GOD AND THE WORD
When we take in the Word in a proper way, we have both faith and the Spirit. In a very real sense, the Word, the Spirit, and faith are one. At least they are of one source, and that source is God.
As the unique source, God is the Word. "In the beginning was the Word..and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Have you ever realized that the greatest wonder in the universe is the Word of God? Creation, redemption, regeneration, sanctification, and transformation all take place by the Word. If God had been silent—that is, if there had been no Word—there could have been no creation. Creation came about through God’s speaking. When God spoke, all the items of creation came into being. How marvelous that our God is a speaking God! This speaking God is the Word. Regarding this, John 1:1 is a strategic verse, for this verse declares that the Word was God. If we had written the Gospel of John, instead of "In the beginning was the Word," we might have said, "In the beginning was God." But at the opening of the Gospel of John, John puts the Word before God. Some readers may think that John was mistaken in doing this. Who is the source, God or the Word? There can be no doubt that God is the source. Why, then, did John put the Word first? Why did John not say, "In the beginning was God, and God was the Word"? The reason John put the Word first is that nothing comes into existence apart from the Word. It was through the Word that all things have come into being. The entire Gospel of John is built upon the Word. Furthermore, the church life is founded on the Word. If we had not heard the preaching of the Word of God, we could not have been saved and regenerated, and we could not have become a part of the Body of Christ. The Word is the source of re-creation as well as of creation.
THE WORD, FAITH, AND THE SPIRIT
According to the New Testament, whenever we hear the Word, faith is produced within us. Faith is a marvelous thing; no one can fully explain it. When I was young, I heard a preacher define faith by saying that faith is like the assurance a member of a political party has that the policy of that party will be a success in practice. This may be a definition of secular faith or worldly faith, but it has nothing to do with the faith spoken of in the New Testament. We simply are not able to define adequately what genuine faith is. But by our experience we know that when we come to the Bible in a proper way and repeat a certain verse, we are inspired, and faith is produced within us. The more we repeat a portion of the Word of God, the more we are inspired. There is no true inspiration, however, in repeating the words of Plato, Confucius, or any other philosopher.
The Bible is inspiring because it is the Word of life, the living Word. It is living because it is the expression of the living God. According to John 1:1, the Word is God. According to John 6:63, the words spoken by the Lord Jesus are spirit and life. Thus, the Word is both God and the Spirit. John 4:24 says, "God is Spirit." The Bible reveals that it is impossible to separate the Word, God, Christ, and the Spirit. The Word is God, Christ, and the Spirit.
(The Secret of Experiencing Christ, Chapter 11, by Witness Lee)
