There is no life in the Scriptures

There is no life in the Scriptures

John 5:39-40 ..You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

Jesus is clearly stating that there is no life in the Scriptures. It does not matter whether it is in the Old or the New Testament, there is no life in the Scriptures. If there was life in the words themselves and the knowledge of these words then the Pharisees would be men full of life. Yet what did Jesus say about these men? They were full of dead men’s bones, whitewashed tombs. They knew the word but they did not know God.

Words are vehicles for communicating. The word itself is a symbol of what is real. You may read about the truth or even hear about the truth and they may be precursors to life, but they are not life itself. Life comes to those who willingly come to Jesus and meet Him personally. And so the word without Jesus is empty and meaningless to the readers. It is in the person of Jesus that we are saved, and then He illuminates the word. The word of God must never be worshipped, how silly to worship the description rather that what is described. All of the word of God is useful to point us towards God, but it is only in His presence that anything is achieved. A man could read the sermon on the mount and rightly conclude that this was a masterpiece of teaching. Yet, outside of Gods presence, outside of His Spirit, all those who try and live by these commands will fail miserably or have some success and become self-righteous. The Bible is a treasure from God, but it is Jesus Himself, of whom the whole Bible testifies, who is the Word. Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever. Heaven and earth will pass away but the Word, Jesus, is eternal.

I was saved knowing virtually nothing of Scripture. Men were saved in the first three hundred years of the church by the declaration of Truth, Jesus being the truth, by the Holy Spirit of the living God. After I was saved I devoured the Scriptures and as I read it I saw my own story in it. All the promises, the new heart, the love, the joy, my Jesus it testified to in all of the word. The Spirit had laid it all on my heart and every page was a confirmation and it was exciting. I had no intellectual battles. My spirit witnessed with the word of God. I read many parts that I did not understand but there was no resisting in my spirit, just a sense that somewhere down the line, if it pleased my Lord, I would understand.

So to have life we must come to Jesus. The word “come ,” does not mean one time just as the word “abide,” is a continuous action verb better stated “keep abiding.” So we ought to keep coming to Jesus. Not keep getting saved, but keep seeking Him out. He is a treasure to be sought after, just “as the deer panteth for the water brooks,” then so my soul continually panteths after Him. He is my light and I detest the darkness. He is perfect light and I live in shades of grey at best. How could it be otherwise for in my flesh there is no good thing. Until it is raised in incorruption I can only know Him in measure. That is an agony and a despair that can be hard to live with. The only thing that makes it bearable is the measure I receive from Him daily, His blessings are new every morning and His steadfast love never ceases and His grace is sufficient to keep me wanting more. And every so often I am enraptured and filled to capacity, a continual baptism of the Holy Spirit if you like. And I am strengthened and encouraged and changed in the fire of His manifest presence and I move to a different level. Gratefulness and thankfulness keeps me in this place. I have found eternal life in the person and the manifest presence of Jesus and the Scriptures testify to that and there is unity.

[color=003399] Brother Frank, it was the hardness of their hearts that caused them not to see - not that the there is no "life - zao & zoe" in His Word. The parable of the "seed sown" alone shows us that.

Yes, we need that living relationship with Him, John 16:13, but it is He that causes that.
Depending on the condition of the heart [the "ground"], a person will either find Him by His Word or reject Him, as the Pharisees did.

These are just a few Verses stating that His Word is the "Word of Life" - and that His Word "does not go out Void."

His Word is the same two-edged sword if you do a search on that term - that comes from His mouth both in the O.T. and N.T..

I understand fully a desire to place emphasis on relationship - but not at the expense of the Word of God, which[i] is[/i] living. The Church needs to hear that His Word is alive in order to give His Word the reverence due and to see, if it weren't alive, we couldn't use it against the Adversary and our own sin.

HE 'is' The Word made flesh. Both are alive - and is our "sword of The Spirit" .

Please reconsider these thoughts. Lord Bless you.

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. ["It is written" - 80 times in The Word.]

1Jn 2:14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, [u]and they are life [zoe].[/u]

Heb 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

1Ti 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine.

2Ti 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Isa 55:11 [u]So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.[/u]

1Ti 4:5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
1Ti 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is [b]quick [alive/life = zao] [/b] , and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Jer 23:28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
Jer 23:29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
Jer 23:30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbor.
Jer 23:31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.

Heb 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Psa 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Luk 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given [b]by inspiration of God [theopneustos = God breathed = living] [/b] , and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness

2Co 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

1Th 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Tit 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, [u]and for the word of God[/u], and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

1Jn 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life

Php 2:16 Holding forth [b]the word of life [Zoe][/b]; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. [/color]

I understand fully a desire to place emphasis on relationship - but not at the expense of the Word of God, which is living. The Church needs to hear that His Word is alive in order to give His Word the reverence due and to see, if it weren't alive, we couldn't use it against the Adversary and our own sin.

He_Reigns of course makes some excellent points. And as some may have figured out I was deliberately provocative in the title of the piece although I do not back away from any points I made. We cannot use the Word , as He_Reins suggests, as an effective counter-measure against the adversary or sin if it is used merely as an incantation. It is not the written word itself that carries the power, it is the one of whom the Word points to that has the power. If you do not have a living relationship with the Lord Himself, if you do not know the concious and the manifest presence of God then you can quote Scripture all day long.

Act 19:13 And certain from the strolling Jews, exorcists, undertook to name the name of the Lord Jesus over those having evil spirits, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.
Act 19:14 And there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
Act 19:15 But answering the evil spirit said, Jesus I know, and I comprehend Paul, but who are you?
Act 19:16 And the man in whom the evil spirit resided leaped on them, and overcoming them he was strong against them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded.
Act 19:17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks who lived at Ephesus, and fear fell on all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

And so can I suggest that if Mozarts 32 Symphony was studied and lauded all over the world, memorized, known back to front, but never played, what a tragedy that would be. Music is written to be played. Is there any point to written music if it is never played? It is when the written word is lived before men that it carries power, that it is elevated to its proper status. It is life the dead world needs, Jesus, the personality of Jesus, the living Jesus is life Himself. Let us glory in the Living Lord , let us magnify Him in our hearts and we will see Scripture come to life, in that order and in no other. It is the encounter itself that changes men, nothing else..............Frank

We cannot use the Word , as He_Reins suggests, as an effective counter-measure against the adversary or sin if it is used merely as an incantation.

Brother, I never suggested that.

I don't feel your first post was right and I think all that posted to it have made the point.

This second post has only changed some directions but has not dealt with all the replies here.

It is not the written word itself that carries the power

Frank, in your desire for people to "know Him", you are saying things that are not correct.

It is not the Word that does not have Life or power - it is the heart of man that determines whether he will benefit from The Word of God or not.

There is a way to say what you are trying to say without repeatedly taking away from the Life of the Word of God.

Those lists of Scriptures from all the replies do that.

Thank you for your reconsideration.

Hi Brother
First let me apologize for restating anything that you said in a manner that would not correctly reflect your true sentiments. I have no desire to be argumentative and I have never found it to be fruitful.

Let me just say that we simply disagree and thats fine Here is what brother Tozer says and he says it much better than me........
"Sound Bible exposition is an imperative must in the Church of the Living God. Without it no church can be a New Testament church in any strict meaning of that term. But exposition may be carried on in such way as to leave the hearers devoid of any true spiritual nourishment whatever. For it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself, and unless and until the hearers find God in personal experience they are not the better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts."

And so when you write...."It is not the Word that does not have Life or power - it is the heart of man that determines whether he will benefit from The Word of God or not." I simply disagree. The Word of God performs its purpose when it leads us to the one who it points to, all of Scripture points us towards Him. And when we encounter Him, conciously, actualy and manifestly encounter Him, when we enter His rest, then we are changed and only that which flows from the throne room is of any value, everything else, in my opinion, is religious.

So what we may have here brother is a genuine disagreement, which of course if fine. I do not say that you are wrong, what is stated is my opinion and may God be the judge. I am very happy to leave it in His hand and if He revealed to me that what I have written is wrong, you would read it here :) Be blessed in Christ and may His Word lead you into His presence........Frank

Hi brother. This has gone off course from the first post. :-)
Brother, I'm not being nit-picky with you and I'm your sister who has posted favorably on many of your threads. But we've veered off course of the initial post & my 1st reply and it has come to areas where we don't disagree; however that transition took place.

I posted and you quoted me here -- "It is not the Word that does not have Life or power - it is the heart of man that determines whether he will benefit from The Word of God or not." - using the parable of the seed.

You posted back -- "The Word of God performs its purpose when it leads us to the one who it points to, all of Scripture points us towards Him"

Brother - I don't see much difference in these two statements and yet you say we disagree.

The disagreement was here, in your opening ---

Quote ~ [b]"There is no life in the Scriptures. Jesus is clearly stating that there is no life in the Scriptures. It does not matter whether it is in the Old or the New Testament, there is no life in the Scriptures."[/b]

Brother - this is where we differ only. Jesus said the opposite.
Compare this one quote to the blue verses I posted in reply.

The Jealousy for and Integrity of The Word we're to guard, because The Spirit of Truth would have us to do so. It's the Living Word - His Words.

I hope you can see that just this one quote is where we differ.
Thank you Frank.

Hi Sister
I appreciate the smiley face :) I think that it shows the love and that is good. While the internet is a great way of communicating, it can also misrepresent our hearts.

As to the subject, I do not think we have gone of course, I think when all is said and done we are exactly where I hoped it would be. I think that we do have a genuine disagreement , which by the way, is not a bad thing. And it is right here when Jesus says "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life." What do you imagine that He means by that sister?

So I think that it comes down to that and I think that it is massive and that it makes all the difference. Not only do I believe that by my own study of the Word, I also believe it by personal experience and by observation. I think that it is interesting that there is a couple of posts going right now about this same issue, including "Bible taught or Spirit taught." Read Tozers article sister and see what you think. Anyway God bless you sister and if it is merely semantics that seperate us then that is a good thing :) And if we had a genuine disagreement, then that is not such a bad thing either :) As I know you would acknowledge, none of us has infallibility(I am an ex catholic so I cannot be persuaded otherwise :) and that we can have all things but we must have love in all that we do and I can feel the love sister :) God bless you and may He shine His blessings on you this day and may the glorious name of Jesus be praised by His people............Brother Frank