Here we must explain what human elements are. As far as content is concerned, the Bible is full of human elements. If we remove the human elements from the Bible, not much is left of it. Human elements occupy a crucial place in the word of God. For example, the book of Galatians speaks of God’s promise by referring to the story of Abraham. If we removed Abraham’s story from the Bible, we would not understand what God’s promise is. The Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God that redeems man from sin (John 1:29), and the Old Testament speaks of men repeatedly offering sacrifices of bulls and goats. From Abel’s sacrifice in Genesis to the book of Leviticus with its many offerings, we find men offering sacrifices to God again and again. This is a picture of the Lord Jesus becoming the Lamb of God to propitiate for sinners. Consider the example of David in the Old Testament. He fought in battles and won. He obeyed God, and he was a man after God’s heart. He prepared materials for God’s house, and Solomon built the temple with the gold, silver, and precious stones that David had prepared. We see David, and we see Solomon. These two show how the Lord Jesus fought the battle, how He won, how He ascended, and how He was enthroned. If the story of David and Solomon were taken away, we would not be able to see the Lord Jesus fully. The Bible says that the Lord Jesus is greater than David and Solomon (Matt. 22:43-44; 12:42). Before the Lord Jesus came, there first had to be a David and a Solomon. Otherwise, we would not see anything. Consider the example of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt through the wilderness. The details of this history are recorded in the Bible, including how Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan and how they overcame the thirty-one kings of Canaan. If the stories of Moses and Joshua were taken away, there would be very little left of the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Joshua. If we did not have the book of Joshua, it would be hard to understand the book of Ephesians. These examples show us that human elements are present throughout the Word of God.
One characteristic of God’s word is that it is full of human elements. God’s word is not released through thin air; it is released through man. God reveals His word through man and events related to man. This makes His word simple, understandable, and comprehensible. Whenever God speaks, He speaks so that man can understand. God’s word is not merely something that God utters, but something that man can understand. It is not merely supernatural; it is also very natural. It is not merely spiritual; it is also human. Through its human composition we can understand what God is doing and, therefore, what He is saying. The book of Acts provides very little doctrine; it is primarily a record of the acts of the apostles under the leading of the Holy Spirit. Peter’s actions became part of God’s Word, and Paul’s actions also became part of God’s Word. The beginning of the church in Jerusalem became part of God’s Word, and the beginning of the churches in Samaria and the church in Antioch also became part of God’s Word. These events are not merely history; they are part of God’s Word. Through history, man acted out God’s word. By means of history, man declared God’s word. The Holy Spirit reveals God’s word through man by means of history. God’s Word is full of human elements. This is a characteristic of the Bible. It is not a book of creeds. It is a book of man acting out God’s word. When God’s speaking is being carried out, acted out, and lived out by man, we have the word of God.
One basic principle of the Scripture is the principle of incarnation. If a man does not understand incarnation, that is, the principle of the word becoming flesh, it will be hard for him to understand the word of God. God’s word is not abstract. It is not spiritual to the point that all human flavor is suppressed. God’s word is not that distant; it does not remain in an unseen, untouchable, and unapproachable realm. “In the beginning was the Word....He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). Yet this Word became flesh and tabernacled among men, full of grace and reality (v. 14). This is God’s word. His word tabernacles among men. We have to remember that the incarnation of the Lord Jesus unveils the basic principle of the ministry of God’s word. If we want to understand the ministry of God’s word, we have to understand the Lord Jesus’ incarnation. What is the ministry of the word? It is the word becoming flesh. It is absolutely heavenly, but it is not in heaven; rather, it is on earth. It is one hundred percent heavenly, but it is not without the flesh; rather, it is embodied in the flesh. It is truly heavenly, but it is not devoid of human elements; rather, it is manifested through men. It is very heavenly, but at the same time, it is seen and touched by men. This is the testimony of the apostles. First John 1:1 says, “...which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we beheld and our hands handled....” God’s word can be seen, beheld, and handled.
Consider the matter of holiness. Before the Lord came, no one knew what holiness was. Today, however, holiness is no longer abstract, because we can see holiness lived out on earth in the Lord Jesus. Holiness walked among men. When we see the Lord Jesus, we know what holiness is. The word becoming flesh means that holiness has become flesh. We did not know what longsuffering was. But today we see long-suffering in the Lord Jesus. God is love, but we did not know what this love was like. Today this love can be seen in Jesus of Nazareth. We may think that a spiritual man does not smile or cry or that he must be devoid of all feeling. Yet when we see Jesus of Nazareth, we know the meaning of being spiritual.
If all we had was God’s holiness, we would not know what holiness is. But now we can understand what it is because we have the holiness of the Lord Jesus. If all we had was the love of God, we would not know what love is. But now we can understand what it is because we have the love of the Lord Jesus. If all we had was the longsuffering of God, we would not know what longsuffering is. But now we can understand what it is because we have the longsuffering of the Lord Jesus. If all we had was the glory of God, we would not know what glory is. But now we can understand what it is because we have the glory of the Lord Jesus. If all we had was God’s spirituality, we would not know what spirituality is. But now we can understand what it is because we have the spirituality of the Lord Jesus. This is the meaning of the word becoming flesh. When the word became flesh, glory became flesh, love became flesh, and longsuffering and holiness became flesh. When we touch this flesh, we touch God. Jesus’ love is God’s love. His glory is God’s glory, His holiness, God’s holiness, and His spirituality, God’s spirituality. If all we had was God, we would not know these things. But now that we have seen the Lord Jesus, we can understand all these things.
The principle of incarnation is a fundamental principle. God’s work on man and His communion with man are governed by the basic principle of incarnation. Although we do not have incarnation in the Old Testament, we do see God moving in this direction. Although the incarnated One has ascended to the heavens now, God still operates according to this principle. God’s work in man and His fellowship with man are absolutely based on the principle of incarnation. Today God is no longer an abstract God, an ethereal God, or a hidden God. He has been incarnated; He has come forth. Many times when we preach the gospel, we like to declare that our God has come forth. In the Old Testament He did not come forth. Psalm 18:11 says that “He made darkness His hiding place.” Today God is in the light; He has come forth. He has revealed Himself in the light, and we can see Him. When God was hiding in darkness, we could not see Him or know Him. But today He is in the light, and we can see Him and know Him. He has come forth. He has come forth in the person of Jesus His Son. Incarnation is a very basic principle. The content of God’s word is full of human elements.