1 Thessalonians 2.13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word
of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it
actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.
St. Paul
The word of God (or Word)
is the truth. At some point, everyone
needs to hear the truth. At some point, everyone needs to know what this life
is all about and what our place in this life truly is. So, when Paul said, when you received the word of God…you
accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which
is indeed at work in you who believe. That is the truth; the truth works in
the life of a believer.
What would happen today if we received a letter from St.
Paul? It’s kind of a silly question because we in fact, already have. But what
if there was some lost letter, written centuries ago, that was discovered and
was addressed to the Church in America, from
Paul the apostle? Would we heed it? Would it make a difference in our lives and
conduct?
Paul’s letters were full of instruction about how to live
the godly life, but his letters were not necessarily the word of God – they were
reminders, but they weren’t, and aren’t, necessarily evangelistic. Paul was evangelistic;
that is how he led people to Christ – he told them the truth about God. His
letters were to remind and encourage the ones he won over, to keep on keeping
on, and to conduct themselves in a godly manner in this dark and deadly world.
At some point the truth needs to resonate with a hearer, empowered
by the Holy Spirit, to awaken the spirit in that hearer so that true life
begins. Then Paul’s letters begin to make sense. In his letters we are reminded
of what we are saved from, and what we are saved to. Paul teaches us a code of conduct based on truth: there is a God, we are not Him, and He
desires to be our Friend. The way to please God is to do what He says to do.
That is why we need Paul’s letters. That is why
we need each other: we are letters to one another of what God has done in each
of us by His truth.
If we can accept it, the Bible is a love-letter to us. In it, the concept of true love
is revealed. God so loves the world that He sent His Son to save us from it,
and ourselves. That is the truth. But the bigger truth is this: God loves us.
His love is His attempt to save us from all we lost by Adam’s disobedience: especially
our ability to love. We cannot truly love without His help, and we cannot love
by trying to read Paul’s letters apart from the Truth he refers to, as he
encourages us to love God and love others.
Life is all about accepting the truth and then living to
please God. Of course, it is more complex than that, but the essence of life is
truth: there is a God who loves us and
has promised us a life with Him that far surpasses the life we have on our own
without Him. The life that accepts God is the life that is free to accept
Him in love. All of life hinges on knowing God in love. The truth will set us
free.
Father, thank You
for Your great love and for the truth shared in this world by the men and women
You’ve appointed to share. Use Your truth in me to make a difference in the
life of someone today who cannot get over the hurdle of fear on their own.
Then, let me point them to the letters that will address all their questions
and give them direction and encouragement to keep on keeping on… Amen
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