Do You Know the Word of God?

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.

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 has been made from God's own mouth, passage by passage. If it stands, it requires everything. That is exactly why it will be resisted. Scripture anticipated this.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5
We DEMOLISH ARGUMENTS and EVERY PROUD THING that is raised up against the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD...

Before you can claim this argument should be demolished, answer one question: What is the knowledge of God, and where does it come from?

The Bible answers this directly.

Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD gives wisdom; FROM HIS MOUTH COME KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING.

The knowledge of God is what comes from God's mouth. The argument you are rejecting traced exactly what came from God's mouth, passage by passage, using the text's own references. If it fails, point to the specific connection that breaks. Or produce the Word that came from God's mouth yourself.

If you will not engage with what God said from His own mouth, the text already explains why.

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 person who is from God hears God's words. John said whoever knows God listens. Your refusal to hear is not a rebuttal. It is the very thing these verses describe.

God Himself described what happens to those who hear His words and refuse them.

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."

The question remains unanswered: What is the knowledge of God?

The text has a final word for those who reject correction from God's own mouth.

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 the Bible's own words for the person who hears what came from God's mouth and refuses it. If that label offends you, your argument is with the text, not with the person who showed it to you. If you cannot point to where one passage fails to connect to the next, or produce from God's own mouth what the knowledge of God actually is, you are not defending it. You are rejecting it.

The Commission

This Word from God's mouth was not given to be kept. It was given to be spoken.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21
For the love of Christ compels us, since we have concluded this: THAT ONE DIED FOR ALL, therefore all died. And He died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised. So from now on WE REGARD NO ONE ACCORDING TO THE FLESH. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard Him that way no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; all things have become new. And all things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that is, God was in Christ RECONCILING THE WORLD TO HIMSELF, not reckoning their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us THE WORD of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This is why we were given this Word.

1 Timothy 2:4-6
God desires ALL PEOPLE TO BE SAVED and to come to THE FULL KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as A RANSOM FOR ALL.

Paul made this unmistakable.

1 Timothy 4:9-11
This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance. For this reason we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, WHO IS THE SAVIOR OF ALL PEOPLE, especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things.

Paul himself asked for the boldness to do exactly this.

Ephesians 6:19-20
Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to MAKE KNOWN WITH BOLDNESS THE MYSTERY OF THE GOSPEL. For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be BOLD enough to speak about it as I should.

God spoke this through Isaiah long before Paul wrote a word.

Isaiah 25:6-8
On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for ALL PEOPLES, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds ALL PEOPLES, the sheet that covers ALL NATIONS; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from ALL FACES; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. THE LORD HAS SPOKEN.