After speaking so much about Psalm 95, the writer of Hebrews suddenly says in 4:12, “For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The word “for” at the beginning of this verse connects it with the preceding verse. Why does the writer here suddenly speak of the word of God? Because the promise in Psalm 95 is the word of God. Whenever we read the Bible, it must be living, energizing, and sharp enough to divide and discern all the things within us. If it is not, we have not touched the word of God but only the black and white letters. The printed matter in black and white letters is neither living nor energizing. Every word in the Bible must be the living and operative word of God. How do we know that we have touched the word of God and not just the printed matter? We know it when the word we have touched is living, energizing, and dividing our soul from our spirit. This is an important principle.
The writer seemed to be saying, “You Hebrew brothers cherish the Old Testament, especially the book of Psalms. One of the psalms says, ‘Today if ye will hear His voice.’ You have read this verse again and again without anything happening to you. Now I am using this psalm as a base for my talk with you. This word of God must be living and operative and must divide our soul from our spirit. Brothers, I know why you are staggering and hesitating. It is because your soul is mixed with your spirit. Sometimes, when you are calm, deep within, your spirit is telling you to go on and follow Christ as today’s Messiah. Although you may be clear about this in your spirit, you turn from your spirit to your soul. Your mind in your soul begins to wonder and this causes your soul to wander. Because your soul and spirit are mixed together, I have quoted the living word of God which is sharper than a two-edged sword. It will pierce your mixture, divide your spirit from your soul, and show you how foolish you are. You should no longer wander in your soul; you must turn from your soul to your spirit. Don’t consider, talk, hesitate, or stagger. The more you talk and hesitate, the more you are in your wondering mind.”
Many of us have had this experience. Before we came into the church life, we were wandering. Then we were attracted by the church and deep within our spirit something said, “This is it.” But then our mind began to wonder, asking, “Is this right? If it is, then why haven’t the spiritual giants practiced it?” Under the influence of our background, we began wandering in the wilderness. However, in the calm of the night, something deeper than our mind stirred within us, saying, “The church life is right.” During such a time, it was difficult to sleep or work well. We only found rest when one day the living word of God came in to divide our being, revealing what was our spirit and what was our soul.
The living word of God must pierce into our being and separate all the mixture of soul and spirit. The church life is absolutely in the spirit. It is very easy to be in religion. However, to enter into the church life we need to be pierced and divided by the living word of God. Only the word of God can divide our soul from our spirit. Our soul, like fly paper, is sticky. Thus, it is easy for our spirit to be stuck to our soul. Because of this, we need the piercing and dividing of God’s living word. We not only experience this upon first coming into the church life but often afterwards. Many times God came in and our spirit responded. However, our soul also reacted, mainly through our mind. The Lord may speak in our spirit and say, “Subject yourself to the church.” But the sticky soul, speaking through the mind, says, “Be careful. Don’t listen to the church so much. All the leading brothers have faults like anyone else. Look at Brother So-and-So. He’s good, but he’s not absolutely good.” When our mind acts like this, we soon begin wandering. Only when the merciful and faithful God comes in with the piercing of the living word of God do we find deliverance from our wandering mind. This is why we need the Bible. If the Bible is not living and energizing whenever we read it, something is wrong. Although many Christians take the Bible only as a printed book, day by day we must take it in a living way.
The living word of God is the outflow of the living God. It flows with the life of God (John 1:4), the light of God (Psa. 119:105, 130), and even with God Himself (John 1:1). Because the Scriptures are breathed by God (2 Tim. 3:16, Gk.), the word of God in the Scriptures is God’s outflow. It brings the life of God, the light of God, and even God Himself into our being.
Since the word of God is His outflow, being spirit and life (John 6:63), it is living. In our experience the whole Bible must not be dead letters but rather living as spirit and life.