Jesus fills many roles and is described in many ways in the Scriptures, but perhaps the most unusual description for Jesus is "the Word.”  This description may seem unusual to us because our concept of a word is a spoken or printed symbol that communicates an idea.  We would not normally equate a living person with a word, but Jesus is much more than a single word or idea.  Jesus is the Word, which means that He is the executor of God’s complete will and creative power.  Consider John 1:1-3:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

The creation of "all things” is an especially impressive feat of Jesus, for the Word was the active Creator when God spoke all things into existence (Gen. 1-2).  The apostle Paul wrote of Jesus, "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him” (Col. 1:16).

As the Word, Jesus is the living embodiment of God’s will for mankind.  In Christ, we have God’s communication to us in word and in deed.  The book of Hebrews begins with this fact and focuses on the superiority of God’s Son throughout the book.  Notice Hebrews 1:1-4:

"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.  And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.”

This passage makes note of Christ’s role in creating the world, but the emphasis is on God’s current communication through His Son and Christ’s superiority to the angels.  Notice that this direct communication from the Father through the Son is different from God’s communication of the past.  In these last days, God’s Son has come into the world and revealed God like never before.  Consider John 1:14, 18:

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth…No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

Because Christ has come into the world and explained God’s will to us, we must abide in His word.  Jesus said, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).  This is especially important because of who Christ is – He is the Son of God, the exact image of God, and the Creator and Sustainer of the world, who made purification for sins, and who is superior to the angels.  Notice Hebrews 2:1-4:

"For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.  For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”

God’s word has been delivered personally by the Word Himself according to the will of the Father.  For this reason, the Father says of Christ, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” (Matt. 17:5)

Therefore, let us appreciate that God has spoken to us in His Son.  The words written in the pages of our Bibles comprise God’s message to us that was delivered and confirmed by the Lord Jesus through the Holy Spirit.  The events and truths that it declares are the results of God’s providential work to bring about His plan for our salvation through His Son.  How could we not pay attention to what we have heard in Christ?  How could we neglect so great a salvation?  God is speaking: are we listening?

Stacey E. Durham