Day 1: The Four Words of God

How does God speak to us, individually, and to our broken world?

He reveals Himself through “four Words”:

• His Infinite Word—manifested in creation
• His Inspired Word—recorded in Scripture
• His Incarnate Word—in the person of Jesus Christ
• His Indwelling Word—in all believers by the power of the Holy Spirit

The Bible talks about each of these Words. Through them, God is telling us, You are meant to know Me; you are meant to trust Me.

In short, these four “Words” are four avenues through which God shows us Himself—four ways He speaks to us.

We can summarize the connection of these four Words in this way:

The INSPIRED WORD
reveals that the INFINITE WORD
became the INCARNATE WORD
to become the INDWELLING WORD.

The Infinite Word shows God’s power, beauty, and personal care in the visible, created world. The marvels of the physical universe caused the psalmist to say:

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;

And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. (Psalm 19:1)

He speaks to us at every scale of creation—declaring His glory. We hear His voice as we observe the complexity of the human body, the sheer volume and intricate order of even the tiniest living things, and the mind-boggling size and interconnectedness of the solar system and its myriad parts. And as Job 26:14 says, these are only the “fringes of His ways.”

The Inspired Word—principally, the Bible—tells of the Infinite Word, who created the finite world. The Bible also tells us that the Creator of all that exists loves us and made us for Himself. (This is something the created world doesn’t tell us.)

Indeed, the written Word of God presents the grand drama of human history—starting with the creation, then the fall (when sin entered the world), redemption (God’s plan to save us through Jesus), and finally restoration (when He returns and makes all things new). The Inspired Word was written down by humans but is divinely inspired.

The Incarnate Word—Jesus Christ—is the Word of God in human flesh. He is the most decisive conveyance of the Inspired Word of God. Sometimes called “the Living Word,” Jesus was both fully God and fully man.

The Indwelling Word—the Holy Spirit—comes to live in those who trust Jesus for salvation. The Spirit is a Person, not a thing; a He, not an “it.” This Spirit dwells in our hearts, assuring us of our new life in Christ. This happens the moment we are adopted into His family.

Scripture calls Him our Counselor and Helper, our teacher and reminder—bringing to our remembrance all that Jesus (the Incarnate Word) and the Bible (the Inspired Word) have said. The Indwelling Word convicts of sin (John 16:8), draws us to God (John 6:44), and “seals” us and confirms our salvation (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30). Only through the Indwelling Word is it possible to live the Christian life (Christ in us and we in Him).

Day 1 Scripture Readings:

John 1:1
Hebrews 1:1–4