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Jesus answered,
> “It is written,
> ‘Man shall not live on bread alone,
> but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
> — Matthew 4:4
Let us look at what the Word of God says.
This statement of Jesus is not an illustration. It is a law of spiritual life. As surely as the physical body cannot live without food, the spiritual man cannot live without the Word of God. The lyrics you have before you are rooted in this unchangeable truth: *we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.*
Two further passages reinforce this same reality:
> “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
> — John 6:63
> “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.”
> — Hebrews 4:12
Three strands from these verses form one cord:
1. We live by God’s Word (Matthew 4:4).
2. His words are Spirit and life (John 6:63).
3. His Word is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:12).
The song is simply a confession of these truths: the Word of God is not a religious accessory; it is our food, our life, our spiritual weapon, and the instrument by which God makes us whole.
### Matthew 4:4 – The Temptation in the Wilderness
Matthew 4:4 is spoken by Jesus in the wilderness, at the beginning of His public ministry. He has been fasting forty days and forty nights. The Scripture says, “He was hungry.” At that exact point of physical weakness, Satan comes with a very direct temptation:
> “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
> — Matthew 4:3
Notice:
Jesus answers, not with an argument, not with an explanation, but with Scripture: “It is written.” He quotes Deuteronomy 8:3. In that passage, Moses reminds Israel that God humbled them in the wilderness, allowed them to hunger, and then fed them with manna:
> “…that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone;
> but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.”
> — Deuteronomy 8:3
So when Jesus speaks these words, He is:
### John 6:63 – After the Bread of Life Discourse
In John 6, Jesus has just fed the five thousand. The crowd follows Him, not because they have understood the sign, but because they ate the loaves and were filled (John 6:26). Jesus redirects them:
> “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life…”
> — John 6:27
He then declares Himself to be the Bread of Life. He speaks of eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Many are offended. Some disciples say, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” (John 6:60). In that context Jesus says:
> “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.
> The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”
> — John 6:63
The people want physical bread. Jesus offers spiritual bread—His person and His words. The division begins right there: those who want to live only at the level of the natural, and those who will receive His words as Spirit and life.
### Hebrews 4:12 – The Word and the Heart of Man
Hebrews 4 addresses Israel’s failure to enter God’s rest because of unbelief. The warning is: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7). The writer then explains why we cannot treat God’s Word lightly:
> “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.”
> — Hebrews 4:12
The Word of God is set in the context of obedience, rest, and the exposure of unbelief. God’s Word does not leave the heart untouched. It confronts, divides, reveals, and judges. It is the instrument through which God brings His people out of self-deception into true rest.
So the background of our three main texts is:
In each case, life and death hinge on one issue: *What place will we give to the Word of God?*
### “Word” – *Dabar* and *Rhema*
In Deuteronomy 8:3, the Old Testament root of Matthew 4:4, the word for “word” is דָּבָר (*dabar*). *Dabar* means:
In Hebrew thought, *dabar* is not abstract. It is word as event. What God speaks, He does. His Word is His action.
In Matthew 4:4, the Greek word used by Jesus (quoting the Septuagint) is ῥῆμα (*rhema*):
> “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word (*rhema*) that comes from the mouth of God.”
*Rhema* emphasizes:
The nuance is important: we do not live by theological concepts about God, but by what God *actually speaks*—His expressed, articulated Word. That includes:
Jesus resists Satan not with a vague idea of God’s goodness, but with a precise, written *rhema*: “It is written…”
### “Living and Powerful” – *Zōn* and *Energes*
In Hebrews 4:12:
> “For the word of God is living and powerful…”
“Living” is ζῶν (*zōn*) – from *zaō*, “to live, to be alive.” It means:
“Powerful” is ἐνεργής (*energes*), from which we get “energy.” It means:
So when the lyrics say, “Your word is living, powerful,” they are accurately reflecting the original text. God’s Word is not a dead letter. It is *alive* with God’s own life, and *effective* in its operation.
This means:
These word studies show us that when we sing, “We live by every word that comes from the mouth of God,” we are declaring dependence on God’s active, present, personally applied speech—energized by the Holy Spirit and carrying His life.
Let us move through the themes expressed in the lyrics and examine their theological content.
### 4.1 “Man shall not live on bread alone…”
This line, directly from Matthew 4:4, confronts a major deception: that man’s life consists in his physical sustenance and material security.
Jesus warned:
> “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
> — Luke 12:15
Bread is:
To live “on bread alone” means to live as if:
Scripture says such thinking is folly (Psalm 49:16–20). Jesus, in the wilderness, rejects the suggestion that physical need is supreme. He places God’s Word above food, comfort, and self-preservation.
This is crucial for spiritual warfare. Satan often attacks in the realm of legitimate need:
The temptation is: *satisfy this need in your own way, in your own time, apart from obedience to God’s Word.* Jesus’ answer must be ours: “It is written…”
### 4.2 “We live by every word that comes from the mouth of God”
Notice the absoluteness: every word.
This includes:
To “live by every word” is to:
We are not free to pick and choose. Partial obedience is disobedience. Selective faith is unbelief.
Furthermore, the phrase “that comes from the mouth of God” indicates *continuity*. God spoke in the past through the prophets and supremely in His Son (Hebrews 1:1–2). That speech is now preserved for us in Scripture. The Holy Spirit then takes what is written and speaks it freshly to our hearts.
So the believer’s lifestyle becomes:
That is living by every *rhema* that proceeds from the mouth of God.
### 4.3 “Not bread alone, but His living word—it feeds our soul, it makes us whole”
Here two truths come together: *nourishment* and *wholeness*.
1. Nourishment: The soul, like the body, needs food.
Jeremiah testifies:
> “Your words were found, and I ate them,
> and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
> for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.”
> — Jeremiah 15:16
Job says:
> “I have treasured the words of His mouth
> more than my necessary food.”
> — Job 23:12
The pattern is clear:
2. Wholeness: The Word is an instrument of healing and restoration.
Psalm 107:20:
> “He sent His word and healed them,
> and delivered them from their destructions.”
The Word does not only inform; it heals, delivers, and restores. Many emotional and spiritual disorders in believers persist because the Word has not been allowed to penetrate, expose, and correct the underlying lies and wounds.
Hebrews 4:12–13 shows that the Word:
If we will submit to that piercing work, the outcome is not destruction, but wholeness. God does not expose to condemn; He exposes to cleanse and to restore.
So we can say with theological accuracy: His living Word feeds our soul, and as we submit to it, it makes us whole.
### 4.4 “The words I have spoken to you are full of the Spirit and life”
John 6:63 reveals the direct link between:
The Greek text literally reads: “The words that I have spoken to you are *spirit* and *life*.” That is, they carry within themselves the nature of Spirit and the quality of life.
Several implications follow:
1. You cannot separate the Spirit from the Word.
Any “spirituality” that bypasses Scripture is counterfeit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (John 16:13). He does not contradict or bypass the written Word He Himself inspired.
2. You cannot separate the Word from the Spirit.
It is possible to handle Scripture in a merely academic way, without life. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders:
> “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”
> — John 5:39–40
The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). The Spiritless handling of Scripture leads to dead religion, legalism, and pride. The Spirit-filled handling of Scripture leads to revelation, humility, and transformation.
3. When you receive Jesus’ words in faith, you receive life itself.
Peter understands this when many disciples leave Jesus after John 6:63. He says:
> “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
> — John 6:68
Eternal life is carried and communicated through the words of Jesus, applied by the Holy Spirit. As we believe and obey, that life operates in us.
### 4.5 “Your word is living, powerful, sharper than any sword—feed on it daily, live by it fully”
Here the lyrics directly paraphrase Hebrews 4:12 and connect it to daily practice.
1. The Word as a sword.
In Ephesians 6:17, Paul calls the Word of God “the sword of the Spirit.” In Revelation 1:16, Jesus is portrayed with a sharp two-edged sword coming out of His mouth—His spoken Word in judgment and authority.
The sword cuts in two directions:
2. Feed on it daily.
Just as you would not eat once a week and expect to be physically strong, you cannot feed on the Word once a week (or once in a while) and expect spiritual strength.
The pattern in Scripture is daily:
3. Live by it fully.
To live by the Word is to:
That is living by the Word, not using it selectively to support what we already want.
Let us make this very practical. How do we move from singing these truths to living them?
### 1. Establish the Word as Final Authority
First, we must make a decisive, personal choice: *God’s Word is my final authority.*
That means:
This is not sentimental. It is a deliberate act of the will. Many believers never come into maturity because they have never settled this issue.
A simple declaration you can make:
> “Lord, I submit my life, my mind, and my will to Your Word. Your Word is true, and every other voice is subject to it.”
### 2. Develop a Daily Discipline of Feeding on the Word
Second, we must feed daily on the written Word of God.
This requires:
You are not reading to “get through” the Bible. You are reading to let the Bible get through you.
### 3. Combine the Word with Faith and Confession
Third, we must mix the Word with faith and confess it with our mouths.
Hebrews 4:2 warns:
> “…the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”
The Word, by itself, does not automatically profit. It must be united with faith. Faith is expressed by:
Romans 10:8–10 links heart-belief and mouth-confession. That is how we entered salvation, and that is how we walk it out.
So:
The sword of the Spirit is effective when spoken.
### 4. Allow the Word to Judge and Heal You
Fourth, we must welcome the penetrating, exposing work of the Word.
Pray as the psalmist:
> “Search me, O God, and know my heart;
> try me, and know my anxieties;
> and see if there is any wicked way in me,
> and lead me in the way everlasting.”
> — Psalm 139:23–24
Then, as you read Scripture:
The same Word that wounds will also heal, if we submit to it. That is how it “makes us whole.”
### Proclamation
Say this aloud, deliberately, in the presence of God:
> I declare that man shall not live by bread alone,
> but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
>
> God’s Word is my final authority.
> I renounce the lie that my life depends on material things.
> I choose to live by every *rhema* that proceeds from God.
>
> The words of Jesus are spirit and life to me.
> As I receive His words, His life operates in me—
> in my spirit, soul, and body.
>
> The Word of God is living and powerful in my life.
> It is sharper than any two-edged sword.
> It pierces and divides between my soul and my spirit.
> It discerns the thoughts and intents of my heart.
> I welcome its searching, exposing, and healing work.
>
> I will feed on God’s Word daily.
> I will live by it fully.
> I will speak it boldly.
>
> God’s living Word feeds my soul
> and, by the Holy Spirit, it makes me whole.
> In Jesus’ name, amen.
### Prayer
Father,
I thank You for Your Word—living, powerful, and eternal. I confess that too often I have lived as though bread were enough, as though material things could sustain me. Today I repent of relying on anything more than I rely on Your Word.
Lord Jesus, You are the Bread of Life. Your words are spirit and life. I ask You to write Your Word deep in my heart. Holy Spirit, open the Scriptures to me. Make them alive. Take the written Word and turn it into *rhema* in my situation.
Use Your Word to pierce and divide in me between soul and spirit. Expose every hidden motive, every lie, every stronghold. Where I am deceived, correct me. Where I am wounded, heal me. Where I am weak, strengthen me. Let Your Word make me whole.
From this day, help me to feed daily on Your Word and to live by it fully. Train my mouth to say, “It is written,” in every temptation and trial. Let the sword of the Spirit be active in my life—against the enemy and within my own heart.
I choose to live by every word that comes from Your mouth. I receive Your Word now as my food, my life, and my victory. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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