Hearing

Hearing
Carlos M. Aguilar

Jesus in one of many discussions with the Jews made the point that no one can come to Him unless God draws Him Jn 6:44. He goes on to say in verse 45, “It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.” Let us not forget that Jesus is the "…the way, the truth, and the life” Jn 14:6 so to not realize the importance of His words is to ignore the only path man has to the eternal abode of heaven.

God has placed a great deal of importance on His word. In Psalms 19:7-11 the Psalmist refers to God’s Word in a number of different ways. He calls it the law, the testimony, the statutes, the commandments, the fear, and the judgments. He says of the law that it is perfect and able to convert the soul, of His testimony that it is sure and able to make wise the simple, His statutes are right, His commandments are pure, His fear is clean, enduring forever, and His judgments are true and righteous altogether. He also says that it is to be desired more than gold and even fine gold, that it is sweeter than honey and the honeycomb and in keeping it there is great reward. In the New Testament Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” Rom 1:16. In fact, the Word of God is the source of faith.

In Rom 10:17, Paul writes, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Paul is saying what the Psalmist said in other words. The Law is able to convert the soul (Ps 19:7). It is God’s word that produces faith, which leads to conversion and of course, membership where salvation is found.

The process of hearing to understand then to follow through with that, which is learned, is common in many areas of our lives. As children we were taught to stay away from hot objects, to not play with matches, don’t cross the street without looking, etc. From those lessons we learned how to behave. Many of the lessons were to protect us from being hurt. As we grew older we were taught how to mow the law, clean dishes, clean our rooms, and take care of those pets we wanted so badly. In school we were taught about different subjects so that we can make application of it and at the very least pass the tests. For someone who would like to become a child of God they must listen to Him and what He has decreed in order to find the truth that will set you free Jn 17:17, Jn 8:32.

Throughout the history of mankind God has always communicated His will to man. Never has there been a time in which we did not know the Will of our Heavenly Father.

At one time God spoke to the fathers of each family directly. This is known as the Patriarchal Dispensation. He later spoke to mankind through Moses and the Law, known as the Mosaical Dispensation. He now speaks to us through Christ, which is known as the Christian Dispensation.

The question we might ask is this: How does Christ communicate to us? The answer is simple, through His Word. Earlier we mentioned Paul’s words in Rom 1:16 where he said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Paul also writes in 1Thessalonians, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” 2:13. God has chosen this medium to communicate His Will and to produce faith in man.

Certainly we can look at creation as a means of increasing our faith in God, but the true source of faith is found and nurtured by His word. Within its pages we will discover a brief account of the creation of the universe, a history of the human race with the existence of the languages, and their origins, geographical locations of nations, and peoples, moral issues to guide our lives with the intent of ultimately saving our lives. It all starts with hearing the Word of God so that you might have faith.

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