RECEIVING THE LORD’S WORK
THROUGH FAITH IN GOD’S WORD
The work of the Lord is now complete. His death has taken place, and His resurrection has also taken place. What happens next? The Bible shows clearly that God has put all His Son’s work in His Word. What is the Bible, and what is God’s Word? Many times I like to think of God’s Word as God’s pocket for His work. God put all His work into His Word. If God were standing among us today, and He wanted to show us His Son’s work and the proof of this work, how could He do it? He put the work of His Son’s cross in His Word. He also put the proof of His Son’s resurrection in His Word. Today God communicates all these things to us through His Word. When we receive His Word, we receive the proof of His work. Behind the Word are the facts. If there were no facts behind the words, the words would be empty. Behind the words there surely are the facts.
In winter, everyone, both male and female, wears gloves. God’s Word is God’s glove. All His works are contained in it. One day I met a western female missionary. She did not know what it was to believe in God’s Word. She thought that all she needed to do was to believe in God, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in God’s work. I told her that without God’s Word there is no way to believe in God, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in God’s work. Once we believe in God’s Word, all these items become effective to us. After two hours of talking, I still could not get through with her. Later, she was about to leave. She had on a pair of deerskin gloves. She was about to take off the gloves to shake hands with me. I said, "You don’t have to take them off. I can shake with your gloves on." To her this was quite impolite. Perhaps she considered that I was a Chinese and that I did not know proper manners. When I shook her hand I asked, "What am I holding now, the hand or the glove?" Immediately she understood what I meant. I told her that the hand was in the glove. When I shook the glove, I was shaking the hand. I shook the glove, because in it was the hand. This is like the Word of God. God has put Himself and all the work of His Son’s cross in His Word. When you hand me God’s Word, you are handing me God in His Word, plus all the work of His Son. When she left, she told me that everything else that had been said was useless. This one word cleared her up.
Today we preach to others the work of God’s Son and the testimony of His resurrection. However, it is by His Word that we preach these things. If a man receives God’s Word, he receives God’s work and God’s grace. God’s Word is precious because in it there is the substance. What use is it if the gloves are empty? Even if you squeeze them all day long, it is useless. They are useful only when the hands are there. Without the Lord Jesus, the Word of God is dead letters. Without the Lord Jesus, I would surely burn this book.
Hence, what is faith? It is nothing other than the receiving of God’s testimony for the work of His Son. God has placed the work of His Son in the Word and has communicated this Word to us. When we believe in His Word, we are believing in Him. First John 5:9 says, "If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater." What is the characteristic of God’s testimony? "This is the testimony of God that He has testified concerning His Son." The Word of God is concerning His Son. Please read verse 10: "He who believes into the Son of God has the testimony in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar." Please notice the next clause: "Because he has not believed in the testimony which God has testified concerning His Son." What is it to not believe in God? It is to not believe in God’s testimony of His Son. What is to believe in God? It is to believe in the words God has spoken, the testimony that He has made concerning His Son. Hence, to believe in God is nothing other than to believe in God’s testimony. In the past two weeks, we have seen God’s testimony. We have seen what God has done for us, what problems He has solved through His Son, and what proofs He has given us. God has spoken to us His Word. What should we do now? We should believe in Him, that is, we should receive the testimony He has concerning His Son. If there are some here who have not been saved, some may have told you already that you should believe. But what should you believe in? You do not have to believe in a Christ that is sitting in heaven. That is too far away. All you have to do is to believe in this book. This is so near. God’s hand is already in the glove. The glove is God’s Word. When you believe in God’s Word, you are believing in God’s Son. When you receive the words of the Bible, you are receiving everything in the Word. Over the past eighteen hundred years, George Müller may be considered as one of the men with the greatest faith. When others asked him what faith was, he answered that faith is when God says something, I say the same. Faith is to believe in God’s Word. It is to believe in God through His Word.
(Gospel of God, The (2 volume set), Chapter 14, by Watchman Nee)
