Article September 5, 1994 Issue

The living Word of God and our response to it

Channing Walker

On the front page of the "Trends" section of a recent issue of the Los Angeles Times, beneath a large color photograph of an open Bible, was the headline, "Hitting the Book." The piece documents a trend. Before or after work, various people— from bankers to lawyers to nurses to students—are gathering to study the Scriptures. Some gatherings are organized, others informal. Many are not connected with a church or synagogue. Some 42 percent of Americans, according to the article, are participating in some type of Bible study on a weekly basis.

Good news like this deserves repeating. And doesn't it also hint at the nature of the Bible itself? What draws people in is more than just a historical or theological document. It is something that speaks powerfully today. The Bible contains the living Word of God. And when we come to it, whether as part of a grass-roots study group or on our own, we're bound to respond more fully as we glimpse this living dimension of the Word. Yes, there's history to be learned, cultural lessons to be gleaned. But anyone who has ever read the Scriptures and had a passage stand out—as if God Himself were speaking just at that moment just to that individual—knows. The Word is alive with meaning. With inspiration. And with healing.

Deep into the Times article a student offers a remarkable insight. She is quoted as saying, "I had read parts of the Bible previously, but I've never studied it. It's a lot like a guidebook. I think it really comes from God. What you get out of it is not just your response, it's God forming a response in you."

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