6. The Treatment of the WORD

a. Matthew 4:4: "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every WORD that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

The WORD of God is our food, our life-giving sustenance. A Christian is one that can't LIVE life without Him.

b. 2Timothy 2:15: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the WORD of Truth."

A Christian is one who wants the true meaning of God's WORD-- not one who makes the WORD fit his own purposes.

c. Proverbs 1:5,7: "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels... The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

A Christian is one who listens to, and learns from, The WORD.

Proverbs 9:9: "Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning."

d. John 8:47: "He that is of God heareth God's WORDS: ye therefore hear Them not, because ye are not of God."

A non-Christian, or heathen, is one who does not listen to The WORD.

e. James 1:19,21-22,25: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath... Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted WORD, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the WORD, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. But whoso looketh into the perfect LAW of Liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."

A Christian is one who not only listens to God's WORD, but obeys God's WORD.

f. Proverbs 14:6: "A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth."

A Christian is one who understands the Knowledge of God.

g. Psalm 119:11: "Thy WORD have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee."

A Christian is one who treasures the WORD as his help to defeat sin.

h. Mark 8:38: "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My WORDS in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

A Christian is one of whom the LORD Jesus will not be ashamed, when He returns to the earth to reign as The Everlasting KING of kings.

i. Acts 20:27: "For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the Counsel of God."

A Christian is one who speaks to others what God speaks to all.

j. Hebrews 5:12-14: "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the Oracles of God; and are become such as have need of Milk, and not of Strong Meat. For every one that useth Milk is unskilful in the WORD of righteousness: for he is a babe. But Strong Meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

1Peter 2:2: "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the WORD, that ye may grow thereby."

A Christian is one who grows in the WORD. One who does not grow is one who no longer lives.

Luke 20:38: "For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto Him."

k. Colossians 3:16: "Let the WORD of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the LORD."

A Christian is one who demonstrates the riches of God's wisdom by ministering to others with the LORD's song in his heart.

l. Psalm 56:10: "In God will I praise His WORD: in the LORD will I praise His WORD."

A Christian is one who loves to praise the WORD.

m. John 14:23,24: "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My WORDS: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him.

He that loveth Me not keepeth not My SAYINGS: and the WORD which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father's which sent Me."

1John 2:3-5: "And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His COMMANDMENTS. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His COMMANDMENTS, is a liar, and the TRUTH is not in him. But whoso keepeth His WORD, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him."

Psalm 119:101: "I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep Thy WORD."

A Christian is one who loves God. He loves The WORD. He obeys The WORD. If he doesn't obey God, then he doesn't love God. It's really very simple.

n. Acts 20:35: "...remember the WORDS of the LORD Jesus..."

Psalm 119:16: "I will delight myself in Thy STATUTES: I will not forget Thy WORD."

Hebrews 2:1: "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to The Things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let Them slip."

A Christian is one who does not forget God.

O. Titus 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."

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

A Christian is one who knows the WORD, and can share Him instantly, with anyone.

p. 1Thessalonians 1:8: "For from you sounded out the WORD of the LORD not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything."

A Christian is one who cannot keep the Good WORD to himself. He must discreetly "sound out the WORD" in some form, in some place.

q. Hebrews 4:2-7: "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. Again, He limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts."

A Christian is one who believes God, and can therefore profit from His WORD. Hebrews 11:6: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

r. 1Peter 2:8: "And a Stone of Stumbling, and a Rock of Offence, even to them which stumble at the WORD, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed." A Christian is one who is not offended by The WORD telling him how to live his life.

s. Titus 3:8: "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."

A Christian is one who is careful to please The WORD.

t. Revelations 6:9: "And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the WORD of God, and for the testimony which they held."

John 17:14: "I have given them Thy WORD; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."

A Christian is one who would willing give his mortal life, if God called him to witness his love for The WORD to a hating world.

u.Acts 4:29: "And now, LORD, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak Thy WORD." Psalm 119:172: "My tongue shall speak of Thy WORD: for all Thy COMMANDMENTS are righteousness."

A Christian is one who faces a hating world, when called to do so, with God's strength and boldness in speaking out loud the righteousness of His COMMANDS.

v.Psalm 119:161: "Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of Thy WORD."

A Christian is one with an overwhelming reverence of who The WORD is, and acutely so when facing the enemy.

w. Psalm 119:114: "Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in Thy WORD." Psalm 130:5: "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His WORD do I hope."

A Christian is one whose only hope, whether in this life, or the next, is the LORD, The WORD of God.

x. Psalm 119:105: "Thy WORD is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

A Christian is one who has a lighted lamp to follow the narrow path of The WORD. Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto Life, and few there be that find It."

y. Romans 13:2: "Whosoever therefore resisteth The Power, resisteth The ORDINANCE of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation." A Christian is one who does not "resist" The WORD by disobedience, and thereby does "resist" damnation.

z. Isaiah 34:16: "Seek ye out of the BOOK of the LORD, and read."

Next Part 7. The Promise of the WORD