The scene of Jesus being tempted in Matthew shows how the Son of God relied on the written Word. It also shows Jesus being tested under the direction of the Holy Spirit. That means the Holy Spirit was in charge of what took place. As soon as Jesus received the Holy Spirit, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

What did Jesus do there? He relied on the written Word. With the Holy Spirit about to begin His work, what mattered most? Acting according to the written Word. We can see this scene as a confrontation between Jesus and the devil. But from another perspective, we can also see a certain tension between Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If Jesus had made decisions and acted on His own just because He was the Son of God, the Holy Spirit would have been grieved. Yet at this decisive moment, Jesus said, “It is written.”

People sometimes speak differently depending on who is beside them. Imagine sitting next to someone who makes you a little nervous. If someone says, “Go ahead, say whatever you like,” you would certainly say something. But how would you speak? Rather than speaking as freely as usual, you might think, “I’d better be careful. I could get in trouble if I say the wrong thing.” So you would choose our words carefully. Now, this was the first thing that happened after the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus. Wouldn’t He want to please the Holy Spirit? What did Jesus say? “It is written…” “It is written…” “It is written…” Exactly the right answer.

Jesus is the image of God, and the Holy Spirit came to testify to this. Since Jesus is the Son of God, the image of God, even if He had acted according to His own will, we as creatures would not have found it strange. Yet He Himself remained within the bounds of the written Word.

Even that written Word was not written by God’s own finger. God inspired imperfect human beings to write it. Looking at how Scripture was written and compiled, anyone might think it was the work of human beings rather than recognize that God governed the whole process. Yet God Himself said, “It is written,” appealing to those very words. Even God does not go beyond the written Word. How, then, could we, His creatures, go beyond it? Everything I am sharing now is what we have already been taught many times at Sungrak Church. We were taught it so accurately, and we are truly thankful for that.

When Jesus obeyed the written Word, the devil could do nothing more and left Him. But what is interesting is that the devil also used Scripture. The tempter came to Jesus and said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” Then in verse 6, he said, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written…” Even the devil spoke this way. But the devil interprets and twists God’s Word as he pleases, picking and choosing only what suited his purposes.

What is the difference between the devil and the Son of God? Jesus knows the whole picture. He knows God’s will. But the devil just takes what he wants and uses it. Jesus uses the Word to fulfill God’s will, while the devil exploits God’s Word. In fact, even mystical excess draws from Scripture. It does not simply come out of nowhere. The difference between mystical excess and a life of faith grounded in God’s will is whether a person sees the whole picture.

Someone caught up in mystical excess might pray, “God, please give me a word for today,” then open the Bible at random, point to a verse, and say, “Ah, this is what God is saying to me today.” They take a verse without considering the whole picture and treat it as a personal message from God. Even without pointing to a verse, when a passage they have memorized or heard before comes to mind in a certain situation, they may apply it in whatever way favors them. There is nothing unusual about Scripture coming to mind. But when that happens, we must always look at it in light of the Will of God as a whole and understand its place within it. What characterizes mystical excess is that, while the experience may be the same, the interpretation is different.

They say, “God told me to do this.” That is how they speak. Now, if anyone could speak that way, surely it would be the Son of God. He had seen God and had been with Him. Even if no one else could say, “God told Me to do this,” the Son of God certainly could. Yet He did not speak that way. Instead, He said, “It is written…”

But we are so quick to say, “God told me to do this.” When we speak that way, we cannot get beyond our own thoughts. And what happens then? We begin twisting the Word to suit ourselves, and somewhere between our own thoughts and God’s written Word, something becomes corrupted. In the end, we do what we want, and our faith inevitably becomes man-centered.

Living out faith this way may seem very beneficial at a particular moment. But in the long run, nothing can be carried through. People who live this way cannot keep going for long because their thoughts keep changing and they are easily swayed. They keep turning the thoughts that arise in their hearts into God’s will. What they think today differs from what they think tomorrow, and a year later, their thinking changes again. And when difficulties come, they cannot endure them. They say, “God told me not to do this,” or “I guess this isn’t God’s will after all.” That is almost always what happens.

To carry out what we would call a mission, we have to keep at it for decades, perhaps even a lifetime. But if we become fixated on the idea that “God spoke to me” or “God moved my heart,” then whenever difficulties arise, we may begin to think, “Maybe this isn’t God’s will after all.” I’m sure many of you have seen this happen to people around you in your life of faith.

When I was preparing to go to China, I wasn’t the only one interested in going. There were several others. What guided me was the Word I had come to understand during a retreat: “That the Scripture might be fulfilled!” And, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At first, I struggled with the question, “How do I know this Word was given to me personally?” But then my thinking changed completely. Instead of wrestling with that question, I embraced an active faith: “That the Scripture might be fulfilled!” I stopped wondering whether the Word was meant specifically for me and waiting for some special prompting. I set a clear goal and thought it through carefully, considering whether it was a good decision or not. Of course, I prayed and asked for confirmation. I prayed, “If this is God’s will, please give me these signs.” And I received them. There were many remarkable confirmations. So I went ahead. But afterward, I faced many difficulties and often wanted to give up my mission in China. There were many times when I wanted to return home halfway through. I certainly cannot say that I never wondered, “Is this really God’s will?” I wondered many times. There were many moments when I wavered, and more times than I could count when I asked myself, “Am I really doing the right thing?” Yet because I had begun with a firm foundation of faith, I held firm.

But the people who had planned to go with me were different. Because they had started with the idea that “God spoke to me,” some eventually quit, saying, “God is telling me not to do this.” Others actually went to China, studied the language for about six months, and then gave up, saying, “Maybe this isn’t God’s will after all.” They couldn’t see it through. Since then, I have met many people like this, and the pattern is remarkably similar. In the end, rather than being guided by God’s Word, they use God’s Word to pursue what they themselves want to do. I have seen this happen far too often. They cannot carry anything through. They bear no fruit.

Suppose I need to go from here to Namsan Mountain. I take it as something God has told me to do: “God told me to go to Namsan.” But on the way, it starts raining heavily, making travel difficult. What would I think? “Maybe this isn’t God’s will after all.” I could just take an umbrella and keep going, but the inconvenience makes me question it. Then, as I approach a bridge, there’s an accident. A car has overturned, and the road is completely blocked. What would I think now? Again, “Maybe this isn’t God’s will after all.” But what about someone who acts according to God’s written Word? Rain or roadblocks make no difference. If the road is blocked and there’s no way through, that person will swim across if necessary. That’s the difference. In the end, they make it. But those caught up in mystical excess cannot accomplish anything. They never get there.

Why is the written Word so important? There were times when God spoke directly and clearly. Moses heard what the LORD said when He appeared to the Israelites, so he could have just passed it on. The disciples also heard what Jesus said, so they could have passed His words on to others. Why, then, was it necessary to write them down? There must be something important about having a written record.

What is the important feature of a written record? It does not change. Once something is written down, we can go back and check exactly what was recorded. But if it is passed down only by word of mouth, it gradually becomes distorted and takes on a different meaning. A written record is essential to prevent that distortion. And what is written is not something we can see only once in a lifetime. We can return to it again and again. This allows anyone, in any generation, to go back and see where they started. It was because the Word had been recorded that a return to the original was possible. Without a written record, there would have been no way to restore what had been lost after the kings fell into corruption. But when King Josiah was repairing the temple, the Book of the Law was found in the temple. When he heard its words, he was so shocked that he tore his clothes and repented. He also had the Law read to all the people. This brought about change and a return to the Word.

Something similar happened with the Old Testament as a whole. Many ancient manuscripts had been lost, making it difficult to know exactly what the original texts contained. But when the Qumran manuscripts were discovered in relatively recent times, they provided strong evidence for many books of the Old Testament. They showed that these were not books someone had made up, but writings that had truly been handed down from ancient times. This gave people greater confidence and strengthened their conviction that these writings were indeed the Word of God. There were also repeated attempts to destroy the Scriptures. Yet through the development of printing and the efforts of translators, the Scriptures were preserved in written form. Today, any one of us can carry a Bible.

From the beginning, God intended His Word to be recorded. When He gave the Law, He did not leave it at spoken words. After speaking to the people, He gave them the Ten Commandments, written by His own finger. So the written record itself originated with God. And through the teachings of Sungrak Church, we have learned that written records did not originate on earth and then find their way into heaven. Rather, what already existed in heaven was revealed on earth. That is why the Book of Life is in heaven. God has also told us that there is a record of everything each of us has done, and that He will render to each one according to his deeds.

This is why a written record is so important for preserving the Word that never changes and must continue to be passed down. Even the Son of God took the written Word as His standard. So we who are united with Jesus must never go beyond what is written. When someone says, “God told me to do this,” we might overlook it as a harmless expression. But as people who have a mission and are part of a movement of faith, we must be very careful about using such words. In fact, we should not say, “God told me to do this.” We should never say it. Not at all. Because of this, countless people today misunderstand, and their faith is becoming distorted.

“It is written in Scripture” is more specific than “God said.” Rather than saying, “God told me,” we should say, “It is written in Scripture…It is written in Scripture.” Isn’t that what our Berea Movement stands for: to do what is written in Scripture even when we don’t want to, and to refrain from anything Scripture does not tell us to do, no matter how much grace or joy it seems to bring us? Let us pray that we may have this kind of faith, a faith that follows Scripture.