The Words of Jesus Christ: The Plumb Line of All Scripture
Jesus said: Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25.
It is of tremendous importance in our lives as believers that we fully understand and defend this vital truth: the words of Jesus Christ are never to be devalued by calling them just one opinion among many. They are the plumb line by which every other word must be tested and aligned.
Why should we refer to the words of Jesus Christ as a plumb line? The answer is simple: a plumb line is an unchanging, objective standard by which everything else is measured. It reveals what is straight and what has become crooked.
As believers in Christ we have been admonished by Jesus that: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. John 14:23-24. This truth must become a fundamental reality in our lives: The words of Jesus Christ are the Father’s standard of Truth. Therefore, the Words of Jesus must be used to validate:
● Every doctrine.
● Every interpretation of Scripture.
● Every spiritual experience.
Therefore, every belief must be brought into alignment with what Jesus Himself has taught. For the believer, His words are not simply to be admired or studied intellectually; they are to be believed, obeyed, and lived. The words of Jesus Christ reveal the Father’s heart and expose deception. Through our continuing in the words of Jesus they will always correct error, and as we learn of Jesus’s word and embrace them into our lives, our faith will be strengthened.
Jesus declared, “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35). His words remain eternally relevant because they proceed from the eternal Father. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is a divine symphony, yet at the centre of it all stands one voice that rises above every other: the voice of Jesus Christ.
Jesus declared, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63). As believers continually receive His words:
● We are nourished spiritually.
● We are renewed in our minds.
● We are transformed into His likeness.
Herein is a vital key to understand: the importance of continuing in the Word. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” John 8:31-32. This is an important truth that must be clearly understood: Every prophet who came before Jesus Christ pointed toward Him, and every apostle who came after Him built upon His foundation.