What is “The Word”? Is “the Word” from Genesis to Revelation, and how do I become a doer of “the word”?
There are several different ideas you present in your question. The Word refers to Jesus. It’s a reference from John 1:1-5 concerning Jesus and his incarnation. He came into the world as the Wisdom of God, the Word.
The idea of the Logos (Greek for Word) comes from the Greek philosophies. They believed that the Logos was a divine idea, the matter or thing that held the world together. So when John uses the same term to represent Jesus, he is saying that Jesus sustains the whole universe.
The Word is also the Wisdom of God. Greek philosophers believed that wisdom held the world together. So this is the importance of why John would use this term to refer to Jesus, especially as he came into the world.
John links Jesus as the Logos of God with creation. He was present in creation. He had an active role as the Son of God. He may have acted as God’s voice. When God spoke everything into creation, Jesus was the active force behind the coming together of the world.
But he is much more than the Wisdom of God and the matter that holds all things together. He is also the life that gives light to all creatures. He gives us all life, but he is also our light. He is the revelation of God to us.
Because Jesus brings us life, he is the Living Word. But he is also the one who inspired the written word of God through his Holy Spirit. The Word of God refers to the Bible, the inspired Scriptures written through human hands.
The Word of God extends from Genesis to Revelation, 66 books. Over a period of 1600 years through about 40 authors, the Holy Spirit inspired every word of the text of Scripture. The word is the proclamation, promises, and plan of God for the salvation of humankind.
God’s Word describes his plan and expectations for those who become his children through belief in Jesus Christ. He gives us his promises and commands for how to live a life that pleases him.
James tells us we need to be doers of his Word (James 1:22-25). It’s healthy to hear God’s Word regularly. But hearing his word does nothing unless we do it. Knowing what God expects is not enough. We must do his works and his word.
After we know what his word says, we must do what it commands. Jesus said we show our love to him by obeying his commands and keeping them (John 15:12). James tells us that the one who doesn’t do the word and only listens to it deceives himself.
God’s Word is like a mirror. We look into it and we see what he wants to change in us. But if we only see it and don’t make the changes the Holy Spirit calls us to make through our obedience, we remain the same, and God’s Word is not implanted in us.
We are required to both hear, and then do what God’s word says. So we see Jesus as the living and written word of God. We follow his commands as doers of his word, making this obedient friends of God.
