Living and Active! (Hebrews 4)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

The first eleven verses continue the thought of chapter 3... the need for us to remain faithful, continue to trust in Him in order to enter the Heavenly rest. Read yesterday's blog for more thoughts on this... http://www.dalesdailybible.blogspot.com/2013/11/can-christian-fall-away-hebrew-3.html. The Hebrew writer concludes his thoughts on the matter by giving us insight into God's word and how it works in our lives.

First, we are told that His word is "living and active". Our Bibles are not filled with useless words written thousands of years ago that only applied to "then". His word is alive. It is current and transcends the generations. It is active. The words we read have the ability to change us! Romans 12 tells us that our minds are "transformed" by his word. Who we are, what we think, how we act, what we do... all changes when we allow His word to be active in our lives. It changes us!

Sharper than any two-edged sword... I imagine this description was more meaningful to those that lived in a time when swords were the weapons that soldiers carried. But you and I can understand that a sword that cut in both directions was a deadly instrument. It cut coming and going. His word is like that! Pull it out of it's sheath, apply it to your life and see where the cuts are made. It is able to deal with all areas of our lives and expose what our true intentions are. This is painful stuff. Being exposed is not for the faint at heart. Many will run and hide, putting the Word away. Others will stand and allow Him to change the areas of their lives that need work.

He concludes the thought by telling us that regardless of whether we run and hide or allow the cuts, He sees us. We cannot hide from His sight. We are exposed! He sees everything. And... we will give an account. This is not optional. We will answer for what we think and what we do. Everything. All of us. But here is thing that matters... the Christian's account is settled! Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and our account is marked... Paid In Full! That changes everything. For the non-Christian, payment must be obtained... either through coming to Christ and accepting His free gift (read Romans 6) or by paying the price themselves. But the account must be settled.

I like the picture conveyed in Colossians 2:11-12... In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

You see for the Christian, the surgery has been performed. Christ did it. In baptism, He does the operating. This is His work, not ours! He cuts out the cancer of sin and sends us on our way. (read Acts 2:37ff) Our faith in the working of God is what makes that happen. Our old self dies and is buried and we experience resurrection. We are raised to live a new life, one shaped by Him, by His Words... the words that are living and active.