With His spoken Word, God created the universe. That ‘Word’ is Jesus Christ (John 1) – He is the creative Word through which God brought the world into existence, and He still resounds as the Living Word in the natural universe. This is why the natural world around us testifies to the existence of God – His imprint remains on it because through His Word of Power (Jesus Christ) He created and formed it into His divinely inspired handiwork (Romans 1:20).
Just as creation testifies of the existence of God, we also do as we’re transformed into His image. The Living Word, Jesus Christ, the Bible – they are one in the same - and as the Bible is opened, read, and understood by us regularly, that same Word changes us from the inside out. We become a product of His creation, just as the natural world is, but for us it’s a spiritual creation.
John 1:1 says “The Word became flesh.” This is talking about Jesus Christ becoming a blood and flesh human being. However, in a spiritual sense, the same thing happens to us. As we read the Word and take it into our hearts, the Holy Spirit broods over it, just as He brooded, hovered over and nurtured the Word at creation (Gen. 1), causing the Word to take root and grow. As the Word is established in us we are recreated into the image of God, and once again, the Word becomes flesh.
This is our process of sanctification and becoming more Christ-like. We actually become a part of His body extended from heaven (where He is the head), to earth (where we are His body) (Eph 1:22-23). This is not to say that we become equal to God, but that we take on the character and image of Jesus Christ and form His Body on earth.
However, if we want to be changed into His image, we must develop a love for the Word and spend time in it – giving the Spirit of God something to brood over and nurture in our lives.
Today I pray for all who read this – that God would give us an immense hunger, desire and passion for Him and His Word. I pray that God would help us to submit to the Spirit’s brooding and we would become a living Epistle, the Word made flesh, for His glory!
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.” (John 1:14)
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