Does God Act Only In and Through the Word?

It is not unusual to hear some brethren say God works "only in and
through the Word." What many mean when they use this phrase is that
God's revelation is complete and we have all the information we need to
do His will in the Bible. The Bible is clear in teaching that all of
God's will has been delivered and there will be no more revelation
given. Any who claim that God is directly telling them what to believe
or practice is either deceived or a liar. We should have no problem with
this, but do we really believe "God works only in and through the Word?"
If we stop to consider this phrase, we will see how it is misleading. We
should be saying that God reveals His will only in and through the Word,
not that He works only in and through the Word.  If we really believe
that God works only in and through the Word today, we have become modern
day Deists instead of New Testament Christians. Do we believe God
answers prayers?  Does anyone believe that God provides our daily bread
"only in and through the Word?" Many end their public prayers by asking
God to "guide, guard and direct us." Are we asking Him to do this "only
in and through the Word?" If God works only through the Word, shouldn't
we stop wasting our time praying and, instead, spend more time reading
the Bible? James 1:5 encourages us to pray for wisdom. We should know
that studying God's Word is an excellent source for us to gain wisdom,
yet James says we also should pray for it. When we use all the
Scriptures, we find the full truth is that we gain wisdom from our own
efforts in studying the Bible and we also gain wisdom by asking God to
directly influence our minds. Paul prayed that the Ephesians might have
the eyes of their hearts enlightened (1:15-19), yet he also said that
when they read his writings, they could have his understanding in the
mystery of Christ (3:1-4). If we will apply the same principles that we
tell the denominations concerning putting all the Word together, we can
understand what Paul desired.  He wanted the Ephesians to be applying
themselves in studying God's Word and he also wanted God to help their
thinking in aiding their understanding. We know through God's Word that
we are to go out and teach all nations (Matt. 28:19). How are we going
to accomplish this? Do we just charge out into the world and teach
whoever we can get to listen to us? We know we must do our part, but we
also need to follow the example of Paul and pray for doors to be opened
(Col. 4:3).  Do we really want to say that God opens doors "only in and
through the Word?" If not, then it becomes obvious that this phrase is
false and should either be modified or discarded. We are to pray for our
rulers (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Why bother, if God works only in and through the
Word? The reason we pray for them is our Lord rules the nations today
whether they read His Word or not. He who rode the white horse wearing
the name "King of kings and Lord of lords" still rides today (Rev.
19:11-16, 17:14). Anytime we pray to God for health, prosperity, rain,
opportunities, guidance or anything else, we are asking God to do
something in addition to the Word. This is so obvious that it shouldn't
have to be pointed out. Unfortunately, some brethren, in their efforts
to oppose extreme religious error, have erred by swinging to the
opposite extreme. Some have taught that God is talking directly to them
and is in direct control of every minute detail of their lives. In
fighting this extreme, brethren (including myself at one time) have
responded by saying God works only in and through the Word. Some of us
have used this phrase so much that we have actually begun to completely
believe it. As a result, some believe there is no spiritual warfare
raging about us involving demons and angels, that God is not chastening
His children, and that He does not make all things work together for
good for those who love Him.  The end result of this thinking is that
some are more comfortable with Deism than wi th Christianity. They think
God is only watch ing us from a distance to see how we respond to His
Word without influencing any of the events in our lives. If we fail to
repent of this unbelief, we are setting ourselves up for judgment. Some
in physical Israel were punished for similar views. In Zephaniah 1:12,
God warned  "I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who
are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, `The Lord will not
do good, nor will He do evil' (NKJ). The NASV calls these men "stagnant
in spirit."  What better way is there to describe those who reject God's
activity in our lives today? I left the Baptist church when I found out
I wasn't using all the Bible. I had many verses on faith and believed
them all. However, some brethren showed me other verses I was not using
that also spoke of salvation.  In order to believe all the Bible, I
abandoned the false concept that we are "saved by faith alone." Some of
us need to apply the same principles and abandon the equally false
concept that "God works through the Word alone." Many who use the phrase
"God works only in and through the Word" believe that God answers prayer
and is still in control of His Creation. For these, I suggest that they
modify this phrase to something like "God reveals His will only in and
through the Word."  For those who really do believe that God works only
in and through the Word, I would suggest that you study God's activity
in the Scriptures. Use not only the verses that speak of the purpose of
the Word, but also those that speak of God working in the lives of men.
Assemble all the verses together and accept them all without picking and
choos ing which ones you want to believe.



bWayne Wells wayneliz@twave.net http://users.twave.net/ncc