April 2005
Editorial Voice

I grew up somewhat perplexed about the meaning of “word of God.” Because so many believers refer to Scripture as “The Word,” I was confused in my understanding of many biblical passages that used that term.

For example, in Hebrews 4 where the author stated that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,” it was hard to see how the Bible itself particularly fit that context. Since then, I’ve come to understand that there are several contexts for “the word” in Scripture.

This issue’s theme is “Interacting with the written word of God.” In Dallas Willard’s excellent book, Hearing God, he writes that “The Bible is one of the results of God’s speaking. It is the unique written Word of God.” In Shaped by the Word, Robert Mulholland says that, “While we tend primarily to think of Scripture as the Word of God, and unquestionably the action of the presence, power, and purpose of God in human existence is encountered most fully in Scripture, Scripture is but a distillation of the action of the Word . . . diffused through all of human life and activity.”

This in no way detracts from the high authority attributed to Scripture. Rather, it helps us better grasp the broader meaning of “word” as used throughout Scripture for clarity of meaning in the context of the Bible.

In 2005, we will explore three facets of “the word” as part of the three issues of The Voice. We will see through the pages of this issue, stories reflecting the impact of the written word in the lives of Friends. Then, in the issues to come, we will explore two other important meanings of this often misunderstood but important word.

-by Becky Towne, Senior Editor