American Bible Society: “The State of the Bible”

“What is the current level of Bible use in the United States and how does this compare to previous years?”
“What are the favored formats of the Bible?”
“What impact has Scripture engagement had on human flourishing?”

2019-2021: 121 million to 128 million
2022: 103 million
2023: 100 million
2024: 99 million

2025: 110 million

64% agree: “Everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.”
53% agree: “Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.”
53% agree: “The Holy Spirit is a force, but not a personal being.” ‘
47% agree: “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”
100% agree: “The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.”

Hebrews 4:12a – “For the word of God is living and active.”
Q: What is the Word of God?

1. The Word of God is Divine Speech
Gen. 1:1-2 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
Gen. 1:3 – “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

a. Divine Speech is Life Giving (Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26)
Ps. 33:6 – “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host.”
“Breath,” Heb. ruach, “breath or Spirit”

b. Divine Speech Exposes the Wicked (Jer. 23:29)

c. Divine Speech Comforts the Wary (Gen. 15:1)

d. Divine Speech Illuminates the Lost (Ps. 119:105)

e. Divine Speech Heals and Saves (Ps. 107:20)

f. Divine Speech is Truth (Job 36:4; Jn. 17:17)

John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

2. The Word of God is the Divine Son.
John 1:14 – “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Hebrews 1:1-2 – “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke (Divine Speech) to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son (the Divine Son) whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”

a. The Divine Son is Life-Giving (Jn. 1:3-4)

b. The Divine Son Exposes the Wicked (Jn. 3:19-20)

c. The Divine Son Comforts the Wary (Matt. 11:28-30)

d. The Divine Son Illuminates the Lost (Jn. 8:12; Jn. 1:9)

e. The Divine Son Heals and Saves (Mk. 2; 11:9-10)

f. The Divine Son is Truth
Jn. 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Jn. 1:17 – “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

3. The Word of God is Divine Scripture
Jn. 16:12-14 – “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

2 Tim. 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God.”
“Breathed out,” Gk. θεόπνευστος (theopneustos)
Compound of θεός (theos), “God,” and πνέω (pneo), “to breath or blow as wind”

Truth: The Holy Spirit of God delivers the living Word of God to the people of God in the form of the written Word of God.”

a. The Divine Scripture is Life-Giving (1 Pet. 1:23)

b. The Divine Scripture Exposes the Wicked (2 Kg. 22:11; Deut. 31)

c. The Divine Scripture Comforts the Wary (Rom. 15:4)

d. The Divine Scripture Illuminates the Lost (2 Pet. 1:19-21)

e. The Divine Scripture Heals and Saves (2 Tim. 3:15)

f. The Divine Scripture is Truth (Eph. 1:13)

Hebrews 4:12b – “…sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
“Two-edged sword” Gk. μάχαιρα (machaira), “a sword, a dagger, a surgeon’s knife”

Q: Which ‘Word of God’ is Hebrews 4:12 talking about?
A: The Divine Son

Hebrews 4:12-13 – “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

2 Cor. 5:10

TAKEAWAY

1. Your relationship with Divine Scripture says a lot about your relationship with the Divine Son.