A long time ago, there was a single voice.  The voice spoke
from the totality of darkness and said,  "Let there be light and
there was."  Thus God revealed Himself by His own spoken Word.

     From the earliest days of man's creation, the spoken word was
law.  there was nothing that was written because it was superceded
by the spoken Word of God which became the language of men.
Later, when God made covenant with man, he did so by His spoken
word.  The spoken word covenant was confirmed by the shedding of
blood.  Before the coming of Christ, the sacrifice symbolized the
blood covenant between God and man.  It wasn't just any sacrifice
but the sacrifice which God spoke to man by way of man's obedience
to God and His law.  Later, of course, the commands were written
by God as a reminder of His already spoken words.  Later still,
God inspired His followers to write what He spoke and revealed by
His Holy Spirit.  Jesus, God's only begotten Son, fulfilled the
entire law for us including becoming the supreme blood sacrifice
once and for all.  Thus, God's Words were fulfilled eternally.

     In the beginning of mankind, he began living by his own words
because such is the nature of the Creator.  Human covenants were
thus established by words alone.  The cutting of covenants became
the outward symbol of agreement.  The cutting of the hand in order
that blood may flow served as the blood covenant and thus when men
shook hands who were in agreement, the testimony of their
agreement could be felt in their hands which served to physically
confirm their spoken words to be the whole truth and nothing but
the truth in God's stead.  The placing of the left hand upon the
Bible in a court of law and the raising of the right hand to swear
is, therefore, not an accidental occurrence.  the lifting of the
covenant hand, with its scars, showed the person was a man of his
word.

     Today's modern man decided that words were not enough and
began the writing of contractual agreements which, theoretically,
would hold up in a court of law as legally binding.  Yet
contracts, treaties, and agreements are broken every day.  Man's
word is no longer the Word of God in practice or belief.  Yet, the
Believer in God, and the one who has accepted the covenant
relationship by His only begotten Son, once again, by word only,
has become the promised covenant with God.  The covenant one can
now once again live by his words because his words have become
God's Words restored.  To confirm covenant with man again, God's
own righteousness is thus imparted to the man who confesses Jesus
Christ as Lord.  Man needs not to write what he believes; he only
has to say it before God's eternal court.  The Holy Spirit is the
Spirit of Holy eternal witness which is the circumcision made
without hands that is the Holy Spirit of promise.  We have become
the seed of Abraham and inherit the promise.

     I was amazed, recently, when the Hispanic man with one arm
came and gave my youngest son an estimate for all the concrete
work my son needed for his new home.  This included the basement,
the pad for the garage, and a driveway.  When their conversation
was complete, the man said, "Do you need me to draw up a
contract?"  My son said, "Do we need one?"  The man said, "I trust
you.  I need no contract.  Your word is all I need."  My son said,
"You have my word," and thus they agreed.  Everything was done and
no paper contract was written as an agreement; their own words
bound them to the truth.  It is sad to think that such agreements
by word used to be the norm and now is rare.

     For the Christian, we have the privilege, if we so choose, to
live by our word once again.  Furthermore, we also have the right
of speaking God's Words in place of our own.  This, too, is
covenant in origin.  The two parties would exchange vows, words,
which sealed their allegiance to each other to the exclusion of
all others.  God has exchanged His Word with us, His Son, who now
abides in us through the personage of His Holy Spirit.  This gives
us legal right to use His name and His Words in relationship to
His work and for our own lives.  Do you have a contract with God
through Jesus Christ His Son?

Phil.

I Flew Kites With Jesus
www.SafePlaceFellowship.com