOUTH; it shall not return to me empty, but IT SHALL ACCOMPLISH THAT WHICH I PURPOSE, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
And Paul located this Gospel in the Old Testament.
Acts 28:23
He solemnly testified about the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus FROM THE LAW OF MOSES AND THE PROPHETS.
So what is it? What is the Word from God's own mouth in the Old Testament that you have heard, the Gospel you are born again by?
The Argument
The Scriptures contain the Word. They are not the Word.
John 5:39-40
You search the SCRIPTURES because YOU THINK THAT IN THEM YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE; and yet it is THEY THAT TESTIFY ABOUT ME; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.
The Scriptures and the Word are not the same thing. The Scriptures contain the Word.
Acts 17:11-12
Now these Jews were MORE NOBLE than those in Thessalonica; they RECEIVED THE WORD with all eagerness, EXAMINING THE SCRIPTURES daily to see if these things were so…
Paul himself made clear that THIS WORD the Bereans received was the Gospel.
Acts 17:18
He was preaching THE GOOD NEWS about Jesus and the resurrection.
Paul made it clear that THIS WORD, the Gospel, comes directly from the Old Testament.
Acts 28:23
He solemnly testified about the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus FROM THE LAW OF MOSES AND THE PROPHETS.
In light of these distinctions, "rightly handling the Word of Truth" means precisely identifying what THIS WORD truly is.
2 Timothy 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God AS ONE APPROVED, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, RIGHTLY HANDLING THE WORD OF TRUTH.
This "WORD OF TRUTH" is defined by Scripture itself as the Gospel.
Ephesians 1:13
In him you also, when you heard THE WORD OF TRUTH, THE GOSPEL of your salvation...
Colossians 1:5
Of this you have heard before in THE WORD OF TRUTH, THE GOSPEL...
Mark’s Gospel reveals
THE TRUE BEGINNING OF THIS WORD, the Gospel location in Isaiah.
Mark 1:1-3
THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD, just as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I am sending My messenger before You, Who will prepare Your way; The voice of one calling out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’”
Isaiah declares the beginning of THIS WORD, the Gospel.
Isaiah 40:3-5
The voice of one calling out, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the uneven ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, And ALL FLESH WILL SEE IT TOGETHER; FOR THE MOUTH OF THE LORD HAS SPOKEN.”
Peter clarifies that the "Word of God" he presents, which quotes the same Isaiah passage Mark identifies as the Gospel's very beginning, is precisely "THIS WORD," the GOOD NEWS by which you were BORN AGAIN.
1 Peter 1:23-25
Since you have been BORN AGAIN, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding WORD OF GOD; for 'All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass; the grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.' And THIS WORD is the GOOD NEWS that was proclaimed to you.
Peter quotes the exact Isaiah passage Mark calls the Gospel's beginning, confirming it as THIS WORD, the GOOD NEWS by which you are BORN AGAIN.
Isaiah 40:8-9
The grass withers, the flowers fade, but THE WORD OF OUR GOD remains forever." Zion, HERALD OF GOOD NEWS, go up on a high mountain. Jerusalem, HERALD OF GOOD NEWS, raise your voice loudly. Raise it, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!"
Another distinctive characteristic of THIS WORD (the Gospel) is its ancient origin: having been declared 'from the beginning'.
Isaiah 40:21
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you FROM THE BEGINNING? Have you not understood FROM THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH?
A further distinctive of THIS WORD (the Gospel) is its unfailing fulfillment of God's purpose, declaring the end from the beginning and guaranteeing His ultimate will.
Isaiah 46:10
DECLARING THE END FROM THE BEGINNING and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I WILL ACCOMPLISH ALL MY PURPOSE.’
Yet another distinctive of THIS WORD (the Gospel): it proceeds directly from His mouth, guaranteeing it accomplishes God's purpose.
Isaiah 55:11
So shall MY WORD BE THAT GOES OUT FROM MY MOUTH; it shall not return to me empty, but IT SHALL ACCOMPLISH THAT WHICH I PURPOSE, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
'THIS WORD,' the Gospel, the Word of Truth, the Word of God comes exclusively from God's mouth.
Proverbs 2:3-6
Furthermore, IF YOU CALL OUT to insight and lift your voice to understanding, IF YOU SEEK it like silver and search for it LIKE HIDDEN TREASURE, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and discover THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. For the LORD gives wisdom; FROM HIS MOUTH COME KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING.
All the words from God's mouth are clear.
Proverbs 8:8-9
ALL THE WORDS FROM MY MOUTH are righteous; none of them are deceptive or perverse. ALL OF THEM ARE CLEAR to the understanding, and right to those who DISCOVER KNOWLEDGE.
These distinctives culminate in Isaiah 45:20-24: the definitive proclamation of THIS WORD, the Gospel by which you are born again. It proceeds from God's mouth, declaring the end from the beginning, accomplishing all His will that commands universal allegiance from the whole earth.
This is the Gospel. The Word of God.
Isaiah 45:20-24
“THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE, Who carry around their wooden idol And PRAY TO A GOD WHO CANNOT SAVE. [21] “Declare and PRESENT YOUR CASE; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this long ago? WHO HAS LONG SINCE DECLARED IT? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and A SAVIOR; There is none except Me. [22] “Turn to Me and be saved, ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH; For I am God, and there is no other. [23] “I have sworn by Myself; THE WORD HAS GONE OUT FROM MY MOUTH in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, EVERY TONGUE WILL SWEAR ALLEGIANCE. They will say of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’”
The absolute certainty of THIS WORD (the Gospel) is guaranteed by God's oath, which decisively ends all dispute and proves His unchanging purpose.
Hebrews 6:13, 16-18
For when God made a promise... HE SWORE BY HIMSELF... for confirmation, AN OATH ENDS EVERY DISPUTE... God desired to show more convincingly... THE UNCHANGEABLE CHARACTER OF HIS PURPOSE, he guaranteed it with an oath.
The ultimate fulfillment of THIS WORD, the Gospel promise God swore to all ends of the earth and secured by His oath that ends all disputes, is THIS PROMISE becoming flesh in Jesus Christ.
John 1:1 and 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And THE WORD BECAME FLESH and dwelt among us.
The Word made flesh does not speak His own words, but speaks exactly what the Father commanded Him to say, and that commandment IS eternal life.
John 12:47-50
For I came not to judge the world, but to SAVE THE WORLD. The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day THE WORD that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me HAS HIMSELF GIVEN ME A COMMANDMENT ABOUT WHAT TO SAY and what to speak. And I know that HIS COMMANDMENT IS ETERNAL LIFE. What I speak, therefore, I SPEAK JUST AS THE FATHER HAS TOLD ME.
The ultimate triumph of THIS WORD is fulfilled in God's exaltation of Jesus, granting Him the name above every name.
Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him THE NAME THAT IS ABOVE EVERY NAME, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and EVERY TONGUE CONFESS that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus Christ, who received the name above every name, is uniquely identified as "The Word of God" because He alone perfectly embodies THIS WORD, the Gospel God promises to all the ends of the earth, securing universal allegiance.
Revelation 19:13
He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and THE NAME BY WHICH HE IS CALLED IS THE WORD OF GOD.
This universal allegiance—every knee bowing and every tongue confessing Jesus as Lord —ensures God dwells in all and all in Him, the triumphant fulfillment of THIS WORD.
1 John 4:15
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God-God remains in him and he in God.
Do NOT judge people regarding this.
Romans 14:4,10-11
WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ANOTHER'S HOUSEHOLD SERVANT? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand... But you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, EVERY KNEE WILL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE WILL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD.
The conclusion is unavoidable: every confession that Jesus is Lord will be brought forth by the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:3
No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
This was always the plan.
1 Corinthians 2:7
But we speak the hidden wisdom of God in a secret, that God DETERMINED BEFORE THE AGES to our glory.
Colossians 1:23, 25
The hope promised by THE GOSPEL THAT YOU HEARD... I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel... I became its servant according to God's commission... to make THE WORD OF GOD FULLY KNOWN…
The Defense
Your Objection Is in the Book Too.
The argument was made from God's own mouth, passage by passage. If it stands, it requires everything. A claim this big will be resisted. Scripture saw the resistance coming and set the standard for anyone who wants to tear the argument down.
What Demolition Actually Requires
There is one verse that says what it takes to tear down an argument like this one. Read what it actually says.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
We DEMOLISH ARGUMENTS and EVERY PROUD THING that is raised up against the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD...
The verse does not tear down arguments that make you uncomfortable. It tears down arguments raised against the knowledge of God. That is its only target.
I am not guessing at your objection. I am telling you what any objection would have to do.
To use this verse against the argument just made, you must first be able to say what the knowledge of God is, and where it comes from. Until you can do that, you are not in a position to raise this verse.
The Question You Must Be Able to Answer
What is the knowledge of God, and where does it come from?
There is no way around this question. No objection means anything until the question has been answered. And the Bible does not leave the answer up to you.
Proverbs 2:4-6
If you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
The knowledge of God is what comes out of God's mouth. That is the Bible's own definition. The argument just made traced exactly what comes out of God's mouth, verse to verse, link by link. So any real objection must do one of two things. It must show where the chain fails, verse to verse. Or it must produce, from God's own mouth, a knowledge of God the chain did not already trace. One of the two. Nothing else touches it.
What Happens If You Will Not
The Bible has already described the person who hears God's words and will not deal with them. It is not a safe place to stand. The text says it plainly.
John 8:47
The one who is from God LISTENS TO GOD'S WORDS. This is why you don't listen, because you are not from God.
1 John 4:6
We are of God. WHOEVER KNOWS GOD LISTENS TO US, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By THIS WE KNOW THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH AND THE SPIRIT OF ERROR.
Jesus said the one from God hears. John said the one who knows God listens. Walking away from this argument is not a neutral move. It is evidence. The verses above tell you what the evidence means.
What God Himself Said Would Happen
God did not leave any doubt about what happens to people who hear His words and turn away. He said it plainly, in the voice of Wisdom herself.
Proverbs 1:20-30
WISDOM calls out in the street; she makes her voice heard in the public squares. She cries out above the commotion; she speaks at the entrance of the city gates: "How long, inexperienced ones, will you love ignorance? How long will you mockers enjoy mocking and YOU FOOLS HATE KNOWLEDGE? If you respond to my warning, then I will pour out my spirit on you and TEACH YOU MY WORDS. Since I called out and you refused, extended my hand and no one paid attention, since you neglected all my counsel and DID NOT ACCEPT MY CORRECTION, I, in turn, will LAUGH AT YOUR CALAMITY. I will MOCK when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when trouble and stress overcome you. Then they will call me, but I won't answer; they will search for me, but won't find me. BECAUSE THEY HATED KNOWLEDGE, didn't choose to fear the LORD, were not interested in my counsel, and REJECTED ALL MY CORRECTION."
Look at what God calls the refusal. He does not call it being careful. He does not call it thinking it over. He calls it hating knowledge. That is His word for it.
And look at what happens next. The consequence is not another debate. The consequence is searching for God later and not finding Him.
The Name God Gives to the Person
If the refusal has a name, so does the person. You should know, before you walk away, what word has been earned from the mouth of God.
Proverbs 12:1
Whoever loves discipline LOVES KNOWLEDGE, but one who HATES CORRECTION is STUPID.
Proverbs 13:16
Every sensible person acts KNOWLEDGEABLY, but A FOOL DISPLAYS HIS STUPIDITY.
These are not my words. They are God's words, from God's own mouth, about the exact position you are deciding whether to take right now. If the word bothers you, your problem is not with me. It is with the One who wrote it.
There is one way out of the word. Deal with the argument.
The Question That Remains.
You have two honest paths.
Show where the chain breaks. Point to the verse that does not connect to the next, or the conclusion that does not follow. Do the work on the text that was done for you.
Or produce, from God's own mouth, what the knowledge of God actually is.
Anything else is not an answer. It is the refusal Scripture saw coming.
The argument is finished. The question remains.
What is the knowledge of God, and where does it come from?