“Thus Saith the Lord”: Submitting to the Word of God Above All

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”
—2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)

Introduction: A Heart on the Altar of Truth

There is a foundational posture every believer must take if he is to walk in the light as God is in the light: that of total, joyful, and unyielding submission to the Word of God. Not just a reverence for its moral precepts. Not just a fondness for its literary beauty. But a deep, trembling, soul-bending resolve to let the Word of God have absolute authority over one’s thoughts, affections, theology, and life.

This submission is not always easy. It is not comfortable. It does not always align with what we have been taught in our religious backgrounds, our traditions, or even our logical deductions. There are times when we will be pressed to affirm truths that seem to contradict our previous understanding. There are moments when the Bible will not “fit” into the theological systems we inherited. And yet, we must bow.

Why? Because the Word is not man’s commentary—it is God’s breath.

“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
—2 Peter 1:21

The Bible is not subject to us. We are subject to it. And until this becomes the deepest conviction of our hearts, we will not be transformed by its truths, but will instead be tempted to mold them into the image of our preferences. This is the high call of biblical submission.

Let us now walk through a biblical theology of submission to Scripture—demonstrating that the Word must reign supreme even when it cuts against the grain of our expectations.

I. The Nature of the Word: Divine, Inerrant, and Supreme

The authority of Scripture begins with its nature. Scripture is not merely a record of what men thought about God; it is what God has said to men.

The phrase “inspiration of God” in 2 Timothy 3:16 is translated from the Greek word θεόπνευστος (theopneustos), meaning “God-breathed.” This does not mean the Bible is merely inspiring. It means the very breath of Almighty God proceeded into human words, carried along by the Holy Ghost, as 2 Peter 1:21 confirms.

God did not delegate truth to men and hope they got it right. He superintended their writing by His Spirit so that what they wrote was what He willed. This means the Bible is:

Inerrant – free from error because it comes from the God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2).
Authoritative – it is not a suggestion or opinion; it is the final word (Psalm 119:89).
Sufficient – it is enough for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
Eternal – “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).

Because it is divine, the Scripture has authority over all other authorities—including our theological systems.

II. The Posture Required: Trembling at the Word

“To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”
—Isaiah 66:2

Submission to the Bible means we come with humility, not pride. We do not sit in judgment of the Word. We allow the Word to sit in judgment of us.

This is the great failure of modern Christianity—treating the Bible as a resource to support our views, rather than the authority that shapes them. Too many believers (and preachers) approach the Bible like a politician approaches polling data—cherry-picking what supports their agenda.

But the true man of God is one who trembles. He is afraid to misrepresent the text. He fears explaining away the hard parts. He falls down before the living Word and says, “Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth.”

Let us beware of the subtle sin of selective submission—when we only obey Scripture where it aligns with our preferences. The only legitimate posture before the Word is total surrender.

III. The Challenge of Apparent Contradictions

One of the reasons we often resist full submission is that Scripture sometimes seems to challenge our internal logic. We read two verses and cannot make them harmonize. We hear a doctrine that doesn’t “fit” our framework.

For example:

God is absolutely sovereign… and man has free will and is fully responsible.
Jesus is fully God… and fully man.
We are saved by faith alone… and yet “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).
No man can come to Christ except the Father draw him… and yet “whosoever will” may come (John 6:44; Revelation 22:17).

These are not contradictions. They are tensions within divine revelation—mysteries, not errors. And when we are confronted with these tensions, our job is not to edit the Word or twist it to fit our particular theological construct – but to bow before its majesty.

We must be willing to believe two seemingly contradictory truths if the Bible teaches both. Spurgeon once said, “When two truths seem to be in conflict, the fault lies not in the truths but in our inability to comprehend how they harmonize.”

IV. Rethinking Our Traditions

“Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.”
—Mark 7:13

Jesus issued a stern warning against elevating tradition above truth. This is a danger not only for the Pharisees but for all who cling too tightly to theological systems, denominational distinctives, or inherited interpretations.

We must not mistake familiarity with fidelity. Just because we have always believed something does not mean it is biblical. And just because a doctrine is uncomfortable or unfamiliar does not mean it is untrue.

Sometimes the hardest thing a Bible-loving Christian can do is let go of a cherished view when the Word of God clearly teaches otherwise. But this is the mark of true discipleship: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31).

The test is not whether a teaching fits our system but whether it flows from Scripture rightly divided (2 Timothy 2:15).

V. Scripture Confronts Cultural Compromise

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit… and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
—Hebrews 4:12 (KJV)

One of the most radical functions of Scripture is that it confronts the culture—both the world’s culture and the subculture of the church. It pierces, divides, discerns. The Word of God is not tame. It is not neutral. It does not affirm the natural drift of humanity or rubber-stamp the agendas of men. It cuts deeply—sometimes painfully.

This is why, in every generation, there is pressure to tame the text, to sand off the rough edges of Scripture in order to make it more palatable. In today’s environment, topics such as biblical sexuality, gender roles, marriage, exclusivity of salvation in Christ, and the eternal reality of Hell are increasingly unpopular. But they are biblical.

Submission to Scripture means standing with God’s Word even when the world—and sometimes even other Christians—despise it.

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness…”
—Isaiah 5:20

Biblical submission will always come with a cost. It may cost us reputation, comfort, even relationships. But we must choose: will we be liked, or will we be loyal?

When Paul stood before Felix and reasoned “of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come,” Felix trembled (Acts 24:25). Why? Because Paul did not pander—he preached truth. When we preach and believe Scripture as it is, it will pierce the conscience of men. Let it.

VI. The Holy Spirit: The Illuminator of Truth

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost… he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
—John 14:26

Submission to the Word is not only intellectual—it is spiritual. The natural man “receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Only the Holy Ghost can open our eyes to see, our hearts to feel, and our minds to understand.

This is why submission is not merely about doctrinal precision. It is about spiritual posture. A proud theologian with a sharp intellect but no dependence on the Spirit will misinterpret the text. But a humble man with trembling reverence and the help of the Holy Ghost will discern truth even in mystery.

The Holy Spirit is not given to contradict the Word but to illuminate it. Every Spirit-led interpretation will align with the plain meaning of Scripture. Charismatic impressions, modern revelations, or mystical insights are never to be exalted above “It is written.”

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
—John 17:17

The Spirit of God will never lead you contrary to the Word of God. True submission to Scripture is Spirit-empowered submission.

VII. The Blessing of Submission: Transformation and Power

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
—James 1:22

Submission is not theoretical. It is practical. It is not just a matter of affirming doctrines with our lips but of yielding our lives in obedience. The blessing is not promised to the merely informed but to the obedient.

James says that those who only hear and do not obey deceive themselves. They have the appearance of godliness but deny its power (cf. 2 Timothy 3:5). True submission transforms.

When the Word is received in meekness, it “is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). It renews the mind (Romans 12:2). It produces maturity (2 Timothy 3:17). It strengthens faith (Romans 10:17). It protects from sin (Psalm 119:11). It makes us fruitful (Psalm 1:2–3).

There is no spiritual power apart from submission to Scripture. A church that does not bow to the Word is a church without the Spirit. A Christian who does not tremble at the text is a Christian walking in the flesh. We cannot expect revival until we return to reverence.

VIII. Weighing Every Doctrine by the Word

“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
—Isaiah 8:20

Every teaching—whether from the pulpit, the podcast, or the pen—must be weighed and measured by the standard of Scripture. Not by emotion. Not by personality. Not by tradition. But by the written Word of God.

Paul praised the Bereans because they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). They did not blindly accept even the apostle’s teaching without testing it against the Scriptures. This is the standard.

We are to test the spirits (1 John 4:1). We are to try the prophets. We are to compare Scripture with Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:13), rightly dividing the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). This is not irreverence—it is reverence rightly directed.

When someone preaches a theology that elevates man and diminishes God, a system that explains away the supernatural, or a doctrine that contradicts the plain teaching of Scripture, we must reject it.

“Let God be true, but every man a liar.”
—Romans 3:4

Even when the contradiction is between the Word and our favorite preacher, our favorite commentary, or our favorite tradition—the Word must win.

IX. The Danger of Idolizing Theology Instead of the Text

“Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?”
—Isaiah 2:22

There is a subtle yet deadly temptation that lurks especially among those who love doctrine: the temptation to exalt our theological systems above the Scriptures themselves. While systematic theology has its proper place—helping us to organize and understand biblical truth—we must never forget that it is the servant of Scripture, not its master.

Too often, men build intricate frameworks of doctrine and then begin to read the Bible through those frameworks rather than allowing the Bible to shape them. When a verse doesn’t fit, it is explained away, marginalized, or dismissed altogether.

This is the sin of theological idolatry—when a human system becomes the final authority rather than the written Word of God.

Let us beware. No theological system is infallible, not even Fundamentalism—none are above correction. The Bible alone is inerrant.

This was the error of the Pharisees. They exalted their traditions and theological interpretations above the plain meaning of the Law and the Prophets. Jesus rebuked them:

“Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.”
—Matthew 22:29

The reformers taught Sola Scriptura—Scripture alone as the final authority. But even that slogan can become hollow if creeds are allowed to override the text.

We must be men and women of the Book. Not just of theological books, but of this Book: the Bible. Our loyalty is not to a preacher of the past or present, not to a particular theological system, not to a creed or a confession, No!—We must be loyal to the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of the Living God!

X. Submission as the Fruit of Regeneration

“He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”
—John 8:47

Why do some people receive the Word with joy and submission while others resist, twist, or ignore it? Jesus answers this clearly: those who are of God hear God’s words. The willingness to submit to Scripture is a mark of regeneration.

A man may be intellectually brilliant and theologically trained, but if he rebels against the authority of Scripture, he reveals a heart that does not know God. The unconverted heart wants control—it wants a God it can manage and a Bible it can edit.

But the regenerated heart cries out, “Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:9). It delights in the Law of the Lord. It longs to obey. It fears misrepresenting God. This is the difference between the spiritual and the carnal.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”
—Psalm 19:7

The Word that converts also sanctifies. The same Spirit who opened your heart to the gospel now indwells you to conform your life to the Word.

A regenerate man is not offended when the Bible corrects him. He is thankful. He welcomes the scalpel of Scripture, knowing that the great Physician wounds to heal. The one who resists the Word resists the Spirit—and that is no small matter.

XI. Practical Steps to Cultivate a Heart of Submission

How then can we grow in joyful, total submission to the Word of God? Let me offer several practical disciplines rooted in Scripture and Spirit-filled obedience:

1. Read the Bible Daily with Reverence

Not just to gather information but to hear from God. Before you open the Book, pray Psalm 119:18:

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”

Approach the Bible not as a textbook, but as the voice of God to your soul.

2. Compare Scripture with Scripture

Interpret the Bible with the Bible. Let clear passages interpret less clear ones. Don’t build doctrines from isolated verses—trace themes throughout all of God’s revelation.

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”
—2 Peter 1:20

3. Refuse to Explain Away Difficult Texts

When you encounter a passage that contradicts your tradition or confuses your logic, don’t twist it—tarry with it. Sit before it. Wait on the Lord. Let the text mold you, not the other way around.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
—Proverbs 3:5

4. Submit Even When It Hurts

Some truths will challenge your comfort, your family history, or your denomination. When that happens, choose the Word. Like the disciples in John 6, say to Jesus:

“Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”
—John 6:68

5. Teach Others to Do the Same

As Paul told Timothy:

“Preach the word… reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
—2 Timothy 4:2

Discipleship is not just about knowledge—it’s about submission to truth. Train others to love and live the Word.

XII. A Call to the Church: Return to the Word Alone

“Thus saith the Lord…”
—Over 400 times in Scripture

This phrase once thundered from pulpits across the land. But today, it is far too rare. Instead, we hear: “What do the polls say?” “What does culture say?” “What does this theologian say?” But where is the voice crying in the wilderness, “Thus saith the Lord”?

The Church does not need better marketing. We need better men—men who fear God and tremble at His Word. Men who will not preach their preferences but God’s precepts. Who will not cave to cultural pressures but stand on the unchanging Rock of Holy Scripture.

It is time to repent of our arrogance, our traditions, our systems, and our spiritual laziness. It is time to return to the Book.

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
—Psalm 119:9

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
—Psalm 119:105

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”
—Psalm 119:130

If revival is to come, it will come not through new strategies but through old truths—through a people fully submitted to the Word of God.

Let the Word cut. Let it humble. Let it correct. Let it shape. Let it rule.

Conclusion: The Breath of God, the Rule of Life

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
—Matthew 4:4

We are not called to be editors of Scripture but servants of it. Not masters of theology but slaves to the Word. Not fans of the Bible but followers of its Lord.

God’s Word is not a buffet to sample—it is a sword to obey.

There will be tension. There will be mystery. There will be times we must say, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24). But we must never stop saying, “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.”

Let us cry with the psalmist:

“Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.”
—Psalm 119:133

Let us resolve with Job:

“Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”
—Job 23:12

Let us proclaim with Paul:

“Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar.”
—Romans 3:4

And let us live like those of whom it can be said:

“The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.”
—Psalm 37:31

This is the life of true discipleship: a heart bowed before the Book, a life conformed to the Truth, and a soul anchored in the breath of God.