Seven Characteristics of the Word of God

#1 – Supernatural

It did not originate with men. It came directly from God to sovereignly chosen

individuals. Man would not write it if he could because it condemns him. And he

could not write it if he would because it surpasses him. It is a supernatural book;

therefore, it is written, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (II Timothy 3:16).

#2 – Spiritual

You may learn certain facts from scripture, you may have a general knowledge of

scripture and memorize certain verses. But you will never understand the scripture as

God intended apart from the spiritual eyes to see, which enlightenment begins in the

new birth. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” Christ

said in John 3:3. Paul’s desire for the Ephesian saints was that “the eyes of your

understanding be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18). And the Psalm declares, “Open thou

mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Psalm 119:18).

#3 – The Savior’s Book

It is the Savior’s book for two reasons. First, He endorsed it and He said “the scripture

cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Secondly, it is about Him and therefore He said again,

“Search the scriptures; for . . . they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).

#4 – A Sovereign Book

By sovereign I mean that it is not a subjective standard but an objective standard. And

as a matter of fact, it is the only inflexible standard by which right and wrong and good

and evil shall ultimately be made manifest. It is a divine tribunal before which our faith

stands either condemned or justified so that Christ could and did say, “He that rejecteth

me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken,

the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).

#5 – A Sustaining Book

We live in a world of great turmoil and strife, a world of confusion, a world of great

disarray. But amid the confusion and trial of life, promises from God’s word give us

staying power. The psalmist declares, “Sustain me according to your promise, and I

will live; do not let my hopes be dashed” (Psalm 119:116-NIV). The word “sustain” there is given in the KJV as “uphold,” and God’s word is able to sustain us and uphold

us amid the confusion in this world in which we live.

#6 – A Surviving Book

It has been assailed and attacked by the most vicious of men. It has been denied. It has

been ignored. It has been perverted, distorted, twisted, misrepresented, and misapplied.

And yet it flourishes today more so than ever before. The French infidel Voltaire, who

lived in the seventeen hundreds, uttered a prediction that the Bible within 50 years of his

lifetime would be extinct from the face of the earth. There would be no more word of

God to be found. Well, within 25 years of his death the Geneva Bible Society converted

his home into a publishing house for the word of God. And the Bible is alive and well in

the world today. This is why Jesus Christ said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but

my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

#7 – A Supercharged Book

There is a certain vitality, a certain life and energy, to the scripture itself. The writer of

Hebrews referred to the word of God as “quick and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). The

word quick means alive. Powerful is from the Greek word energes, which is the word

from which the English energy comes. And the word of God is alive and energetic. It

is a force at work in the world today. There is a vitality to it. This is why it is likened

unto seed in Luke 8:11. There’s life in seed. And when that seed is sown and existing

conditions are right, it is able to produce life in a spiritual realm. “Being born again, not

of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth

for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (I Peter 1:23-

25). Jesus Christ Himself said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).