My son Benjamin and I have an old 1990 Chevy pickup truck that is … well … very old. I gave up on it years ago, but Ben has a sort of romantic attachment to it as his first truck and simply could not let it go. The truck has been sitting around for a couple of years, used very little; and now Ben has decided he wants to get it going and put historic plates on it.

There was one big problem recently though, and it was something to do with the steering mechanism. So he took it upon himself to try to fix it himself by reading and listening to an instructional video on what I heard as “a notoriously difficult problem in Chevy trucks.” After a while, he had the steering wheel off and the entire column disassembled to get down into the very inner workings to replace a part that was broken. Then there was the challenge of putting it all back together in proper order! It is still a work in process, but the end is in sight … we hope.

When something goes wrong, be it mechanical, or with a computer, or even with the workings of the human body, it is often necessary to dig down inside, taking it apart by the use of tools and devices to expose the inner problem. It can be complicated.

But those illustrations are all material and of the physical world. What tool or device can be used to probe into the immaterial realm … into the metaphysical world of the soul and the spirit? What truly can expose the true nature of thoughts, desires, passions or spiritual values and realities?

There is only one thing able to do this. It is God’s eternal word.

Hebrews 4:12-13

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Within the warning passage given to the Hebrews here in chapter four, they are reminded that it is serious business to not trust truly in God and prioritize his values. And there is wisdom in that for us in 2015 as well.

The picture in this passage is twofold: the word is able to penetrate to the very heart and core of things, and it also opens to the light – particularly the eyes of God – the true nature of what lies in the center of the human heart.

Verse 12 list three pictures as to how accurately penetrating is the truth of the word. Each item is something that is unimaginable in terms of how two things could ever be divided.

What is the difference between the soul and the spirit – two components of the immaterial part of man? The soul is usually defined as the intellect, the emotions and the will … but how do we talk about them apart from the spirit of man – that which is the essence of life and relationship with God?

Likewise, the dividing of joints and marrow. In modern science, these are certainly distinct. But the idea here is to not be anatomical or physiological, but rather to picture that which goes together on the inside as a unified working mechanism of the body.

And finally, how are thoughts and intents to be surely divided? The Scriptures elsewhere speak of the deceptive nature of the heart – that it can fool even an individual himself, who can be sincerely wrong about the genuine nature of a thought or intent that underlies an action.

And then verse 13 speaks of how the divisions and surgery that takes place at the deepest levels lay open – literally “naked” is the term in the Greek language – the true underlying realities at the core of the heart. It opens one fully to God to be judged for what it really is.

There is no way around seeing and understanding this passage in a very sobering way. I often wonder how people who read such a clear statement as this, and yet don’t prioritize and value their connection and relationship with God due to other values of life, can find any comfort or peace in this life. Even if you can fool others, there is no possibility of deceiving God.

Yet at the same time there is encouragement in this passage. For those who do value God, and who in spite of human frailty in this world strive toward genuine faith and love for the Lord and genuine service to others, there is comfort in knowing that one’s labors are not in vain. And the writer will specify this thought a bit later, saying in 6:10 …

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

That is a good truth to know, especially when you know truly of your genuine heart in serving God and others. Though that may be misunderstood by others, God is the good and just ultimate judge.