The Lord Jesus Christ is again saying, as He said to His first apostles, “If they have received My Word, they will receive your word also” (John 15:20). The apostolic Word is being spoken again, and those who hear it have an option to accept it or reject it. They may not know that this Word being spoken will be either a principle they can obey, or it will be the sentence of their destruction.
Those who hear a Word from the Lord without having any perception or fear of the Lord will walk into their own destruction. The result of hearing the Word is set. Remember that Jesus said, “I do not judge any man, but My Word shall judge men at the last day” (John 12:48). We live in the time when there is no answer for anything except the prophetic, Living Word of Christ in the earth. Nothing else will change this world’s system; nothing else will bring down the satanic hordes, except our moving into the prophetic proclamations of Christ, that is, speaking His Word.
Paul was quick to defend this principle when the Corinthians sought proof of Christ speaking in him (II Corinthians 13:3). This, of course, was the real issue. Paul did not care that they thought his speech was contemptible and his bodily presence was weak (II Corinthians 10:10). This he preferred; for in his first letter to them, he said, “I was with you in much weakness and fear and trembling, lest my preaching would be in the enticing words of man’s wisdom” (I Corinthians 2:3–4). He never intended to be impressive. He chose not to be a public speaker or an eloquent orator. This was his choice!
One thing you must realize: If you had contended with Paul concerning his authority as an apostle to speak the Word of Christ, he would have set you straight immediately. He wanted to be an oracle of God; and he knew that if the people resisted the Word, they were courting their own destruction. They were rejecting the only means by which they could survive spiritually. In Paul’s day, a world was being turned upside down. People were running through the streets, shouting like mad men, “They are here! The ones who turned the world upside down are here, too” (Acts 17:6).
When you think of the traditional picture of Paul—a short, bald-headed Jew walking down the street, blinking his eyes—do not sell him short. Do not underestimate him as an oracle of God. Neither underestimate yourself as a potential oracle of God. Do not underestimate certain humble, unimpressive men in the Bible, whom the Spirit of the Lord anointed. Amos, for example, was only a gatherer of sycamore fruit (Amos 7:14), but the Word of the Lord came to him and he spoke it. The Word of the Lord has come to many people, but they have not had the dedication nor the purification in their own spirit to speak it. God must cleanse the filthy tongue and loose us from the filthy mind. If we separate the precious from the vile, then shall our mouth be as His mouth (Jeremiah 15:19).
We are coming into a new basis for holiness. It is not a matter of getting rid of our failings or seeking to earn merit badges before God. Sanctification is not an end in itself. The purpose of it is this: You know that you are God’s commissioned channel, and you love Him and His Word so much that you want the Spirit to speak the Word through you, if you are a clean vessel. This is the true motivation for purity. Otherwise, you could possibly revert to a form of Christianity where you think that you can sin a little every day, and still live with it. However, the Word of God will not tolerate that kind of thinking. We must strive to be holy.
Once a missionary from another country told how he was always trying to help the people overcome sinning. A man might come to him, saying, “I committed a little bit of adultery yesterday. Pray for me, okay?” He would pray for him, but the man would not take it too seriously. This is true not just of other countries, but in our land as well. If an individual says, “I have had an adulterous relationship; pray for me,” but he does not take his offense too seriously, his motivation must change. He must realize that such a relationship can create a bond of impurity, for the Scripture says that anyone who joins himself to a harlot is one flesh with her (I Corinthians 6:16). While this bond stands, it will interfere with everything he wants to do for God, and he will not be able to walk with God until he has that bond broken. These offenses occur less and less, and our walk with God becomes more and more pure and holy, when we have the right, pure motivation: We want no bonds that will break our oneness with Christ.
For many believers, sanctification is based on legalism. They have a list of certain objectionable things which are forbidden. Whether or not we do any of them is not the issue. We must leave the realm of legalism, but this does not mean that we are not striving for a goal. We are striving to become the oracles of God, channels through whom He can speak a Word that brings forth His Kingdom, channels that are pure because we look to God and say, “Oh, purify me, Lord, so that I can separate the precious from the vile, and my lips will be as Yours. I will speak purely a Word that You once spoke to the world, and it will change it.” That is our motivation now.
There will be many who will hear this Word from the Lord, without having the fear of the Lord, and they will walk into their own destruction. Others, who hear the Word from the Lord and tremble at it, will be established. Will we hear a Word from the Lord and think that we can do whatever we wish concerning that Word? It cannot be that way. As the Word comes, there needs to be a personal repentance and searching of heart. I am afraid of the Word that comes from my own mouth. I may speak it with faith, but I fear it. God is speaking a Word to the world, and as it comes forth, it shatters my own spirit first; and I say, “Yes, Lord. It is Your Word. Let me tremble at it.”