Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God

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Matt 4: 1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Contemplate these words: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Let them sink in and reflect over them. How is man to live in this world? What is the secret to a happy and good life? What is the way to heaven in the next life? It is to live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. What is Christianity all about? Most of all, it is about obedience. Obedience to God’s word. Where do we look to learn what God’s word is? We look to the Old and New Testaments of the Judaic Bible. When Jesus made his answers to Satan he did so by quoting God’s word as found in the Old Testament of the Bible. When he said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” he was quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3. When he said, “Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God” he was quoting Deut. 6:16. In doing this he confirmed the authority of the Old Testament, its authenticity as the Word of God to his creation. If man wishes to go to heaven he must live in accordance with God’s precepts and teaching. What is sin? It is transgression of God’s law for living, transgression of his precepts and teaching. We can find God’s precepts and teaching in the Old Testament but the place where they are presented most clearly is in the teachings of Jesus as found in the gospels and epistles of the New Testament. Jesus was God. His teachings are the Word of God.

In the first chapter of the gospel of John we read:

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Jesus was God making an appearance to mankind in human form. Jesus declared God in human form. By his nature, outlooks, attitudes, values, conduct, actions, and words Jesus revealed God, creator of this universe, to Man. Who is God, what is his nature and outlooks? To answer this, we need to study Jesus.

Mankind, prone as he is to sin, badness, wickedness, and moral depravity, needs to look to something radically different from all he knows, radically different from the wicked world around him, if he wishes to find Truth, happiness and salvation in that life that comes after this one. He needs to look to the Bible and God’s truth as found there. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

June 2017