Graeme Randall On The Word Of God

Here is a quote from Graeme Randall:

John 1:1 says “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” It goes on to say “and the word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The writer of Hebrews writes “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Now, we can debate whether it is “Big ‘W’ word” or “Little ‘w’ word” as much as we like. But it would seem plain that the Bible is saying that Christ is “The Word of God” - “Divine Logos.” Christ came to fulfill the Old Testament - so the Old Testament looked forward to Christ. It was but a dim reflection of what is in Heaven. The New Testament is about Christ more explicitly. I would suggest that the Word of God is Christ, and that the Bible is man’s commentary on the Word of God (Christ).

This gives us a very different way of understanding the Bible, and our own faith. Only then can we fully reconcile positions such as women in church leadership, gender inclusive language, issues of sexuality within the church - the list goes on - to science, psychology and our personal understanding of our faith.

The Bible is not The Word of God; it is commentary on The Word of God. It is fallible and open to interpretation. It gives us a historical understanding of how men and women have understood God and salvation. It must continue to change and evolve. If it doesn’t, then - as all things which do not change and grow - it is dead and has no power.