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Bible Reliability / Answer across Scripture
The phrase word of God can refer to God's spoken command, prophetic message, Scripture, the gospel, and in John, the Word who became flesh.
Study theme
Bible Reliability
The Bible uses word of God in more than one closely related way. God's word creates, commands, reveals, warns, promises, and gives life. Prophets speak the word of the Lord. Scripture is received as God's written word. The gospel is preached as God's word. John also calls Jesus the Word who was with God and was God. Context decides which sense is in view, but the larger pattern is that God makes himself known by his word.
John speaks of the Word who was with God and became known in Jesus, while Isaiah describes God's word as accomplishing his purpose. The question belongs in the Bible's broad story of God revealing, speaking, creating, promising, judging, and saving.
Genesis 1, Isaiah 55, John 1, Hebrews 1, and 1 Thessalonians 2 provide a larger map. John 1 connects the Word of God language to Jesus himself, while other passages show God creating, revealing, promising, and giving life by his word.
Key passages
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2The same was in the beginning with God.
3All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.
4In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn`t overcome it.
10For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky, and doesn`t return there, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
A common mistake is to assume the phrase always means exactly the same thing in every verse. Another is to separate God's word from God's action and self-revelation.