The Power of the Word - Letter From Pastor Evan

Whether or not we want to realize it, words have power. How many of us have been blessed by a well-timed compliment or have found comfort in an encouraging word from someone we care about? On the flip side, how many times have we been hurt by something that someone has said to us or about us? We all know the pain of how a hurtful word can rattle around in our minds and stick with us long after the words have been spoken! This would not be so if words did not have power!

If our words have such power to effect people, just think about the power the Word of God has! Scripture contains words that can make us feel bad (through the law) or good (through the Gospel), but most importantly, the words of the Bible are efficacious, meaning that they have the power to produce an effect. In Romans 1:16, the apostle Paul speaks of the Gospel as, “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,” and again in Romans 10:17 says, “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” The Word of God not only has nice things to say, but it can actually create faith in us and bring forth salvation!

The Word goes forth (is “breathed-out,” or inspired) by God and has the power to convict us of sin. Have you ever felt guilty when we hear about God’s holiness and His demand for us to be holy as He is holy, only to realize that we aren’t holy? That’s God’s word working in our hearts to show us a need for salvation. But when we recognize our sin and need for salvation, we hear God’s pronouncement of the Gospel, which declares to us that Christ has died as a substitute for our sin and that by believing in Him, He grants us eternal life! When we believe this Good News of the Gospel, God’s Word has done its work and has produced an effect…we are saved! Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one can boast.” God’s Word is the gift of God; through it we find eternal life!

God’s word is efficacious. It is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” So, hear God’s word. Read it. Study it. Know it. And let His Word work mightily in our lives!

In Christ,
Pastor Evan