A SEED
The Bible illustrates that the word of God is like a seed (Matt. 13:23). Within a seed there is a life concealed. A seed appears to be merely something physical, but inside is something abstract and mysterious. The life cannot be seen, but if that seed is sown into the earth, it will sprout, blossom, and bring forth fruit. This growth is the expression of the life of the seed. The word in the Bible is like a seed, conveying God Himself as life to you. Sow this Word into yourself and after a while, life will spring up within you. It will grow, blossom, and bear fruit.
What is the position of God’s Word in His economy? It is the embodiment of God. Where is God today? He is in the Word. When we preach the gospel, we preach the Word. In Ephesians 1:13 it is called “the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation.” The gospel of our salvation is the word of the truth. Within the Word is God Himself with His salvation.
Now that you are saved, you must day by day contact God. You cannot do this by closing your eyes and meditating. If you try meditating, you will find that you are off on a journey around the world! To meet God, open the Bible. God is there! It is not superstitious to say this. God is in the Word. The Lord Jesus said, “The words which I have spoken unto you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63). It is not too much to say that a seed is life, because the life is within it. In the same way, we may say that the word of the Bible is Spirit, because within the Word, the substance or essence is God Himself who is Spirit. To come to the Word is to come to God Himself.
FINDING GOD IN THE WORD
If you do not open yourself and exercise your spirit, however, your coming to the Word may be in vain. You should not read the Bible as though it were a newspaper. God, even so, is merciful, and many times people have opened the Bible with no intention of finding God. He nonetheless has met them.
Before he was saved, one of my co-workers considered Christianity as a foolish, Western religion. He was a member of a political party and a leading young man in his district. In his thought China already had Confucius’ teaching; it did not need a foreign religion from the West! One day he went into a Buddhist temple. For some strange reason, there on the table for worship was a large opened Bible. Who had put it there he did not know, but he recognized it as the Bible of that Western religion which he despised. Being curious, he wanted to see what the book said. It was opened to Psalm 1. He read it and was most surprised. How could that Western religion have something better than Confucius? He stole the Bible from the temple and took it home with him.
One day, having some leisure time, he thought to himself, “Let me take a look at that Bible.” As he was reading it, he met God, or rather, God met him. He realized he was a sinner, though always before he had been self-righteous. Though he had never heard the gospel nor been to any Christian meeting, he repented, weeping and even rolling on the ground.
That young man was thoroughly saved and eventually became one of our co-workers. Here, then, is a case of someone who was saved simply through the Word. Wherever the Word is, if the environment is conducive, life comes out. This is to say that the Spirit comes out. The Spirit in the Word springs up in life.
The Bible, then, is where we can touch God. How do you know that God became a man? that Jesus as God lived on this earth in human flesh? that He died on the cross for you? that you have been crucified with Christ? that you have been seated with Him in the heavenlies? All this you know because the Bible says so. If you reject the Bible, that is like throwing away God and all His accomplishments, including redemption, salvation, and life.
(Life Messages, Vol. 2 (#42-75), Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)
