Article February 5, 1996 Issue

"The power of the Word"

Clifford Kapps Eriksen

Have you considered how many different kinds of power there appear to be? Military, monetary, governmental, social, and political power. There are debates over the merits of atomic versus solar power, while industries associated with other forms of energy compete for public consumption. Both the lack and surplus of manpower and womanpower are familiar topics of concern.

Then consider the often overlooked, although far more significant, power of God's holy Word. This power is superior to any use or abuse of the expressions of material might. Having more than the literal meaning of "Holy Writ," the term God's Word refers to the revelation of divine ideas, which is accompanied by what the Scriptures call "signs following" (see Mark 16:20).

Early in his career, Christ Jesus astounded the people in his local synagogue when he read the prophetic words from the book of Isaiah about the promised Messiah and then declared that the day of fulfillment for that prophecy was at hand (see Luke 4:16–21). Later, in Capernaum, his listeners "were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power" (Luke 4:32), and he gave evidence of that power in accomplishing healing works. Today, many people familiar with the Scriptures recognize and appreciate their beauty, but are we also willing to concede just how encompassing their spiritual impact can be, that it extends to physical as well as moral healing? An attempt to interpret the Scriptures materially misses the significance of God's declaration of universal freedom and salvation from sickness, sin, and mortality. The result can be an intellectual skepticism about the all-embracing presence and power of God. It is as fruitless as trying to comprehend the essence of Jesus' mission merely by acknowledging his existence as a historical figure.

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