Peter wrote to people who had purified their souls in obeying the truth (1 Pet. 1:22). The truth they had obeyed is also identified as seed incorruptible, which he declares to be the "word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Pet. 1:23). Though man is like the grass and his glory as the flower of the grass, the word of God is not. In contradistinction to the weaknesses and frailties of man, the word of the Lord endureth for ever (1 Pet. 1:25). Furthermore, Peter adds, "And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (1 Pet. 1:25). The word "word" translates rhema, meaning the thing said.

God says things to man in the gospel! It is not a meaningless message or a dead letter; the gospel is God's means of conveying His word to man. It must not, therefore, be taken lightly. What God says to man is essential to one's morals and spiritual life. One is unable to live acceptably to the Lord in the absence of what He says in the gospel. Jesus emphasized the fact that man lives by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).

Inasmuch as man cannot guide himself (Jer. 10:23), and this means any man in any age, he so definitely needs the word of the Lord. Man does not change and his needs remain constant. This being true, man needs a guide in and for life that is constant. This is why Peter says the word of the Lord endureth for ever and that it liveth and abideth for ever. Not only does the word of the Lord convict man of sin and imperfections (cf. Acts 2), but it complements and meets every need of man morally and spiritually. Furthermore, it guides man in acceptable worship to God. In fact, the manner of one's life and his worship to God can be acceptable only in the authorization of the word preached by the gospel (Col. 3:17). There will never come a time when man has a need of his nature but what the word of the Lord will be present to guide him. The word of Faith preached by the apostles was exactly what the Lord gave them to preach to produce faith in the hearts of men (Rom. 10:8-18). These words were the means used by the Lord to save sinners (Acts 11:14). These very words` are also the means by which Christians grow in the Lord (1 Pet. 2:2), and will ultimately be the standard of judgment itself (John 12:48). Yes, the word will be here when the world is on fire and will judge us all!

Truth Magazine XXIII: 49, p. 789
December 13, 1979