Efficacious

Efficacious -  what a wonderful word! Efficacious means to effect or accomplish. Indeed, a word best used to describe the greatest Word, the Word of God, Holy Scripture, God’s Word. God’s Word is efficacious. It effects, does, accomplishes that of which it speaks.
 

In Genesis we first hear of the efficaciousness of God’s Word as God spoke all things into being. God said, and it was, all of creation. A little later, following the fall into sin, God spoke again promising a Savior. In his gospel, John speaks of the promised Savior when he writes that the Word became flesh and tented among us. Indeed, Jesus is the Word of God, the Word promised, the Word in flesh in fulfillment, and today the tangible Word in His body and blood in His Holy Supper.
 

God’s Word is efficacious in our own lives beginning with our Baptism. In Holy Baptism, God, using the hands and the mouth of the pastor, puts water on our heads and speaks His name on us, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” And in that moment, with those words God effects in us, faith, forgiveness, life and salvation because what is spoken is not the word of the pastor but the Word of God. Indeed, as we are “conceived and born in sin” (Ps. 51:5), as God’s command is to baptize “all nations” (Matt. 28:19), and as we are citizens of the nation from birth, as we are reminded, “no one is good, no not one” (Rom. 3:12), and “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), and as James reminds us of our accountability before God, not giving any indication of age limit, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it” (James 2:10), so we are reminded of the importance of Holy Baptism especially from the moment of birth. Any parent withholding such a blessing and gift, thinking their child is not a sinner, is not accountable, and might grow up to decide for Jesus, are quite delusional and does not understand the power and efficacy of God’s Word. In Holy Baptism, as God’s Word promises, so it is so, it is accomplished, it is effected. With God’s Word faith is given, His name is put on, forgiveness is given and one’s name is written in the book of life because it is God’s Word.
 

God’s Word is efficacious in absolution. “8If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). When we confess our sins and we hear the Word of God through the mouth of His called and ordained servant, the pastor, then we know that His Word is efficacious, it does what it says, it accomplishes, and gives what it says, namely, that our sins are forgiven. This is not because the pastor says so, but because he speaks God’s Word on us. So when we hear the words of absolution, we are standing before God as complete and perfect saints. That is until we turn around and begin our next round of sinning, which is our nature and which we are apt to do. We simply cannot help ourselves. Of course, our inborn nature to sin, to refuse and reject the gifts of God is the very reason we continually confess our sins so that we might hear those most beautiful words of absolution, that our sins are forgiven because with forgiveness is life and salvation.
 

God’s Word is efficacious in our hearing His Word read and preached. As our Divine Service is permeated with God’s Word, as we hear the appointed Word, Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel Lessons read each Sunday, as we hear the Word preached (and we are to be as the Bereans comparing what is preach with the Word), so the Word effects in us, accomplishes in us, that which it was given to do, give, strengthen and keep us in faith, and gives us forgiveness and life. It is not the pastor who effects this good work in us but God through His Word because it is God’s Word.
 

God’s Word is efficacious in His Holy Supper. As we come to the Lord’s Table, we are given the bread to eat as we hear the Word spoken by the mouth of the pastor telling us that what he is giving us is the body of Christ. Then we know that what we are partaking is the very body of Christ given for us for the forgiveness of sins, not because the pastor says so, but because God says so (Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-21, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Likewise as we are given from the cup of wine to drink and told that it is the very blood of Christ, we know that we are partaking of the very blood of Christ because God says so. Indeed, in this sacred meal we are given Jesus’ very body and blood to eat and drink so that He becomes a very real part of us, that is, His life, His perfect life becomes our perfect life. His perfect death becomes our perfect death and His perfect resurrection becomes our perfect resurrection. Without this being Christ’s true body and blood but merely a ceremonial, symbolic act, then Jesus would not truly be a part of us, and so we would not be given the gifts He has to give. Because God’s Word speaks that we are being given Christ true body and blood, in, with and under the bread and wine, we can be sure that we are given His body and blood, not because these are the words of the pastor, but because they are God’s Word and God’s Word is efficacious. It effects, it accomplishes, it does what it says.
 

Efficacious is a great word and truly describes the greatest Word, the Word of God, the Word made flesh, the Word which does and gives because it is God’s Word. As Christians, understanding the efficaciousness of God’s Word, our desire even more is to be where and when God’s Word is given so that we might revel in the gifts and blessings God has to give through His great Word.