God Here and Now: Summary & Key Insights

When I speak of the Word of God, I do not mean merely the words printed in the Bible or recited in churches. The Book itself, apart from the living speech of God through it, would be paper and ink. The Word is event—it happens. God speaks, and this speaking brings reality into being and summons humanity to decision. This conviction, central to my entire theology, resists two temptations of modern thought: that Scripture is but an ancient record, and that revelation is a private, mystical experience. The Word confronts us; it is not ours to control.

In each encounter with Scripture rightly heard, there is a moment in which the eternal God addresses the human creature anew. Revelation, then, is not information about God but the self-disclosure of God Himself. It is relational, dynamic, and direct. To hear the Word is to stand before the living God who judges and reconciles. The preacher, the theologian, and the believer are all recipients before they are interpreters.

Why does this matter now? Because in a world where speech is cheap—where every ideology claims its own truth—the Word of God remains free. It does not submit to our systems; instead, it interrupts them. This is the Word that created the cosmos, raised Christ from the dead, and continues to call the Church into being. Our task is not to capture it but to listen in awe. Every genuine moment of theology begins here: with hearing the Word that happens to us.

Faith is not a possession or a doctrine one carries about. It is the event in which a person is met by God and responds. In my addresses I insisted that faith arises not from human capacity or inner strength but from God’s initiative. To believe means to be grasped by a reality greater than oneself—one that awakens trust, obedience, and joy. Faith is therefore never static; it is renewed in every encounter.

This understanding challenges all forms of religious self-sufficiency. We cannot believe *because* we choose to, nor can institutions claim to manage faith. God calls, and we respond; that is faith’s rhythm. It is relational rather than intellectual. Imagine a man meeting the gaze of Christ—his entire world is redefined in that moment. That is the nature of belief: personal, transformative, wholly dependent on the One who speaks to us.

In the modern world, people tend to imagine faith as either superstition or private sentiment. Yet I maintain that genuine faith is the most radical openness possible—it is the courage to stand before God’s revelation and to say yes. Living faith changes our posture toward everything else. It frees us to act responsibly, because in trusting God’s Word we participate in His ongoing work in the world.