The Wonder of the Word: Hearing the Voice of God in Scripture

© 2019 by

ANTHONY T. EVANS

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Portions of this book are adapted from What Matters Most: Four Absolute Necessities in Following Christ (Chicago: Moody, 2002) and The Transforming Word: Discovering the Power and Provision of the Bible (Chicago: Moody, 2006) by Tony Evans.

Part of the introduction has been adapted from The Kingdom Agenda: Life Under God (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2013).

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Edited by Kevin P. Emmert and Michelle Sincock

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ISBN: 978-0-8024-1831-9

eBook ISBN: 978-0-8024-9690-4

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All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.

2 TIMOTHY 3:16

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

JAMES 1:21

CONTENTS 

Introduction

1. Authority

2. Sufficiency

3. Canonicity

4. Transmission

5. Reception

6. Application

Appendix A: Recommended Resources

Appendix B: Ministry Overview

Acknowledgments

More from the Author

Friend,

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INTRODUCTION

The philosophy on which I base my preaching, teaching, and ministry rests on a simple yet profound biblical worldview: the glory of God through the advancement of His kingdom. This worldview is the unifying theme of Scripture, from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation. The concept of God’s kingdom is what ties the entire Bible together. When this central point of connectivity is lost to the reader, it is easy for Scripture to seem like a series of stories, events, and personalities that do not strategically and thematically connect to one another.

The word kingdom refers to a realm under the rule of a sovereign. When linked to God, kingdom refers to the rule of God in both heaven and earth, encompassing both eternity and time. God’s kingdom, therefore, is comprehensive in nature. This kingdom is composed of a ruler (God), rulees (angels and mankind), a realm (all of creation), and regulations (laws).

The Bible unfolds how God’s kingdom affects the affairs of men and how God has been, is, and will be receiving glory through His kingdom rule, even when that rule is being opposed by both angels and human beings. While God’s kingdom rule takes various forms with varying laws through varying administrations (that is, dispensations), it nonetheless maintains its central goal of bringing God glory, whether through blessing or judgment. The kingdom agenda, then, is the visible manifestation of the comprehensive rule of God over every area of life.

God’s kingdom agenda is carried out through four covenantal spheres: the individual, the family, the church, and the government (that is, nations). A covenant is a divinely created bond through which God administrates His kingdom program. It establishes a legal relationship in the spiritual realm that is to be lived out in the physical realm. To operate under God’s kingdom covenants and their accompanying guidelines is to experience God’s greatest involvement and positive engagement within that specific sphere. Conversely, to operate outside of and in opposition to God’s kingdom covenants is to experience the negative consequences of not being covenantly covered.

This book on the wonder of God’s Word is designed to reflect this kingdom perspective. My goal is that this work will serve as a valuable study resource for serious students of the Bible in order to help them develop a relevant kingdom mindset.

While nothing can be added to or subtracted from God’s inerrant Word, I sincerely hope that this book will help you grow in your understanding and application of God’s Word (see The Tony Evans Study Bible or the Tony Evans Bible Commentary for study notes, articles, and supporting materials). Most importantly, I pray that your reading of and studying of the written Word—and obedience to it—will lead you to a deeper, more intimate relationship with the living Word, which will then be manifested in your ministry.

AUTHORITY

Your role as a pastor rests on the firm foundation of God’s Word. How well you understand and apply the principles in God’s Word will largely impact how well your congregants understand and apply them. As a pastor, you have been called to exegete Scripture in such a way that others will come to know it and its divine Author more fully. Scripture is living, active, and able to transform lives like no other written work in all of history.

Your role is to declare the application of biblical truth acquired through the study of a passage in its context. And when you publicly interpret and apply God’s Word, the Holy Spirit confronts your hearers and brings those who respond into conformity to God’s Word. A pastor or church leader who does not passionately love the Word of God, understand its power, and properly exegete and apply its truths should not preach at all. Without an authentic connection to and communication of its precepts and authority, one’s sermons will be nothing more than eloquent discourses lacking the authority to transform. Sure, depending on how well you fashion your words or delivery, you may hear an amen and receive thanks from your congregants. But last I checked, the goal of pastoring or preaching is not applause.

No. The one main goal of pastoring and preaching is life change. And, lest we succumb to pride over the high calling to shepherd a flock, we need to be reminded that life change can be accomplished only by God Himself. One of the tools God gives us as pastors and leaders to encourage life change is His Word. Isaiah 55:10–11 reminds us of the transformative work of the Word:

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

And do not return there without watering the earth

And making it bear and sprout,

And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

You will never find an unconditional guarantee like this in any other piece of writing—especially one that is still good nearly 3,000 years after it was first made. In fact, you will never find another book that can compete with the Bible in any form or fashion whatsoever. Scripture is the living, active foundation upon which our faith rests.

THE VALIDITY OF GOD’S WORD 

Everything we are going to talk about in this book hinges on the fact that the Bible came from God. Scripture is unique because it is not the word of man. It is the Word of God. Now, some people will challenge this claim because they say their book is the Word of God. Mormons make that claim for the Book of Mormon, Muslims make a similar claim for the Qur’an, and cults say the same about their founders’ writings.

The problem is that anyone can step forward and claim that he or she has received a revelation from God. So how do we know which claim to believe? Thankfully, we don’t have to guess, because there are stringent tests that any writing must pass to be validated as the true Word of God (we will look at some here but also some in chapter 3). Since the Bible claims to be the unique revelation of God, its words must stand out from all other words. It must be self-authenticating.

The most important proof of the Bible’s uniqueness is Jesus’ testimony to the Scriptures. The main reason we know the Bible is God’s Word is that Jesus said so. He used the word Scriptures on a number of occasions to describe the Old Testament writings, whether the Law or the prophets (see, for example, Matt. 21:42; 22:29; 26:56). Jesus also made a statement in the Sermon on the Mount that no one can ignore: Truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished (Matt. 5:18).

One implication of Jesus’ statement is that to reject the Bible is to reject Jesus and consider Him a liar. Many people who want to claim Jesus don’t want to accept the Bible as His Word. But Jesus ruled out that option when He tied His life and ministry completely to the fulfillment of Scripture. Jesus used the strongest language possible to