The Bible is a unique book. No other book has been written by God Himself. No other book speaks with the same authority, accuracy, or clarity. No other book convicts of sin, leads to salvation, and instructs in godliness like God’s word does. But it is more than just an information bank, it is living and powerful. It is able to transform our lives.
The doctrine of Scripture’s animation describes this. To be animated is to be full of life, to be alive.[1] Saying that Scripture is animated means it is not stagnant, but it is living and vibrant. It, being God’s very word, possesses the same power as the words God spoke to create the cosmos. “The worlds were framed by the word of God” (Heb. 11:3). Those words were rich with life and power when God created the world, but their power has continued far beyond the moment of creation. Life as we know it continues the same word. God “[upholds] all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3). And just as His first creative words continue to exhibit their power long after they were spoken, the written words of Scripture continue to exhibit their power long after they were penned. Scripture is actively working to accomplish God’s purposes in people’s lives. It possesses in itself the ability to transform lives.
This doesn’t mean no other writings or books are able to influence people. Many books—religious and secular, non-fictitious and fictitious—have had tremendous impact. But Scripture alone is able to impart spiritual life, and it is the only book that is able to reconcile us to God. “No other literature has the power inherent in Scripture to transform relationships with the true and living God.”[2]
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
This verse in Hebrews is by far the most significant text relating to Scripture’s animation. It describes Scripture as living and powerful, then explains what that life and power look like. Scripture pierces our innermost being, discerning our true state, true thoughts, and true desires.
Zaō, the word translated “living,” is a common word in the New Testament. It occurs over 140 times, referring to God as the living God, to physical life, to spiritual life, and to our way of life. It’s a standard word for anything or anyone possessing true life. It is a bit surprising to us, then, to find this descriptor applied to a book. How can writings be said to possess life? Because the Bible is no ordinary book; it is God’s book. Its words are God’s words, and God’s words are alive and active. But zaō means more than just that Scripture is itself alive, it also means that Scripture has the ability to impart life. It is life-giving. It spiritually renews those who read it and submit to it in faith.
Secondly, Scripture is described as powerful. Energēs is the Greek word, and the connection between it and our English word “energetic” is evident. In fact, our word traces its roots to this Greek work. It tells us that Scripture is full of life, active, and powerful, potent to transform those who are exposed to it.
The passage proceeds to describe what this power looks like in practice. “The word of God…[pierces] even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” There are several ideas on how we should understand “the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow,” but this isn’t the place to get into semantics. The clearest understanding is that “soul and spirit” and “joints and marrow” are not being divided from each other, but rather each part is itself being divided. We could read it as “the division of soul and of spirit, and of joints and of marrow.”
With this in mind, we understand that what is being said here is that Scripture reveals who we really are. It cuts through our external facades, exposing our true selves. When it works on us, we are laid bare before God. Nothing unseen or seen can mask our heart’s motives. Though we may be able to maintain a veneer of righteousness in our own efforts, Scripture peels it back and uncovers our sinful hearts. “Because Scripture can probe to the core of our spirit and our bodies, nothing of who we actually are and of what we are thinking in our innermost being can escape the power of Scripture.”[3] It convicts of sin and shows plainly our need for salvation through Christ. And it continues that work in the believer, revealing areas of sin and failings that continually need redemption through the Spirit.
When Scripture works on us, it reveals three things: our nature, our thoughts, and our motives. All three of these are things that can scarcely be discerned with the natural eye. Our nature is our spiritual state: are we spiritually dead or spiritually alive? Our thoughts include our plans, our choices, our values, and our goals. Our motives are those things that drive us, that compel us to prioritize certain things over others or to chose to (or resist) sin. Not one of these things can be hidden from Scripture’s razor scalpel. It “is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
But Scripture is not living and powerful simply to convict and judge. As already mentioned, it is also able to give life. Spiritual life is available to all who will read Scripture and submit themselves to it. But this is not taught only here in Hebrews. Multiple other passages bear witness to Scripture’s effectual power. Let’s look at a few.
Psalm 119:94
I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life.
Psalm 119 is both the longest Psalm and is the most detailed pertaining to Scripture. It contains numerous references to God’s word, here using “precepts.” Scripture—God’s written word—is clearly here in view. The psalmist loves God’s word and has committed himself to remember it because he values it. Why? Because through them, he has received life. This is life in the truest spiritual sense. He has been inwardly renewed, or to use a New Testament term, born again. And God’s agent of change was His written word—Scripture. The Bible worked on the psalmist’s heart and renewed it, bringing spiritual life. Scripture’s animation is witnessed by its effect on the psalmist—it gave him life.
Matthew 4:4
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
This passage originally appears in Deuteronomy 8:3, but it is recorded in Matthew as one of Jesus’ three responses to Satan’s temptations. Satan tempts Jesus to prioritize his physical hunger over commitment to God, and Jesus responds by reminding Satan what true life is. Life is not found in physical nourishment but in obedience to God’s words. Though physical life can be maintained through eating bread, the life Jesus describes here requires more than that. Life to the fullest can only be experienced as we submit ourselves to God’s words.
It would be possible to argue that Jesus didn’t necessarily have Scripture in view here, since He speaks of every word that proceeds from God’s mouth and not just the written words. But we should ask the question, “Where can God’s words be found?” Most clearly, most accessible, most authoritatively and immovable in the pages of Scripture. I’ve discussed this at length other places, so I won’t dedicate more time to it here. Suffice it to say, though God has spoken in various ways throughout history, it has pleased Him to speak primarily through His written word during most of the last two millennia. We ought to expect God to speak to us primarily (if not exclusively) in the pages of Scripture.
Returning to our passage, we should understand that there is a connection between exposure to God’s words and experiencing spiritual life. God’s words are alive, and they impart life to those who read them in faith.
[1] “Animate,” Merriam-Webster, accessed December 27, 2021, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/animate.
[2] John S. Feinberg, Light in a Dark Place; The Doctrine of Scripture (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 662.
[3] Feinberg, 670.