The God Who Speaks
Scripture: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth.” (John .:31-32a)
Main Point: God’s Word is not mere information but the living voice of Christ speaking truth into our lives.
What exactly are we abiding in when Jesus calls us to abide in His Word? This isn’t about ancient texts or religious principles. Jesus is inviting us to dwell in His very voice, His ongoing speech to us. Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus emphasizes that His words are spirit and life, that those who hear His voice and believe have eternal life.
The Reformation recovered something essential: God still speaks. Not through new revelations or mystical experiences that bypass Scripture, but through Scripture itself. When the Bible is read and preached, when the Gospel is proclaimed in absolution, when Christ says through His ministers “This is My body, given for you”—this is Jesus speaking. His Word is not a dead letter but a living voice.
“God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns” (Psalm 46.5). How do we know God is in our midst? Because He has promised to be where His Word is proclaimed. The Reformation rallied around “Sola Scriptura”—Scripture alone—not because the Bible is a magic book, but because it is the reliable place where God’s voice can be heard.
Luther stood before emperors and church councils, risking everything because he had heard God speak in Scripture. He couldn’t recant what he had heard God say. When we abide in God’s Word, we too hear the voice of our Good Shepherd, and we learn to distinguish it from all the other voices clamoring for our attention.
Reflection: Do you approach Scripture expecting to hear God’s living voice, or simply to gather information? What difference would it make to your Bible reading if you truly believed Jesus was speaking directly to you?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, open my ears to hear Your voice in Scripture. Help me to recognize Your words as living and active, not ancient history but present truth. As I read and hear Your Word, speak to me, guide me, and shape me into Your image. In Your precious Name. Amen.
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