musings: 6/21/08;Hope. by JAH

"Hope springs eternal in the human heart," a poet said, and I think that is true, but it seems to me that many of our "hopes" are not hopes at all. They are wishes.

Hope as it is given in the Bible, is the word, "elpis." In Titus 3: 7, the form is, ἐλπίδα; "So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." This states with assurance that we have eternal life. There is no wishing for it but a certain anticipated event yet to come, not that we don't now have eternal life, but what we have is but a taste of what is to come!

When the Bible speaks of something not likely to happen, it uses the word "euchomai," the Greek word for wish. In Romans 9:3, the form used is, ηὐχόμην. Paul said, "For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race."

Our present hope as children of God born again by God's grace through our faith is similar to the hope that a child has for an upcoming birthday party. He depends on his mother to provide everything, the cake, the candles, the ice cream, the friends and loved ones, just everything, and there is no doubt in his mind that it will happen as planned. He rejoices with growing anticipation of what will take place until he actually receives it!

In the same way, we Christians rejoice in the victory we have over sin and Satan, aware that we did nothing ourselves, but that all is provided by our Heavenly Father through His Son Jesus. We know we are loved. We know heaven is our home. We know our anticipated joy will become reality in due time because our God has promised it to us. I remember the words of a song from many, many years ago. It expresses the anticipation of our hope well.

"This world is not my home, I'm just passing through, if heaven is not my hope, Lord, what will I do. The angels beckon me from heaven's open door, and I can't feel at home in this world any more." I may not have quoted correctly, but my hope is definitely based on fact, not fiction, and heaven is my home!

Musings: 6/19/08; Dog Gone. by JAH

Yep! My dog's gone, and I miss him. He is just two years four months old, weighs 70 pounds, has had all of his shots, has Frontline Flea and Tick protection, and is up-to-date on his Rabies and Parvovirus immunizations. He answers to "Runt." He was the runt of the litter, so that's what my wife named him. He looks like his mother for the most part. She is a Lab, but he has a lot of his father's qualities. He was a Blue Heeler.

Runt is a regular part of our family, and the backyard is his domain. It's a big backyard, but it has never satisfied him. He always wants to be out and about. He wants to visit other dogs whenever he can. He has a wonderful disposition. He's never met a stranger, never picked a fight with other dogs, wouldn't hurt my neighbors chickens, or cats, or the squirrels that scold him from our trees.

He's clumsy, and he has hurt me on more than one occasion. In fact, I spent a lot on medications the times he ran into my leg, accidentally bit my hand or made long scratches on my arms. He can jump higher than my six-foot head, and one of his favorite games is chase water spouting from a garden hose.

I miss him, and I'll continue to miss him for a long time, I'm sure, but that's not what is important to me at this moment. I've asked God to give him a good home, and that's important to me. Another thing of importance is observing a comparison to people in this situation.

God made us. He nurtures and sustains us. He provides for our comfort, and showers us with His love, but like Runt, we aren't generally content where we are, doing what we are doing, being what God made us. We want more! We want to be out and around visiting other people we admire and whom we think may just be blessed more than we are. That's what frequently gets us in trouble. All of us have the opportunity to be with our Master, our Father, our Maker, but many of us can be tolled away to enjoy God's creation rather than to stay with our Creator.

Runt frolicked away with a couple of his friends. They came back. He didn't. A neighbor told us someone had been stealing dogs in the area, and we think that someone may have been able to pick Runt up because he thought everyone was his friend.

It's too bad so many human beings leave this world without ever taking heed to the Good News of Jesus! They seem to accept all the good things God provided for them as a matter of course, and they are blind to their loss. Some do return to Jesus like the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11ff. They heed His call when He says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28 - 30). In Luke 15, Jesus gave a parable about a woman losing a coin. In verse 9 she called her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her because she had found her coin. In verse10 Jesus says, "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

All too many who wander away are captured by Satan, and they become slaves where their burdens becomes heavier and last forever. Jesus quoted from the last verse of Isaiah in Mark 9:47,48, "It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'" I wish everyone could see that death does not end it all! It is definite, both Heaven and Hell are eternal in nature!

Musings: 6/13/08; Speaking for God. by JAH

I've always thought it would be a wonderful thing to speak for God, but not unless He told me to speak, and not unless He told me what to speak. I experienced a life-changing instant in the early spring of 1947.

A group of sailors, and a marine or two visited a Brethren church in the Long Beach, California area for their evening service. Charles Beatty, a Director of the Christian Service Organization in Long Beach, led the group. He allowed time for all of us who desired to give a word of testimony, or quote a favorite verse of Scripture to do so.

I had a problem. I suffered stage fright in high school and was unable to make my little Boy Scout speech about the 127 pounds of aluminum we collected for the war effort. Our superintendent rescued me and gave the speech. I had memorized it, and at his instruction thrown my copy away. He wrote it, so he gave it easily, but after that I could never stand in front of anybody and do anything where I was the focal point.

After all the others had given their testimonies and repeated their verses, Charlie stood up to preach. I had praying, asking the Lord to strengthen me so that I could testify for Him. Charlie was about to pray when suddenly I felt that I would explode if I didn't stand up and speak! But it was too late! Charlie began to pray, and I continued to feel like an explosion was coming! He closed his prayer and said, "Folks, I've never done this before, but as I prayed, the Lord spoke to me and told me to call on another sailor to speak." He turned and beckoned me to come forward. I rushed from the choir loft to the pulpit, and I poured out my heart for the Lord. As I remember, there wasn't time for Charlie to speak. He gave an invitation for people to accept Christ. We had prayer and returned to the CSO in Long Beach.

At that time, I did not understand that the Lord was both answering my prayer and calling me to a lifetime of service. I prayed about it for weeks while I was watching radar scan the horizon for ships or the sky for planes, or was just goofing off with my shipmates, and I finally knew the answer because I have never lost the inner compulsion to share Jesus and God's written word with others.

Speaking for God is a very serious thing. Almost the last item in the Bible, Revelation 22:18,19, says, "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book."

If He tells us that to add or subtract a word from His writings will bare such terrible fruit, how do you think our God will react to someone making fun of His Word? What do you think will happen to someone who fakes a word from God? Is it Godly for anyone to write as if God Himself was speaking? Judge for yourself. I've already decided that I want no part of any of that!

I want and expect to be a person of prayer. I want to fulfill my own personal calling to deliver God's Word as accurately and as perfectly as I can while bathing it in the love God has given me for others.

I Corinthians 1:27- 29 says, "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him." Those verses are humbling to anyone called by God, and that definitely includes me.

The point could be fully discussed, but it is very simple in my mind. If God does not direct you to speak for Him, it would be a good idea not to do it. Witnessing the saving power of Jesus Christ is excluded from that, but we are always in danger of using God's Name in vain, and of adding to or subtracting from the truth!

Musings: 6/11/08; Are you really like your Father? by JAH

The denomination to which I once belonged taught that a person could be saved and then lost again. I believed then, and I believe now that when a person is saved, he will never be lost again. Actually, there was not that much difference in doctrine. It was more a matter of semantics. Both groups believe a person who is really saved will live like Jesus. Both believe in the sealing power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13,14,30). Essentially, the group in which I now serve says that a person living like the devil even though they have professed faith in Christ probably is not saved, and never was. The group in which I once served says such people need to be saved again. Both groups admit the person needs to be saved.

I grew up on a small farm and was around work animals all the time. The first time I saw a brand new colt, I thought it was about the most wonderful thing I'd ever seen. It had long gangling legs and a short body. It didn't really look like the grown horses. It looked like a caricature of them. Horses walk, trot, gallop, and race! The colt frolicked, stumbled and bumbled trying to be like his mother and father. His actions certainly were not like theirs. The horses ate grass, hay and grain. The colt nibbled here and there, but really only consumed its mother's milk.

I Peter 2:2,3 says, "Like newborn babies crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

We expect spiritual babies to be mature like Jesus, but they cannot be. We expect too much. We need to give them time while we also give them God's Word so that they may grow. The writer of Hebrews was concerned with older Christians who were spiritually malnourished. He said, "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is no acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5:12-14).

I believe that instead of labeling a person unchristian, we should first attempt to feed them solid spiritual food so that they can grow into the mature Christian they should be. I think none of us ever reaches that high mark, but all of us need to be more like Jesus.

Musings: 6/10/08; Does it quack like a duck? by JAH

My father was born in 1882. When he left the farm about 1900, his first job was Cashier for the Memphis, TN street car system. He was initiated to counterfeit coins his first week. When the conductors brought in their day's take, they slid them across the counter to my dad. He dutifully counted and recorded the amounts, but when payday came, his check was not what he agreed on as his salary. The counterfeit coins were subtracted from the totals. Another cashier told him, "It may look like a duck, but if it don't quack like a duck, it ain't one!" After that, my father made the conductors drop the coins one a time on the counter. He could tell it was real when it rang true, or if was counterfeit by a dull sound.

There are so many things we need to learn as Christians. That old adage about the duck won't fit when we try to discern who is a Christian, and who is not. Jesus said, "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit." I'm sure no one would have recognized Peter as a Christian when he denied Him with curses! Yet, Peter was a wonderful Christian as God perfected him.

I think one of the biggest problems facing Christians is figuring out who our brothers and sisters are. One of the earliest problems facing the Church was "lapsees." That term referred to people who acknowledged Christ as their Lord and Savior, but after a time fell away. Were they really Christians, or not? I don't know of a church today, except for some very small ones, that would have standing room in the auditorium for all their members, and yet very few fill their auditoriums for worship services. There seems to be a discrepancy somewhere, but where is it?

We are faced with all sorts of distractions, TV, Radio, Races, Ball Games, Theater, Golf, Bowling, Camping, Hunting, Fishing and many more, even work! So many things interfere with our corporate worship, but I have reservations about labeling those who choose to do something else at worship time. I believe some who look like Christians, act like Christians, sound like Christians have secret agendas that might prove them to be counterfeit Christians. I examine myself from time to time to see where I stand with the Lord because I truly believe only the Lord knows absolutely who will ring true when he is tossed on God's counter of justice!

As for others, I depend on God's Spirit to share with me who belongs to Him. In our high school science lab, we had two large metal forks shaped like a "Y." They were identical. I remember how amazed we were when one of us stood across the lab holding one of the forks. The teacher struck the other one on a lab table and held it up. A clear ringing tone went out across the room, and the matching fork sent a matching sound back. That illustrated one of the laws of physics we were learning. I think the Holy Spirit within us helps us recognize other people who are Christians.

Occasionally, my dad still got a few counterfeit coins. He still had one or two when I was old enough to know what they were. As Christians, we aren't perfect, and we may be fooled once in a while, but we must learn to depend on God's Holy Spirit! He sees to it that we Christians bear fruit to everlasting life!

Musings: 6/09/08; Is There Anything God Cannot Do? by JAH

I've heard ministers preach sermons on the things God cannot do. It is correct to say God will not do some things, things He said He will not do, and it is certain He will not contradict Himself. I think that what those ministers had in mind. I've believed since I began studying Theology that God, to be God, must be able to do anything, or He is less than He says He is. Is that reasonable? After many years, I still believe it is. In one respect, it is not true according to our method of reasoning. Sometimes I think we get so hung up on a word or a phrase that we forget that a text without a context is a pretext! That's an old truism. I heard it my first year in seminary, and I've remembered it ever since. If we aren't careful, we will take a Scripture, maybe just a word, out of context and declare it to be true.

One of the first and worst examples I had of that is certainly Biblical. A man told me I put too much stock in the Bible. He said he could prove anything with the Bible. He said the Bible says that everyone who reads it should hang himself. I was young, and my hackles rose. I told him to prove it! He said Matthew 27:5 says about Judas, "And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself." Then Jesus in Luke 11:37 said, "Go, and do thou likewise."

That is syllogistical reasoning, and of course is totally untrue including the fact that you cannot prove everything by the Bible! My sister-in-law once asked me when I was a small boy if I knew why they painted fire engines red? Naturally, I said I didn't. She reasoned it this way:

"Well, Newspapers are read, too. Two and two are four, four and four are eight. Eight and four are 12. Twelve inches in a foot. A foot is a ruler. A ruler is Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth is a ship. A ship goes in the ocean. The ocean has fish. Fish have fins. The Fins fought the Russians. Russians are red. Fire engines go rushing, so fire engines are red, too."

Now isn't that a prime piece of foolishness? It made a kid of a boy really laugh, and perhaps we should laugh at some of these arguments about the Bible, but let's get back to God. Does the Bible say God cannot lie? In the King James, it does in Titus 1:2; "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began:" The New International Version says, "a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time," The word translated "cannot lie" in the King James Version is aψευδeς. The English letters would be, "apseudes." Pseudes is their word for "lie." The "a" in front of it is called an "alpha privative." It reverses the meaning. Instead of "cannot lie," it accurately reads, "does not lie." We should not try to place limitations on God, but rather simply take what He says to be absolutely true whether we understand it or not.

Paul, in I Corinthians 2:9 quoted Isaiah 64:4, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." The very next verse completes his statement, "but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit." The Holy Spirit is our Guide into truth, and we must compare Scripture with Scripture in order to find the truth. We cannot (to borrow the word from the KIV) do that without reading, studying and meditating on God's Word verse by verse until we arrive at the truth.

Musings: 6/08/08; Coercion or Christ. by JAH

Every day I get some really nice and helpful items in my e-mail. I enjoy them, and sometimes I am surprised and amazed at the content. God is great, and God is good, and God is love, all these appear from time to time in different and ingenuous forms. I love getting them.

What I don't love is the bottom line, such as: "If you love Jesus, you'll send this to 10 friends in the next sixty seconds," or "You don't love Jesus if you don't send this to 10 friends in the next sixty seconds!" These little things, and of course they appear in several more different forms, is that I feel the author is coercing me, trying to force me to do what he wants.

I believe that the body of the text is spiritual, the way of the Lord, but that last paragraph is the way of the world. I don't understand how a Christian following Jesus can suddenly switch gears and go the way of the business world. I put in the same category as a child telling his mother, if you don't give me a cookie, I'm going to beat my head against the wall!

Some of these things I might happily forward, and occasionally I do, but I suspect I would forward more of them if the authors depended on the Spirit of the Lord to lead me to do it. The poet said, "The world is too much with us late and soon...." That's always true, and I guess I do understand this thing about switching gears because we all do it on a daily, maybe hourly basis. We are spiritual one minute, and the next we may be almost the total opposite. There are times during the day that I think I can almost hear the Lord say, "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things I say?" (Luke 6:46). And there are times when His words come clear and plain to me, "Let not you heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe in me." (John 14:1) God's Word is constantly there to draw me back into the way of the Lord no matter how much the world is with me, and I am supremely thankful for that.

One thing these coercive missiles do for me, they remind me not to coerce anyone, but to let God's Spirit convict others of their needs. My task is to be a witness, not a prosecuting attorney!

Musings: 6/07/08; Reciprocation. by JAH

Benjamin Franklin said, "All mankind is divided into three classes: Those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move." What did he mean? I suspect he referred to those who implacably and stoically stagnate in their old ruts, those who can be persuaded to try new things, and those who are making things happen.

There have always been "movers and shakers" who shape the future for their segment of mankind, if not for the whole world. Many have noted that Europe is in the twilight of their Christian era, and that it is almost completely secular now. Tony Blair Great Britain's former Prime Minister kept a low profile concerning his faith until recently, but he admits readily now that people's faith is involved in shaping the whole world. Even those who disavow God have faith. It may be in themselves, or in a particular form of government, or a branch of learning, or some other idolatry. (I use that term advisedly because faith in anything other than God is idolatry).

We don't need a Christian government, but it would be wonderful to have solid Christians doing the governing. Our nation was founded on Christian principles regardless of the opinion and statements of some historians and other ungodly people. That is what makes it so attractive to people around the world. It is a free society, and as such, must allow for all sorts of religions to exist without interference unless their faith makes it impossible for someone else to be free.

We should have the right to set limitations on the general population regardless of their religious affiliation. It is a fact that we honor Muslims' desire to have their mosques and the freedom to worship as their religion dictates. I believe it is only just for us expect their nations of origin to reciprocate, and honor the desire of Christians and Jews in their lands to possess a Bible and worship as their hearts dictate. There's no ban on the Koran in this nation, but the Bible is banned in every Muslim nation with which I am familiar. Reciprocation should be the rule of practice among all nations, and I say that, not to take freedom away from anyone, but I believe no country should expect a freedom in our country unless they grant the same freedom in theirs.

One-way streets are nice and convenient in a congested area, aren't they? Wouldn't it be absurd to have all of them run in the same direction? Our world has become a congested place. Why is it, that the world has so many one-way streets that seem to run only one way, from East, and Middle East to West where they dead end!

My faith is that our God, the God of all creation. will take care of every problem that faces His children. We just have to make sure we are His children. Then we can understand and fulfill Hebrews 4:15,16, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so the we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Musings: 6/4/08; Moving by JAH

We are approaching the date we are to move across the state, and it is such a problem! Moving is enough to make a person sick if they have to do a lot, or most of the moving themselves. That brings Abraham to mind. His father Terah left Ur of the Chaldeans to go Canaan with two of his three sons and their wives. His son Haran was deceased. Since Genesis 12:1 says that God had already spoken to Abram and told him to go to "the land I will show you." It is likely that was Terah's reason for moving. Abram was not called Abraham until Genesis 17:5 when God promised him Sarai would become a mother, and he would be "Father of many nations." That's what Abraham means. Abraham was 99 years old when God changed his name, and one hundred when Isaac was born.

Back to the move. Abraham couldn't call a moving van, or rent a U Haul, or Penske truck like we can. Besides that, he had to move all of his sheep, camels and whatever other livestock he possessed. Family ties were strong, and apparently he felt responsible for his nephew Lot, so Lot's family and everything he possessed had to move with him.

What would be maybe an hour's trip for us today took weeks probably, and every time they stopped they had to unpack their tents, put them up, and then take then down and repack them when they started again. We have "pop-up" tents today, but theirs were made with hefty wood frames and were covered with several layers of hair-covered animal hides. I'm sure water was scarce at that time as it is today. They had to provide water for all their livestock as well as people. Their nomadic existence was unbelievably hard.

They didn't complain about the drudgery of moving because God had made a promise to Abraham and Sarai, later called Sarah. Hebrews 11: 10 says they were looking for "the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."

Can my wife and I face another move with that same faith? Yes, we can. We're looking beyond this life in the flesh to a new life in heaven with Jesus and our heavenly Father in a "city whose architect and builder" is God. It won't happen immediately, but the trip to get there is worth all that we are or have.

Musings: 6/3/08; Who is in control? by JAH

With the Democrats carrying on an all out battle among themselves trying to decide who their nominee for president will be, and the Republicans already proclaiming their candidate is the right man for the job, many of us need to consider who is in charge of the affairs of state. From ancient times, kings, dictators and warlords have proclaimed themselves to be chosen by God, or by the gods, to be divinely appointed. For that matter, most ministers do, too.

The question is, who is in charge? Is it the man who heads the state and wields the power of the armed forces, or is it a higher power? Each person has to decide what, and who, he believes to answer that question. There have always been people in high offices of various states that proclaimed there is no god, or gods. Some have gone so far as to proclaim themselves as gods. It seems to me that I remember from Roman history that both Augustus and Julius Caesar proclaimed themselves to be gods in the pantheon of gods the Romans held important, and that's how we came to have July and August in our calendars. September, October, November and December were originally the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th months as their first syllables indicate.

Hitler proclaimed himself a god, if not the God. We've watched these people from a great distance, or in the latter instance not too great a distance in time. They all pass away into eternity leaving only the scars of their reigns behind, and the question, who is in charge still troubles so many of us.

It's time to look at Biblical History. God created the heavens and the earth along with everything else. He sought from the beginning to let mankind be free to follow His directions, but from the beginning we failed because of our appetites for the things that were harmful, but were enticing. As history progressed, God brought a flood on mankind, and only Noah and his family survived. God promised that would not happen again. We are descendants of Adam, but also of Noah although I've never heard anyone brag about that.

Many respect Abraham, and at least in funny stories they have made him heaven's gatekeeper. Our pastor pointed out last Sunday that he was an ordinary man, but a man who had a strong faith in God, and God blessed him for that faith.

Still later came Jacob whose name was changed to Israel. He was a conniving man, not the kind of person any church would consider calling a saint, but God talked with him and blessed him because of his faith. He died in Egypt. They moved there because of a famine where they lived, but in the lives of all these people, God was in control of their history. I believe famine was His tool to accomplish His purpose without forcing His will on anyone. He allowed the hatred of Joseph's brothers to transport Joseph to Egypt to prepare the place for them. Joseph said so in Genesis 45:5-8. God sent him to Egypt to prepare a place for his family.

The Pharaoh of Egypt at that time depended on Joseph for almost everything. That Pharaoh died, and God used his successor to drive the Hebrews back to the land He had promised them. He said to Pharaoh in Exodus 9:16, quoted in Romans 9:17, that God raised him up to accomplish His will. Without the things they suffered at the hands of the Egyptians, they would have doubtlessly remained in Egypt content to live out their lives without any real thought of God's will for their future.

When the Hebrews asked God for a king in I Samuel 8:6, they were actually saying they did not want God to be their King, and God told Samuel so in 8:7. God gave them Saul with the warning that he would take their best lands, their choice children, and generally make them suffer for their rejection of their God. It happened just as He promised it would.

Let me jump ahead. Have we ever seen such sin in our nation as we see about us right now? There's always been sinfulness, but it is now rampant, public, and quite acceptable to most people. Churches flourish, but are the individuals in our churches serving the Lord because He is Lord, or is it because they enjoy the ritual, or the music, or hearing messages about social issues rather than about their own sins. I'm questioning how honest we are in saying we are Christians, and how honest we are in following the example the Lord set for us. A great many Americans live lives of egotistical, sexual fantasy much if not most of the time. There are many professions stereotyped as ungodly, such as lawyers, politicians, judges, most governmental employees, and police. It's true that some, perhaps more than some in a few instances, deserve the stereotypical view of their profession, but at the same time, the old adage, "It takes one to know one" must be applied. None of us are good in our own right, but far too many of us go about trying to establish our own righteousness rather than look to the Lord Jesus for our righteousness.

I know Who is in charge, and I stand on Biblical precedent to observe, God will not stand idly by while we take our nation away from Him! He may raise up a Pharaoh, a Hitler, or perhaps even a Goliath to show us we cannot exist without Him. I don't know who should be president, but I believe it will be the person God has raised up to accomplish His will in the United States, and the world, and whatever the result it will work out for the good of His faithful children.

Musings: 6/2/08, The Word and words by JAH

Because of a comment made by "Elder Child" to my study on the John 1:1-14, I've just restudied the use of "word" in the Greek language. Actually a word is an expression of thought, not a thing. We name things with words, but words are much more important than just names. When we say, "Speak a word" to someone, we are actually asking that person to address others with some sort of information. If we say, "Pass the word," we may be preparing others to act on a specific order, such as an army might use in preparing to charge the enemy. The Greek language has a number of different word forms for different occasions and uses. Let's look at a few of them.

"Logos" is generally used as the expression of thought. Without a definite article, it can refer to any word or words in general, or all words. If it has a definite article, then it refers to a specific word, rather than just any word. In John 1, "'o Logos" definitely refers to Jesus each time it is used in John 1, and Jesus is God's specific Revelation of Himself to us. The fact that Jesus came in the flesh makes Him even more the impressively and expressly revealed Mind of God for mankind.

The Greek word, Rema, generally refers to someone's specific utterance. I believe there is a Rhema school in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The word is pronounced hray-mah, and is used in Matthew 4:4. Here it refers to God's spoken word, and it is used again in chapter 12:36 by Jesus, and concerns our answering to God for every "idle word" we speak. In 18:16, Jesus used Rhema to refer to the spoken words of witnesses of the facts in any troubled relationship. In 26:75, Peter remembered Jesus' spoken word (Rema) when Jesus prophesied Peter's denial. Peter wept bitterly.

"Apangeilate" is still another word used in Greek. Herod used it in asking the wise men to bring him a message revealing where Jesus was born.

"Epos" is a word brought over into English. It was used particularly in reference to speeches and poetry. In the simplest use, it can be translated to tell, or to say.

As I have said before, I must say again, John 1:1 in the Greek makes Jesus' position quite clear, "...and the Word was with the God, and God was the Word." That's the correct order of the words in the Greek text. In the first clause, the definite article is used for both God and Word. In the second clause, it is used only with Word. That means that all God is, is also in the Word! Jesus is God, not a lesser being.

These are really only a few of the many forms of idea expression used by the people at the time the New Testament was written. Most of them have similar words to express ideas and thoughts in English, but sometimes an important shade of meaning is missed in translation. Their number should give rise to the thought that there is definitely a lot to any word. The Hebrews had the idea that a spoken word was like a stone tossed into water. The ripples go outward from it in a never ending fashion. The effect of a word continues forever.

Jesus is the never-ending, eternal Word of God. There is no other like Him. When you have thought everything you can think about Jesus, you will have the best knowledge of God possible at that moment. You can continue to read His Word (the Bible), to pray, and to contemplate what you have read and experienced, and your view of God will expand. It will never be complete, or perfect, even though the Scripture in I John 3:2c says, "We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." The next verse adds, "Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as He is pure."

When we speak, it should be an utterance (Rema) from God, and it should come from the Christ (o Logos) who saves, commissions and empowers us to tell (epos) others about Jesus. If we are successful in our delivery of God's Word, we can be sure we are God's Messengers (aggelos, pronounced angelos).

Musings: The Word and words by JAH

Because of a comment made by "Elder Child" to my study on the John 1:1-14, I've just restudied the use of "word" in the Greek language. Actually a word is an expression of thought, not a thing. We name things with words, but words are much more important than just names. When we say, "Speak a word" to someone, we are actually asking that person to address others with some sort of information. If we say, "Pass the word," we may be preparing others to act on a specific order, such as an army might use in preparing to charge the enemy. The Greek language has several different word forms for different occasions and uses.

Logos is generally used as the expression of thought. Without the definite article, it can refer to any word or words in general. It is has a definite article, then it refers to a specific word, not just some word. In John 1, Ho Logos definitely refers to Jesus each time it is used, and Jesus is definitely God's Revelation of Himself to us. The fact that Jesus came in the flesh makes Him even more impressively and expressly the revealed Mind of God for mankind.

The Greek word, Rhema, generally refers to someone's specific utterance. I believe there is a Rhema school in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The word is pronounce hray-mah, and is used in Matthew 4:4. Here it refers to God's spoken word, and it is used again in chapter 12:36 by Jesus, and concerns our answering to God for every "idle word" we speak. In 18:16, Jesus used hraymah to refer to the spoken words of witnesses to the facts in a troubled relationship. In 26:75, Peter remembered His spoken word when Jesus prophesied his lapse in faith. Peter wept bitterly.

Apangeilate is still another word used in Greek. Herod used it in asking the wise men to bring him a message revealing where Jesus was born.

Epos is a word used particularly in reference to speeches and poetry. In the simplest use, it can be translated tell or say.

These are really only a few of the many forms of idea expression used by the ancients. Most of them have similar words to express ideas and thoughts in English. Their multiplicity should give rise to our thought that there is definitely a lot to any word. The Hebrews had the idea that a spoken word was like a stone tossed into water. The ripples from it never stop, and the effect of a word continues forever.

Jesus is the Word of God. There is no other like Him. When you have thought everything you can think about Jesus, you will have the best idea of God that you can have up to that moment. You can continue to read His Word (the Bible), to pray, and to contemplate what you have read and experienced, and your view of God will expand. It will never be complete even though the Scripture in I John 3:2c says, "We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." The next verse adds, "Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as He is pure."

When we speak, it should be an utterance (Hraymah) from God, and it should come from the Christ (Ho Logos) who saves, commissions and empowers us to tell (epos) others about Jesus. If we are successful in our delivery of God's Word, we can be sure we are God's Messengers (angelos).