Authority and Power of God's Wo - Derek Prince

7/25/2019 Authority and Power of God's Wo - Derek Prince

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Authority and Power of

Gods Word

In this booklet, we want to examine the attributes of the Scripture, the Word of Godandespecially its authority and power As a be!innin! point, it will help us to consider the source


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and author of the WordGod #imself

$irst, lets reco!ni%e that there are two different ways in which the title &the Word of God' is

applied (oth the (ible and )esus *hrist are called &the Word of God' +his brin!s out the fact

that there is a complete identity between )esus and the (ible +he (ible is Gods written Word

)esus is Gods personal Word

If we really want to be ri!htly related to )esus, we ha-e to be ri!htly related to the (ible We

cannot be ri!htly related to )esus but wron!ly related to the (ible +his theme, thenthe

authority and the power of Gods Wordis ob-iously of !reat importance to us

+he Author

If we stop to consider it, the word authority comes from the word author In other words, it is

the author who !i-es authority to whate-er he produces We need to know, therefore, who is

the author of the (ible, the Scripture +he (ible itself clearly answers this .uestion/

All Scripture is !i-en by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, forcorrection, for instruction in ri!hteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thorou!hly

e.uipped for e-ery !ood work 0 +imothy 1/23426

If we want to be complete and thorou!hly e.uipped for e-ery !ood work, the source of that

preparation is Scripture Where Paul says that all Scripture is !i-en by inspiration of God, the

Greek word means &God7breathed' In the Greek, the word for breath and the word for spirit

are identical +hat means all Scripture is inbreathed by the Spirit of God

In other words, the authority behind all Scripture is the authority of the #oly Spirit #e

ultimately is the author #e used many different channels and many different instruments, but

behind them all is the authority of the #oly Spirit who is God #imself When we confront theScripture we confront the authority of God #imself

God Inspired

+he passa!e abo-e says all Scripture is inspirednot some Some people want to weed out

the passa!es they re!ard inspired from those they do not consider really authoritati-e (ut that

is not in line with Scripture +he #oly Spirit #imself says all Scripture is inspired by God and all

Scripture is profitable In other words, no books can be left out or considered unimportant

(ooks like 8%ra and 9ehemiah are -ery important +he Son! of Son!s is -ery important +he

prophet 9ahum is -ery important We must not :ust focus on a few well7known passa!es ofScripture and think that they are all that matters, because that is not correct

If we want to be e.uipped, we must be e.uipped by the whole Scripture It will take us many

years, but it is pro!ressi-e We can mo-e from stren!th to stren!th ;Psalm as we meditate

on, study and apply the Word of God ?emember that )esus said buildin! on #is foundations is

hearin! and doin! the Word of God ;See @atthew 6/0=> 9ot :ust hearin!, but hearin! and

doin!

ne Interpreter

As re!ards the interpretation of Scripture, there is only one authori%ed interpreterthe Author#imself +here are .uite a number of books bearin! my name as the author If anyone is not

.uite certain what they mean, I would be the best person to consult, because I know what I


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meant I may not ha-e said it as clearly as I should ha-e, but I do know what I meant by what I

wrote If we want to know what any passa!e of Scripture means, we must likewise consult the

Author #e is the only one who is authori%ed to interpret Scripture

Peter says/

Bnowin! this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any pri-ate interpretation, for prophecyne-er came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were mo-edCor borne alon!D

by the #oly Spirit 0 Peter 2/0E402

9o indi-idual can interpret Scripture nly the #oly Spirit is authori%ed to do that Peter a!rees

with what Paul pointed out/ the authority behind the Scripturethe source of its

inspirationis the #oly Spirit

+he $allibility of @an

We mi!ht reasonably say, &(ut the men that wrote the (ible were in many cases -ery weak and

fallible +he (ible e-en records many of their sins'

It is a mark of the accuracy of the (ible that it records the sins of the people who wrote it A lot

of people today would hush up their sins and not expose them, tryin! instead to present

themsel-es as infallible 9o author of the (ible does that 8-en Fa-id, the author of most of the

psalms, recorded his serious sins for all to read

#ow then can the (ible be infallible if the people that wrote it were fallible We see a beautiful

answer to that .uestion in the Psalms/

+he words of the Hord are pure words,

Hike sil-er tried in a furnace of earth,

Purified se-en times Psalm 20/3

In that passa!e we see a picture of how people used to purify metal +hey would build a

furnace of clay, li!ht a fire in it, and then put the metal in the furnace to be purified We see

there three elements in that picture/ 2> the furnace of clay, which represents the human

instrument, 0> the fire, which represents the #oly Spirit that purifies the sil-er, and 1> the sil-er,

which is the messa!e +hat tells us how fallible men and women can be channels to produce an

inspired and authoritati-e Word of God +he clay is the human -essel +he fire is the #oly Spirit

+he sil-er, purified se-en times, makin! it absolutely pure, is the messa!e of God

+he number se-en in the (ible links us to two realities/ the #oly Spirit and perfectionPerfection is by the #oly Spirit +he (ible, thou!h it came throu!h -essels of clayweak,

fallible, sinful men and womenhas been purified se-en times by the fire of the #oly Spirit It is

totally reliable

)esus and the Scripture

+o understand the authority and power of Gods Word, we need to consider the attitude of

)esus #imself toward the (ible, because for us who are #is disciples, #e is the pattern #ow did

)esus relate to the (ible Hets look at a helpful Scripture in the !ospel of )ohn In the context of

a discussion with the )ewish leaders, )esus said/

&If #e CGodD called them !ods, to whom the word of God came ;and the Scripture cannot be

broken> ')ohn 2E/1L


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In that one -erse, )esus !i-es to the (ible the two titles #is followers ha-e used e-er since/ &the

Word of God' and &the Scripture' When )esus identifies Scripture as &the Word of God,' #e

means it proceeds from God It did not proceed from man It came from hea-enfrom God

When #e says &the Scripture,' )esus means that which has been recorded in writin! God said

many thin!s which are not recorded in writin!, but those that are recorded in the

Scripturethe (ibleare recorded for our special benefit +hey contain all we need to knowfor our sal-ation

)esus attitude toward the (ible is summed up in that phrase, &+he Scripture cannot be

broken' 9othin! can express the authority of Scripture more completely than that simple

phrase If we belie-e that the Scripture cannot be broken, God will hold us accountable for it

#e will expect us to accept the authority of Scripture in e-ery area of our li-es

#ow )esus Msed Scripture

In re!ard to how we apply Scripture, here a!ain, )esus is our pattern Hets look at what

happened when )esus was in the wilderness bein! tempted by Satan +he story be!ins at theend of @atthew chapter 1, be!innin! with the record of )ohn the (aptist bapti%in! )esus in the

)ordan

When #e had been bapti%ed, )esus came up immediately from the water and behold, the

hea-ens were opened to #im, and #e saw the Spirit of God Cthe #oly SpiritD descendin! like a

do-e and ali!htin! Cand remainin!D upon #im @atthew 1/23

It is important for us to see that the #oly Spirit remained on )esus, affirmed by the parallel

Scripture in )ohn 2/1041=/

And )ohn bore witness, sayin!, &I saw the Spirit descendin! from hea-en like a do-e, and #eremained upon #im I did not know #im, but #e who sent me to bapti%e with water said to me,

NMpon whom you see the Spirit descendin!, and remainin! on #im, this is #e who bapti%es with

the #oly Spirit And I ha-e seen and testified that this is the Son of God'

+he #oly Spirit has descended on some of us at -arious times (ut #e has not always remained

on us, because we ha-e said and done thin!s that made it so #e could not remain (ut )esus

ne-er said or did anythin! that !rie-ed the #oly Spirit or caused &the do-e' to fly away

After the baptism of )esus, a -oice came from hea-enthe -oice of God the $athersayin!/

&+his is @y belo-ed Son, in whom I am well pleased'@atthew 1/26

We mi!ht be tempted to think that followin! such a wonderful pronouncement, )esus was

!oin! to ha-e a really easy time After all, #e now had the endorsement of both the $ather and

the Spirit, and the prophet )ohn the (aptist (ut that is not so

+he next step after the $athers announcement was )esus bein! led out into the wilderness for

forty days of fastin! and temptation by Satan Please do not ima!ine that Gods blessin! will

always make life easy In fact, in a certain sense, it may make life more difficult Satan much

more stron!ly opposes those whom God has anointed

Hukes !ospel account says that )esus was &led by the Spirit into the wilderness' ;Huke =/2>, butat the end of the forty days )esus returned &in the power of the C#olyD Spirit' ;Huke =/2=> +hose

are two -ery different experiences It is one thin! to be led by the Spirit it is another thin! to


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mo-e and operate in the power of the Spirit And )esus did not operate in the power of the

Spirit until #e had confronted Satan and won

+o some de!ree that truth applies to each one of us We will ha-e to o-ercome temptation and

opposition in order to mo-e in the power of the #oly Spirit

$rom the @atthew = account, we see that when the tempter came to )esus, the first thin!Satan tempted #im to do was to doubt 9early always, that is the initial approach of Satan #e

will not immediately deny the Word of God, but he will .uestion it And he will cause us to

doubt it +his has worked so many times in church history that he has ne-er had to find another

tactic (ut we must not let it work with us

In @atthew =, we read the first words Satan said to )esus/

9ow when the tempter came to #im, he said, &If Oou are the Son of God, command that these

stones become bread'@atthew =/1

?emember, God had :ust spoken from hea-en and said, &+his is @y belo-ed Son' (ut Satan

was challen!in! )esus to doubt what #e had :ust heard from God by sayin!, &If you are the Son

of God, then do somethin! to pro-e it @ake these stones bread'

(utC)esusD answered and said, &It is written, N@an shall not li-e by bread alone, but by e-ery

word that proceeds from the mouth of God'-erse =

It is interestin! to note that all the answers )esus !a-e to Satans three temptations were taken

from the book of Feuteronomy It is interestin!, too, that neither )esus nor the de-il e-er

.uestioned the authority of the book of Feuteronomy ;So why should we waste our time

doubtin!>

+his is how )esus dealt with each temptation/ by meetin! it with the written Word of God We

should ne-er think that we are cle-er enou!h to ar!ue with the de-il #e is much more cle-er

than we are, and he has been in this business a lon! time We cannot con-ince him with our

ar!uments, so we must meet him with the Scripture

8ach time )esus was tempted, #e said, &It is writtenit is written it is written' ;-erses =, 6,

2E> Whene-er )esus said that, Satan chan!ed the sub:ect +he de-il knew he had no answer to

the Scripture Font be tempted to try to o-ercome Satan with philosophy or with theolo!y

)ust answer him with the written Word of God

+he ri!inal +emptation

)esus did not make the same mistake 8-e made At the be!innin! of human history in the first

few -erses of Genesis 1, we read/

9ow the serpent Cwho was Satan in bodily formDwas more cunnin! than any beast of the field

which the Hord God had made And he said to the woman, as God indeed said, NOou shall not

eat of e-ery tree of the !arden'Genesis 1/2

What did the serpent tempt 8-e to do first +o doubt And when doubt comes, the next step is

disbelief And when disbelief comes in, the next step is disobedience ?emember that well We

must ne-er entertain doubt

8-e made the mistake of thinkin! that she could meet the de-il on his le-el She !a-e him this

answer/ &We may eat the fruit of Ce-eryD tree'she did not want to acknowled!e that there


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were any restrictions&but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the !arden,' which

was the tree of the knowled!e of !ood and e-il *oncernin! that tree she said, &God has said,

NOou shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die' ;-erse 1> 9otice the de-ils answer/

+hen the serpent said to the woman, &Oou will not surely die'-erse =

+he de-il be!ins by .uestionin!, but he !oes on to deny A study of the last hundred years ormore of church history will re-eal that where-er Satan has persuaded theolo!ians or preachers

to .uestion the Scripture, he has always brou!ht them to the point where they actually deny it

Font start down that slippery downward path +he Scripture is authoritati-e It is the Word of

God Accept it Hi-e by it Answer the de-il with it #e cannot answer the written Word of God

Paul says/

+ake the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God 8phesians 3/26

+here are two Greek words that are translated &word' ne is lo!os +he other is rhema

Ho!os is the total, eternal counsel of God ?hema is a spoken word of God +he word that is

used in 8phesians 3/26 is rhema, the spoken Word of God When you meet the de-il, you ha-e

to meet him by speakin! the Word of God

+he (ible will not protect you if it is :ust sittin! there on your bookshelf, or e-en if it is on your

bedside table +he (ible only works when you .uote it Oou ha-e to take it in your mouth and

say it for yourself +hen it becomes a sharp, pointed sword from which the de-il backs off #e

has no answer for it

Authority of the Word

Hets look at what )esus says about the authority of the written Word of God ?emember from

our earlier section where we saw that the word Scripture means &Gods Word in writin!'

)esus said/

&Fo not think that I came to destroy the Haw or the Prophets Cthat is the )ewish way of speakin!

about the ld +estamentD I did not come to destroy but to fulfill $or assuredly, I say to you, till

hea-en and earth pass away, one :ot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is

fulfilled'@atthew L/2642, is the smallest letter in the #ebrew alphabet, and a tittle is :ust a

little cur-e added to a letter in writin! to distin!uish it from a similar letter +hey are the two

smallest items in written Scriptures text, and )esus said not one of them will e-er pass away

+his statement clearly indicates that )esus acknowled!ed the absolute authority of the written

Word of God #e was not talkin! about the spoken Word of God at that point, because the

words :ot and tittle apply only to that which is written )esus absolutely endorsed the total

authority of the written Word of God

A little further on, .uite near the end of #is ministry, )esus was dealin! with the Sadducees

+hese people were the liberals of that day, the people who did not accept the authority of all

Scripture In fact, they only accepted the authority of the first fi-e books, the Pentateuch +hey

were challen!in! the teachin! that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and they came to

)esus with a smart .uestion (ut here is how )esus answered them/

&(ut concernin! the resurrection of the dead, ha-e you not read what was spoken to you by


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God, sayin!, NI am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of )acob God is not the

God of the dead, but of the li-in!'@atthew 00/12410

9otice how )esus applied that Scripture +he words #e .uoted were written by @oses about

fourteen centuries earlier +hey were actually words spoken by the Hord directly to @oses (ut

)esus did not speak about them as somethin! that was said to @oses fourteen centuries a!o

Instead, #e said, a-e you not read what was spoken to you by God' ;emphasis added>#ow )esus presented the Word of God in this matter re-eals somethin! -ery powerful to us

today +he Scripture is ne-er out of date It is ne-er :ust the record of human cle-erness 8-en if

it was written three thousand years a!o, it is still God speakin! to us today +hat is the authority

of Scripture as )esus understood it

Scripture $ulfilled

In addition to understandin! how )esus understood and utili%ed Scripture, we need to consider

how the -ery life of )esus fulfilled the Scripture If we were to !o throu!h the entire 9ew

+estament, we would find ei!hteen different places where it says the same words In re!ard to

particular e-ents in the life of )esus, it says &that the Scripture mi!ht be fulfilled' In other

words, not merely did )esus belie-e the Scripture 9ot merely did #e proclaim the Scripture, #e

also obeyed the Scripture #is whole life was the outworkin! of Scripture

We could look at many aspects of #is life that affirm this truth #owe-er, for our purposes in

this booklet, I will pro-ide :ust four specific references for further study +hese concern #is

birth, #is human life, #is death and #is resurrection *oncernin! each of these, the (ible says

the e-ent took place &that the Scripture mi!ht be fulfilled' ;See @atthew 2/00 20/06 06/1L

Huke 0=/==> )esus could not ha-e more stron!ly endorsed the authority of Scripture than to do

so with the -ery e-ents of #is life

+he Authority behind Scripture

As we study passa!es in the 9ew +estament, lets address an important .uestion What is the

authority behind the 9ew +estament Oou may be surprised to learn it is the same authority as

that which is behind the ld +estament Particularly, we will look at two passa!es in which

)esus spoke to #is disciples

In the first of these passa!es, )esus is takin! lea-e of #is disciples #e is preparin! them for the

fact that #e is !oin! to lea-e

&+hese thin!s I ha-e spoken to you while bein! present with you (ut the #elper, the #oly Spirit,

whom the $ather will send in @y name, #e will teach you all thin!s, and brin! to your

remembrance all thin!s that I said to you')ohn 2=/0L403

+he authority behind the writin!s of the apostles is the authority of the #oly Spirit )esus said

the #oly Spirit would help them in two ways/ $irst, whate-er )esus had not tau!ht them, the

#oly Spirit would teach them Second, whate-er )esus had said that mi!ht ha-e been for!otten

by them, the #oly Spirit would brin! it to their remembrance +he record of the !ospels does

not depend on human memoryit depends on the truth of the #oly Spirit

A little further on, )esus brin!s out the same truth a!ain #e says to #is disciples/

&I still ha-e many thin!s to say to you, but you cannot bear them now #owe-er, when #e, the

Spirit of truth, has come, #e will !uide you into all truth for #e will not speak on #is own


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authority, but whate-er #e hears #e will speak and #e will tell you thin!s to come')ohn

23/20421

Het me point out that )esus breaks the laws of !rammar to emphasi%e that the #oly Spirit is not

an it but a he Accordin! to Greek !rammar, )esus should ha-e said it, but #e didnt #e said

#e In other words, the #oly Spirit is not :ust an it, #e is a person And we need to relate to #im

as such

A!ain )esus affirms an encoura!in! truth/ whate-er teachin! we need that we ha-e not yet

recei-ed will come to us by the #oly Spirit

As we !o on in this same passa!e, the next -erse says/

e Cthe #oly SpiritD will !lorify @e, for #e will take of what is @ine and declare it to

you'-erse 2=

Het me point out another extremely important mark of the #oly Spirit in this passa!e #e always

!lorifies )esus If you are e-er confronted by spiritual manifestations that do not !lorify )esus

but !i-e !lory to a man or some other entity, you can be sure that spirit is not the #oly Spirit

+he supreme ministry of the #oly Spirit is to re-eal and !lorify )esus

+he (ible instructs us to test the spirits ;2 )ohn =/2>, and this is one !ood way of doin! so ne

sure way to test if a work or a word is from the #oly Spirit is to ask/ Will it !lorify )esus If it

does notno matter how !ood or spiritual it may sound, or how loud and resoundin! the

messa!eit is not from the #oly Spirit #e will not !lorify anyone but )esus +he moment

human personalities be!in to take !lory to themsel-es, the #oly Spirit says, &Sorry, but I ha-e to

lea-e Oou can carry on, but I wont be here'

-er the years, we ha-e seen many ministries which ha-e !one astray on this point I could notcount the number of ministries that ha-e ended in ruin because men took the !lory which the

#oly Spirit will only !i-e to )esus We need to be personally -ery conscious of that oursel-es

We need to continually examine oursel-es to see if we are !i-in! the !lory to )esus or tryin! to

persuade people that Ferek Prince or any of us is someone important Ferek Prince is a sinner

sa-ed by the !race of Godand the same is true of each of us

)esus is the only ne worthy to recei-e the !lory And remindin! us of that truth is one of the

#oly Spirits primary roles

+he 9ature of Scripture

Hets !o on now to a really interestin! and important theme/ the nature of Gods Word In

#ebrews we find an analysis of the nature of the Word of God/

$or the word of God is li-in! and powerful, and sharper than any two7ed!ed sword, piercin!

e-en to the di-ision of soul and spirit, and of :oints and marrow, and is a discerner of the

thou!hts and intents of the heart#ebrews =/20

A!ain, we notice that the Word of God is compared to the sword, as we pointed out in our

earlier examination of 8phesians 3/26 +he Word is a sword

$urther, the Word of God is not dead, it is li-in! +he Word of God is not :ust black marks onwhite paper It is not :ust sounds that come from a preachers mouth It is ali-e It is li-in! And

where-er it comes, it brin!s life +he Word of God is ali-e and powerful +hank God, it is


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powerful It is more powerful than all the lies with which Satan has filled the world And the

Word of God is the ultimate answer

9ext, we read of the effects of the Word of God upon us +he passa!e says/ &Piercin! e-en to

the di-ision of soul and spirit' +his is -ery interestin! +he (ible re-eals that man is a triune

bein!/ spirit, soul and body In truth, man is a triune bein! created in the likeness of a triune

God/ $ather, Son and #oly Spirit (ut the only way we can learn to distin!uish between the souland the spirit is by the Word of God It is the only instrument sharp enou!h to penetrate and

separate what is soulish from what is spiritual

+his is -ery important, because as we study the 9ew +estament, we find that the soulish, in

many ways, is in opposition to the spiritual In 2 *orinthians 0, for instance, Paul says the

soulish man does not recei-e the thin!s of the Spirit of God, for they are spiritually discerned

;See -erse 2=> So, it is important that we learn to distin!uish between what is spiritual and

what is soulish (ut only the Word of God can do that

+he Word of God can also di-ide between the :oints and the marrow In other words, the

Scripture can penetrate where no sur!eons scalpel can and where no psychiatrists probin! canpenetrate It is the only a!ent that takes us ri!ht into the -ery depths of human personality

In the next part of this re-ealin! passa!e, we see that the Word of God is &a discerner of the

thou!hts and intents of the heart' +o discern means to analy%e, to see into the -ery nature of

somethin! Someone once said, many years a!o when I was a youn! belie-er ;and it has always

stuck with me>, &?emember, when youre readin! your (ible, your (ible is also readin! you' It

is a two7way transaction

+his has always been so -i-id to me, because I started to read the (ible simply as a professional

philosopher treatin! it as a work of philosophy At first, when I be!an readin!, I found it -ery

dreary nly my determination that no book would e-er defeat me kept me readin!

(ut as I read, I disco-ered that I be!an to feel .uite different about myself Mp to that time, I

thou!ht I had the answer to e-erythin!that philosophy could pro-ide a solution to

e-erythin! (ut as I went on readin! the (ible, I became less and less self7confident

I could not understand what was happenin! to me I thou!ht I was !ettin! old before my

timealthou!h I was not e-en twenty7fi-e years old I did not reali%e that while I was readin!

the (ible, the (ible was readin! me

At the end of the process, I felt like (elsha%%ar at his feast when the writin! appeared on the

wall/ &Oou ha-e been wei!hed in the balances, and found wantin!' ;Faniel L/06> @y self7

conceit, pride, arro!ance, and intellectual assurance all be!an to wilt before the Scripture 8-en

thou!h I did not yet belie-e the (ible at the time, it was still doin! its work (ear in mind that

when you read your (ible, your (ible is also readin! you

+he Word Works in Ms

$or one further aspect of what the (ible will do, lets look in 2 +hessalonians Paul is writin! to

the belie-ers in +hessalonica who had responded in a wonderful way to the messa!e of the

!ospel #e says to them/

$or this reason we also thank God without ceasin!, because when you recei-ed the word of God

which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word

of God, which also effecti-ely works in you who belie-e2 +hessalonians 0/21


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What the (ible will do in you depends, in part, on how you recei-e it If you recei-e it as the

word of man, it will not work its full work in you (ut, if you recei-e it as the Word of God, it

works effecti-ely in you

When you read your (ible, take time e-ery now and then to say to the Hord, &I belie-e this is

Oour Word I recei-e it as Oour Word Het it work in me e-erythin! Oou ha-e sent it to do, in

e-ery area of my bein!spirit, soul and bodybecause I belie-e it'

8-erythin! We 9eed

Peter made one of the most remarkable statements found anywhere in Scripture +he apostles

wrote rather lon! sentences, and this truth comes ri!ht in the middle of a sentence ;In 8n!lish,

we usually ha-e to di-ide them up>

#is CGodsD di-ine power has !i-en to us all thin!s that pertain to life and !odliness,

throu!h the knowled!e of #im who called us by !lory and -irtue 0 Peter 2/1

+hat is an ama%in! statement It says that Gods di-ine, omnipotent power has already !i-en tous e-erythin! we are e-er !oin! to need Oou mi!ht respond, &Well, God, I dont seem to ha-e

it Where is it' +he next -erse tells us/

by which ha-e been !i-en to us exceedin!ly !reat and precious promises, that throu!h these

you may be partakers of the di-ine nature, ha-in! escaped the corruption that is in the world

throu!h lust-erse =

We see from this passa!e that God has !i-en to us all thin!s we need for life and !odliness

+hey are in the promises I ha-e coined this sentence/ &+he pro-ision is in the promises' So if

we want to recei-e all that God has pro-ided, we ha-e to recei-e it throu!h #is promises,

because in them is e-erythin! we are e-er !oin! to need

Partakers of Gods 9ature

In addition to #is promises, the pro-ision also comes throu!h the knowled!e of )esus, because

the Scripture re-eals )esus And here is the ama%in! statement ;If this were not so clearly

written in the (ible, I would not dare to say it> It is throu!h partakin! of the promises that we

can be partakers of the di-ine nature, ha-in! escaped the corruption that is in the world

throu!h lust

We need to be -ery careful here, because there is a lethal kind of teachin! which is -ery

fashionable today +his teachin! is that if you !o on lon! enou!h and do the ri!ht thin!s, youcan become a !od Oou may ha-e encountered that teachin! yourself It is called 9ew A!e

teachin! Incorporatin! a lot of #indu philosophy and 8astern thou!ht, the 9ew A!e philosophy

teaches that if you !o on lon! enou!h you can become a !od ;+he @ormons teach the same,

not publicly at first, but sooner or later>

I want to tell you, that is ob-iously false #ere is one basic reason God is uncreated we are

created +he created can ne-er become uncreated It is a deception (ut we can become

partakers of the nature of God as we recei-e and apply the promises

I always think of )acobs ladder in this re!ard Oou may remember the dream )acob had #e was

out in the desert by himself and he went to sleep with his head pillowed on a stone While)acob slept he had a -isiona dream of a ladder reachin! to hea-en +he foot was on the earth,

the top of the ladder was in hea-en and the an!els of God were ascendin! and descendin! And


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)esus #imself was at the top of the ladder, and #e spoke to )acob in the dream

+he (ible, in a sense, is like )acobs ladder 8-ery promise is one run! on the ladder 8-ery time

you appropriate a new promise, you !o one step hi!her Mltimately, it will take you to hea-en

9e-er ne!lect your (ible It is the key to your well bein! and the key to your success It is the

most precious !ift God has e-er !i-en us

Hets bear in mind that we ha-e so many (ibles today We discuss whether we will use this

translation or that one, whether we want it illustrated or with notes (ut lets remember that

there are millions of people in the world today who ha-e ne-er once opened a (ible +hey ha-e

no choice ?emember also that in pre-ious centuries men and women laid down their li-es in

sacrifice to preser-e the (ible for you and me Hets treat it with re-erence Hets be respectful

to the (ible because it is one of the many ways that God comes into our li-es

8ffects of Gods Word

Hets now deal with a -ery excitin! topic/ the effects of Gods Word As we saw pre-iously, Paulsaid to the +hessalonians that the (ible works effecti-ely in us because we belie-e it ;2

+hessalonians 0/21> So I want to point out nine effects that Gods Word can ha-e in our

li-esnine aspects of what Gods Word will do for us

2 $aith

We will look, first of all, in ?omans/

So then faith comes by hearin!, and hearin! by the word of God?omans 2E/26

+hat is a wonderful Scripture It is especially meanin!ful for me because at one time I lay in a

hospital for one year in the deserts of 9orth Africa with a skin disease that the doctors could

not heal in that climate +hey e-entually called it chronic ec%ema ;Actually, they still do not

ha-e a cure for that disease e-en today> I had :ust newly become a *hristian and I kept sayin!

to myself, &I know if I had faith God would heal me' And then the next thin! I always said was,

&(ut I dont ha-e faith' +here I was in what )ohn (unyan calls, in Pil!rims Pro!ress, &the

slou!h of despond'the -alley of despair +hen one day a brilliant ray of li!ht shone into that

dark -alley It came from ?omans 2E/26/ &So then, faith comes ' If you dont ha-e faith, you

can !et it Oou need not stay without it $aith comes by hearin! the Word of God

In the time of the 9ew +estament, the ma:ority of people read out loud, e-en if they were by

themsel-es $or instance, we know that the 8thiopian eunuch was in his chariot readin! fromthe prophet Isaiah and Philip heard him read, e-en thou!h he was readin! to himself ;See Acts

+here is somethin! to be said about readin! out loud, because when you hear

yourself read, faith comes +hat is the number one product of the Scripture

0 9ew (irth

It is by the Word of God that we are born a!ain )ames, speakin! about God, says/

f #is own will #e brou!ht us forth by the word of truth Cthe (ibleD, that we mi!ht be a kind of

firstfruits of #is creatures)ames 2/2not by water only,

but by blood (y the blood of #is sacrifice, #e redeems us (ut by the water of #is Word, #e

cleanses and sanctifies us We need both We are redeemed by the blood that we mi!ht be

cleansed by the Word


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In the epistle of )ames, we read these words about the work Gods Word does in us, and how

we are to recei-e #is Word/

+herefore puttin! aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility recei-e the

word implanted, which is able to sa-e your souls (ut pro-e yoursel-es doers of the word, and

not merely hearers who delude themsel-es $or if any one is a hearer of the word and not a

doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror for once he has looked at himselfand !one away, he has immediately for!otten what kind of person he was (ut one who looks

intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not ha-in! become a for!etful

hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does)ames 2/02/0L 9AS(

When Gods Word comes to us, we ha-e two obli!ations/ to recei-e it with humility and to act

on what it says )ames uses the example of a mirror #e says that when we read the Word of

God and allow oursel-es to be confronted by it, it is like a mirror held up in front of our eyes It

shows us what we are really likenot our external appearance, but our inward nature and

character

)ames points out that when you look into a natural mirror, if you see there is somethin! wron!,the sensible thin! to do is tend to it If your hair is out of order, you brush it If your face is dirty,

you wash it Oou act on what you see in the mirror +he same is true when you look into the

mirror of the Word of God Oou need to see your spiritual self in it and act on whate-er it shows

you that you need to do

#ere is an encoura!in! perspecti-e as we look into that mirror/

CGodD made him C)esusD who hadCor knewD no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we mi!ht

become the ri!hteousness of God 0 *orinthians L/02 9IR

(ecause of )esus, when we look in the mirror, we do not see oursel-es in our sinful conditionInstead we see oursel-es with the ri!hteousness of God that has been imputed to us throu!h

faith in *hrist

Q ur )ud!e

)ud!ment is not somethin! we like to think about, but the fact of the matter is that :ud!ment is

a part of Gods total dealin!s with the human race $urthermore, in the last resort, the final

:ud!e is God #imself

+his is clearly presented throu!hout the whole (ible God is presented as the final :ud!e of the

whole human race Someday we are all !oin! to answer to God

We see this truth in a number of passa!es in Scripture Hets look at a few of them/

@ay the Hord, the )ud!e, render :ud!ment today)ud!es 22/06Surely #e is God who )ud!es in

the earthPsalm L


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&$or the $ather :ud!es no one, but has committed all :ud!ment to the Son, that all should honor

the Son :ust as they honor the $ather #e who does not honor the Son does not honor the $ather

who sent #im')ohn L/00401

God the $ather !a-e authority to )esus the Son to execute :ud!ment because #e is the Son of

@an #e did this for two reasons/ so that all should honor the Son as they honor the $ather and

because )esus is the Son of @an 9ot only is )esus the Son of God, but #e is also the Son of@an As the Son of @an, #e understands usour weaknesses, our frailties, and our

temptations #e is a :ust and merciful :ud!e because #e shares our nature

We also need to understand this truth/ the Son has dele!ated #is authority as :ud!e to the

Word )esus explains/

&And if any one hears @y sayin!s, and does not keep them, I do not :ud!e him for I did not

come to :ud!e the world, but to sa-e the world #e who re:ects @e, and does not recei-e @y

sayin!s, has one who :ud!es him the word I spoke is what will :ud!e him at the last day' )ohn

20/=64=< 9AS(

Mltimately, the :ud!e we will ha-e to face is not the $ather, nor the Son It will be the Word

+here is one element to this matter of :ud!ment that we need to consider/ :ud!in! oursel-es In

2 *orinthians, Paul !i-es us a -ery practical application Speakin! about people who ha-e

incurred Gods :ud!ment by partakin! unworthily of the Hords *ommunion, Paul says we do

not need to suffer that kind of :ud!ment upon oursel-es

(ut if we :ud!ed oursel-es ri!htly, we should not be :ud!ed 2 *orinthians 22/12

We can escape Gods :ud!ment if we will :ud!e oursel-es #ow (y lookin! into the mirror of

the Word of God, acceptin! what it shows us and reali%in! that it is not only a mirror but alsoour :ud!e #umility, repentance, and obedience to the Word of God deli-er us from the fear of

:ud!ment

+he (ible speaks about &the answer of a !ood conscience,' which is re.uired of us as we

profess our faith in *hrist throu!h baptism ;2 Peter 1/02> #ow can we ha-e the answer of a

!ood conscience As we see the re.uirements in the Word of God and apply those standards to

our li-es As a result, we no lon!er need to fear the :ud!ment of God We ha-e :ud!ed oursel-es

by the Word therefore, we do not ha-e to face Gods :ud!ment on our li-es

A Summary of the 9ine 8ffects

As we conclude this booklet, let me :ust recapitulate those nine effects of Gods Word/

S +he Word of God produces faith

S It is the seed of the new birth

S It pro-ides spiritual nourishment

S It produces mental illumination

S It pro-ides physical healin!

S It makes -ictory o-er sin and Satan possible

S It pro-ides cleansin! and holinessS It is a spiritual mirror

S It is our ultimate :ud!e


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Het us apprehend the si!nificance of the authority and power of Gods word by restatin! the

truths we disco-ered alon! the way, and then prayin! for God to help us walk in those truths

&I affirm that if I recei-e the (ible as the word of man, it will not work its full work in me (ut, if

I recei-e it as the Word of God, it works effecti-ely in me When I read my (ible, I will take time

e-ery now and then to say to the Hord, NI belie-e this is Oour Word I recei-e it as Oour Word Het

it work in me e-erythin! Oou ha-e sent it to do, in e-ery area of my bein!spirit, soul andbodybecause I belie-e it'

Fear Hord, thank Oou for the pro-ision of Oour Word Please help me to understand it, absorb it,

make it part of my life, and walk in it in a way that brin!s !lory to Oou and to the name of )esus

$or it is in that precious name I pray Amen

T T T T T


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About the Author

Ferek Prince ;2Q2L40EE1> was born in India of (ritish parents 8ducated as a scholar of Greek

and Hatin at 8ton *olle!e and *ambrid!e Mni-ersity, 8n!land, he held a $ellowship in Ancient

and @odern Philosophy at Bin!s *olle!e #e also studied se-eral modern lan!ua!es, includin!#ebrew and Aramaic, at *ambrid!e Mni-ersity and the #ebrew Mni-ersity in )erusalem

While ser-in! with the (ritish army in World War II, he be!an to study the (ible and

experienced a life7chan!in! encounter with )esus *hrist ut of this encounter he formed two

conclusions/ first, that )esus *hrist is ali-e second, that the (ible is a true, rele-ant, up7to7date

book +hese conclusions altered the whole course of his life, which he then de-oted to studyin!

and teachin! the (ible

Fereks main !ift of explainin! the (ible and its teachin! in a clear and simple way has helped

build a foundation of faith in millions of li-es #is non7denominational, non7sectarian approach

has made his teachin! e.ually rele-ant and helpful to people from all racial and reli!iousback!rounds

#e is the author of o-er LE books, 3EE audio and 2EE -ideo teachin!s, many of which ha-e been

translated and published in more than 2EE lan!ua!es #is daily radio broadcast is translated

into Arabic, *hinese ;Amoy, *antonese, @andarin, Shan!haiese, Swatow>, *roatian, German,

@ala!asy, @on!olian, ?ussian, Samoan, Spanish and +on!an +he radio pro!ram continues to

touch li-es around the world

Ferek Prince @inistries persists in reachin! out to belie-ers in o-er 2=E countries with Fereks

teachin!s, fulfillin! the mandate to keep on &until )esus returns' +his is effected throu!h the

outreaches of more than 1E Ferek Prince offices around the world, includin! primary work inAustralia, *anada, *hina, $rance, Germany, the 9etherlands, 9ew Uealand, 9orway, ?ussia,

South Africa, Swit%erland, the Mnited Bin!dom and the Mnited States $or current information

about these and other worldwide locations, -isit wwwderekprincecom


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Get the *omplete Hayin! the

$oundations Series

2 $ounded on the ?ock ;(2EE>

0 Authority and Power of Gods Word ;(2E2>

1 +hrou!h ?epentance to $aith ;(2E0>

= $aith and Works ;(2E1>

L +he Foctrine of (aptisms ;(2E=>

3 Immersion in +he Spirit ;(2EL>

6 +ransmittin! Gods Power ;(2E3>

Q ?esurrection of the (ody ;(2E

2E $inal )ud!ment ;(2EQ>


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AM+#?I+O A9F PW8? $ GFS W?F

V 0EEQ Ferek Prince @inistries4International

+his edition FP@7MB 0E22

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Published by FP@7MB

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+able of *ontents

Authority and Power of Gods Word

About +he Author

Series

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+able of *ontents

Authority and Power of Gods Word

About +he Author

Series

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Authority and Power of God's Wo - Derek Prince