Week 6 Day 2-Read the Word

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Day 2 – Read God’s Word (John 15:2-3)

² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away (can also be translated as “He lifts up”); and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

          Verse 3. The word “clean” in verse 3 is the same as “prune” or “purge” in various translations of verse 2. The whole of Jesus’ teaching spiritually cleanses us. “Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word” (Ephesians 5:25–26). When we align God’s Word with our lives, Scripture helps us purge the bad from our lives.

Secondly, God’s Word, when obeyed, purifies the good into our lives. “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth…” (1 Peter 1:22). By coming to God’s Word, we not only learn the evil we must stop doing, but we also see the pure, good works we should begin doing. Being “clean” does not mean being perfect. Earlier that same night, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and said, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean…” (John 13:10).

Christians have been thoroughly cleansed. The Greek word for “clean” in both John 15:3 and 13:10 is the root of the English word catharsis, meaning we are cleansed through and through. Even so, we still need our “feet washed” in the spiritual sense to remove the contamination we pick up while walking through a sinful world.

God’s Word is profitable. Second Timothy 3:15–16 states, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The profit we gain is not financial, but spiritual: doctrine (teaching us the right path), reproof (showing us when we have left the path), correction (bringing us back to the path), and training (helping us learn—and teach others—how to stay on the path).

When we read God’s Word, apply it, memorize it, and meditate on it, we see its power. Hebrews 4:12 says, “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.”

There are three couplings in this passage. The first is the division between your fleshly soul (your natural emotions, mind, and will) and your godly spirit (the Holy Spirit within you). That distinction is often difficult to discern, but God’s Word helps us distinguish between what we want and what He wants.

The second coupling—the division of joints and marrow—refers to the body. Bone marrow produces blood cells, and Scripture teaches that life is in the blood. God’s Word brings proper division in the flesh, guiding what our bodies should do. The Word brings forth “good life‑blood cells” from the marrow and ensures they are rightly joined within the body.

The third living and active division is the discerning of the thoughts of the mind and the intentions of the heart. God’s Word is living, not passive, and actively judges and discerns both our thoughts and our motives.

We need to read, apply, memorize, and meditate on God’s Word because it protects us. “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word… Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:9, 11). Embedding God’s Word in our hearts protects us from sin. We see this not only in the Psalms but also in Jesus’ own temptation, where He answered each attack with Scripture. Christ’s example gives us a pattern for dealing with sin.

Knowledge of God’s Word alone is not enough, as we see in the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. “He who hears My words and does them” is the one who builds on the solid foundation. Tomorrow we will see how obedience to the Word is where the “rubber meets the road” in our growth.

Day 3, Obey God