"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword..." (Hebrews 4:12). God's word is never outdated, nor is it a "dead letter" as a Roman Catholic source has stated. It is always modern and up to date and fills every need of the human race. It has within it "all things that pertain to life and godliness..." (2 Peter 1:3).  God's word is as powerful as it was when originally written.  It will accomplish every purpose for which it was written even today. "So shall my word be, that goeth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11).  God knows His creation and has so designed His word to appeal to the "honest and good hearted" among men, these being those whom the Lord seeks to worship Him. I shall combine two context of passages to draw  this conclusion. In the parable of the Sower and the soils it is only the "honest and good hearts" who responded favorably to the word of God/Christ (Luke 8:15, Matthew 13:23). In John 4:23 Jesus said, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him."

God often tests His would be followers. For example in the wilderness of Sin between Elim and Sinai, God gave instructions designed to test His people as to "whether they would walk in His law or not" (Exodus 16:4). The same law that will show one to be obedient, will work in those not properly inclined toward obedience to their own destruction.  Tell some people "you cannot do that" and they are bent on doing exactly that which is forbidden. Command the same of another and he will readily conform and honor the restrictions.  There were a lot of  "thou shalt nots" in the decalogue. Those who are so negative against negative preaching ought to take note of how much negative is found in these commandments.

The power of God's spoken word is shown time and again. "And God said" is found nine times in Genesis chapter one, and the material, plant,  animal,  and human creations resulted. "By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth" (Psalm 33:6-9).  "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which  do appear" (Hebrews 11:3 KJV). Every faithful Christian believes that "God made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth..." and that He "giveth life and breath, and all things; And has made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth..." "for in Him we live, and move, and have our being..." "For we are His offspring" (Acts 17:24-28).

By the spoken word, our Lord Jesus and His apostles did any miracle necessary to convince men of the deity of Jesus, and to confirm His word.  The dead were raised to life, (John 11:43; Acts 9:40); the lame walked, (Matthew 9:6-7; Acts 3:6-8); the blind could see (Acts 9:28-30). Our Savior multiplied the loaves and fishes (John 6:5-14). The winds and the sea were subject to His spoken word (Mark 4:35-41).

These things which were first spoken were written by the inspired apostles and prophets. The written word of God which we now have has no less power than that word which was spoken, The written word has power to:

1). Give light and life to men. Makes men alive spiritually:  "The entrance of thy word giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple" (Psalm 119:130). "The words that I speak unto you (said Jesus) they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).  Paul wrote: "And you hath he quickened (made alive), who were dead in trespasses and sin; Wherein in time past you walked according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience...even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved); And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:1-2,5-6).

2). Create faith in God and in the Son of God. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). John wrote of the things which Jesus did, saying; "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book: But these things are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His name" (John 20:30-31). Paul said, "These (the Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed" (Acts 17:11-12).  I am led to believe that in the majority of cases those who do not believe the Bible to be God's inspired word, have not actually studied its contents very much if at all.  In fact some of the most heated discussions I have had with folks was with those who admittedly had not studied it nor read it very much for themselves.  We read of the beginning of the church in Corinth. "And Crispus, the chief ruler of the Synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized" (Acts 18:8).  Honest hearted folks will be led to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), by being properly taught (See John 6:44-45).

3).  Instructs us regarding salvation. "And that from a child (babe) thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). Those Old Testament Scriptures pointed to the Messiah to come which we know to be Jesus Christ. Paul wrote of Jesus. "For Christ is the end of the law (the object to which it pointed ket) for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Romans 10:4).

4).  Converts men to Christ. To one group the apostle Peter after having taught the gospel of Christ making believers of a number of them, when ask "..what shall we do?" said they must "...repent and be baptized...for the remission of your sins..." (Acts 2:38). To yet another audience to whom the same facts were preached, Peter said, "Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out..." (Acts 3:19). Notice that "remission of sins by being baptized and being converted" are used interchangeably. Therefore one isn't converted until properly and scripturally baptized. Peter would later write to some converts that their souls were purified by obeying the truth and that this truth was by the gospel (1 Peter 1:22-25).

5).  Saves men's souls.  On the birthday of Christ's church when Peter made believers out of a large number by the sermon he preached, as already noticed, some interrupted his sermon evidently to ask what they must do?  Then later in this same context we read, "And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation" (Acts 2:40).  The power of this word to save may also be seen in reading what James wrote. "Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of His creatures...Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:18, 19, 21-22).

6).  Make us spiritually clean.  Jesus said to His disciples "Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3). Paul wrote "that He might sanctify and cleanse it (the church ket) with the washing of water by the word" (Ephesians 5:26). Most folks recognize this to have reference to water baptism by which our sins are washed away (Acts 22:16).

Today men do not need some abstract operation of the Holy Spirit separate and apart from the powerful word of Christ. Men need not expect some "better felt than told" experience, some "sensation" or a "wee small voice speaking" to them. All men need today is the power found in the word, the gospel which has been spoken and now written and confirmed with the signs and wonders that followed the inspired teachers (Mark 16:15-20; Hebrews 2:1-4).

The "gospel is God's power to save" (Romans 1:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). For the gospel to save however it must be taught, believed, and obeyed: (Matthew 28:18- 20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:45-49). The Great Commission in action is seen in the following cases of conversion to Christ.

Jews on Pentecost-(Acts 2:22-38, 40-41, 47).
Samaritans-(Acts 8:12).
Simon-(Acts 8:13).
Ethiopian Eunuch-(Acts 8:26-39).
Saul of Tarsus-(Acts 9:1-6; 22:16; Acts 26).
Cornelius-(Acts 11:14; 10:1-4, 47-48).
Lydia-(Acts 16:14-15).
Philippian Jailer-(Acts 16:25-33).
Corinthians-(Acts 18:8).

All those thus saved by obeying from the heart a form of Christ's death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3-6; 16:18), were united in the ONE BODY of Christ, His blood bought church and by these same acts of obedience became citizens of Christ's kingdom by virtue of this "new birth of the water and of the Spirit" (John 3:3-5; Colossians 1:13-14; Ephesians 2:13-16; Hebrews 12:22,28). Have you been saved  by this powerful word?  Jesus is the author of eternal salvation only to such as obey Him (Hebrews 5:9; Matthew 7:21-28). Before folks were fit subjects for "baptism into Christ and into the one body," they must truly believe on Jesus as the Christ, repent of past sin and error, confess their faith with the mouth,  then they are proper candidates for baptism into Christ (Acts 8:36-38; Romans 10:9-10).