The Word of God is Living and Active

I'm making slow progress through NT Wright's 'Scripture and the Authority of God', mainly because I can only read small chunks before I have to stop and consider what's being said. It also keeps sparking off other chains of thought, which make concentrating on the next section tricky! Here are some further thoughts on the 'word of God' concept that I've been exploring as I work through the book.

In the New Testament the 'word' is generally used for the gospel (see Colossians 1:5). This 'word' is the story of Jesus, his death and resurrection, "told as the climax of the story of Israel and thus offering itself as both the true story of the world and the foundation and energizing force for the church's mission." (p.36)

But NT Wright goes on to point out that "the 'word' was not just information about the kingdom and its effects, important though that was and is. It was the way God's kingdom, accomplished in Jesus, was making its way in the world" (p.36). More than just a retelling of the story, this word carries power:

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. " (Romans 1:16)

Or, in a slightly different sense:
"...because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction." (1 Thessalonians 1:5)

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe." (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

In the verse above Paul is making clear that the gospel is not a story told by humans, the 'word of men', but the 'word of God'. The word of God is at work in all believers, that same creative power that spoke the universe into being (see earlier post) is bringing new creation in each one of us.

As NT Wright says, "the word was announced as a sovereign summons, and it brought into being a new situation, new possibilities, and a new life-changing power". (p.36)

He also seems to attribute a wider meaning to the concept of word / gospel as used in the NT:
"The earliest church was centrally constituted as the people called into existence, and sustained in that existence, by the powerful, effective and (in that sense and many others) 'authoritative' word of God, written in the Old Testament, embodied in Jesus, announced to the world, taught in the church." (p.37)

In the same way, NT Wright goes on to discuss the way in which Paul and the other New Testament authors were conscious of the importance of their own words and writings, believing themselves to be 'authorized' teachers, by the guidance and power of the Spirit. In his own words:

"The apostolic writings, like the 'word' which they now wrote down, were not simply about the coming of God's kingdom into the world; they were, and were designed to be, part of the means whereby that happened, and whereby those through whom it happened could themselves be transformed into Christ's likeness." (p.38)