The bible is referred to as The Will of God. In Psalm 40 verses 7 and 8, we read, ''Then I said, 'Here I am, I have come, it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will. O my God.' '' Specifically, when a document is described as a person's Will, it is usually the declaration of that person's wishes regarding the disposal of all his property after his death. It could also mean anything decided upon or chosen by a person. A Will normally lists everything that the writer or owner of the Will owns and states who inherits what. However, a Will becomes operative only after the death of the Will's owner. It is then that it is made known to all. Also, there is usually an executor who must have been appointed by the testator to administer or carry out the wishes expressed in the Will. Legally, an executor is given all the powers to carry out these tasks. In addition, the Will is read to all concerned, especially those who might have a stake in the Will, after the death of the owner of the Will. There have been cases in the past where people chose to disagree with the contents of a Will. Nevertheless, disagreeing with the contents of a Will does not necessarily invalidate it.
As God's Will, the bible states categorically that God's property consists of the whole of Creation, that is, the entire universe. Genesis 1 verse 1 states, 'IN the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.' These include things that can be seen and those that cannot be seen, thrones, powers, dominions and every other thing that has ever existed. To confirm that the universe belongs to God, the 24th chapter of the book of Psalms also states as follows, 'The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.' Psalm 96 verse 5 similarly states, 'For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.' In Psalm 95 verses 6 and 7, it is written, 'Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.' It cannot be disputed therefore that, according to the bible, which is the Will of God, God is the owner of all things.
| The Creator |
As regards how God wants His property to be disposed of, we read in the first chapter of the book of the Hebrews, 'GOD, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.' Without any doubt, the Son here refers to Jesus, the Christ. In verses 6, 7, 8 and 9 of Psalm 2, the Almighty also spoke about His Son. This was several centuries before Christ was born. He said through the Psalmist, ''Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.'' ''I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.' ''
It is therefore hardly surprising that whenever Jesus of Nazareth spoke, He spoke with an authority that was quite unusual. He is the heir of all things. He left no one in doubt that it is only through Him that mankind could have access to God's inheritance. This is why, in John 14 verse 6, He says, ''I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'' He also states in Matthew 11 verse 27, ''All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.'' After His resurrection from the dead He declared, ''All power in heaven and on earth has been given unto Me.''
As a Will is in force only when the one who made it has died, the death of Jesus, who is God, has made the Will of God to become operative. Referring to this death in Hebrews 1 verse 3, it is written, 'Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.' Having therefore been made the heir of all things by God the Father, the Lord Jesus invites all mankind to become joint heirs with Himself. He said in Matthew 11 verses 28 and 29, ''Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.''
Principally, the death of Jesus dealt a fatal blow to that old enemy who thought he could tussle with God over His property. Hebrews 2 verse 14 declares, 'Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.
The bible informs us as well that the Holy Spirit is the executor of God's Will. It is the Holy Spirit who, knowing the Will of God, tells us that God has enthroned Jesus Christ to be King over all Creation. The Holy Spirit interprets the bible, which is the Will of God, to us. This gracious Spirit, referring to Christ Jesus, through Paul in Philippians 2 verses 8, 9 10 and 11, says, 'And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the Cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.'
Finally, as God's Will, the bible is not only to be read by all, it is also to be read to all. This is because every human being is affected by what it has to say. All humans have a stake in the Word. The book is available everywhere and in every language. However, as God's Will, disagreeing with or disbelieving the bible does not necessarily invalidate its contents.
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