What is written in the scriptures certainly would lead a person believe that the Word of God is alive. However, are those written scriptures themselves that Word of God?
And then when we 'hear' from God in other places and ways, other than in a written Bible, is that not also the Word of God? What is the difference between what the written in the book, called the Bible, and the Son of man, named Jesus who walked the streets of Jerusalem about 2,000 years ago?
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:14 This is why he tells us to eat his flesh, but his dead flesh will not accomplish the purpose alone. We must also drink his blood? How do you suppose we do that?
Consider the verses from scripture that Jesus quoted as opposed to the verses from scripture that the tempter spoke when he came to Jesus [Matt 4:1-10].
Were the words of the tempter Alive even when quoted correctly from scriptures? Jesus answered him once this way: "... It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matt 4:4
The Word of Life came from where? "out of the mouth of God"! Is the written Bible the mouth of God?
And the devil said this to Jesus: "...If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." Matt 4:6
And Jesus responded: "...It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Matt 4:7 [from Deut 6:16]
Were not the devil's words in Matt 4:6 taken verbatim from that same book of scriptures [Ps 91:12] which God inspired the psalmist to write?
The seed cannot die? If that is so, is it not because it is the Word of God? Why is it that sometimes in some hearts the seed is unfruitful or even removed from hearts into which it was planted?
David prayed in this way:
"Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me." Psalm 51:11
Do we have a "better" holy spirit than David had? Is that why the Bible translators sometime capitalized it into Holy Spirit in the NT? Did God, the unchangeable God, make such a distinction?
And then from Jesus:
"And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold." Matt 13:3-8
Then in explaining that parable to his disciples he begins with these words:
"When any one heareth the word of the kingdom..." Matt 3:19. Is not the word of the kingdom that same Word of God about we speak today?
What is the Church? Is it not the Body of Christ?
"Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." I Cor 12:27
"So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." Rom 12:5
"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." Col 1:18
So then it would seem that what is written is directed to us, if we are the Body of Christ, if we are indeed the Church!
"But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
For the body is not one member, but many." I Cor 12:11-14
Many members, many men but becoming one in him, how? The Word of God directed to each of us so that each may properly perform his function in the Body of Christ?
"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." Eph 4:7
"But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." Eph 4:15-16
Not the messages sent to different individuals who are actually in, or who are to be in, the Body of Christ. But on the way there some of those 'parts' or 'joints' [you and me] may get sidetracked because we follow the wrong leader for a moment or even longer... People without the love of truth will be deluded [II Thess 2:10-11] and believing they are right blindly fall into a ditch or follow a blind leader into a ditch. This is why the Apostle Paul also warns us NOT to quench the Holy Spirit in us. The Holy Spirit must lead or we will walk blindly stumbling and falling no matter what doctrines we hold, no matter how verses of scripture we have memorized.
So then how does this relate to the written scriptures and Word of God? The written scriptures alone are a dead letter now, today, as they were when the devil quoted scripture in trying to tempt Jesus. What brings the dead letter to Life?
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." II Cor 3:5-6
It is the Holy Spirit that will bring the letter that we consume to Life within us. In the book of the Bible unopened, unread, it remains a dead letter. In us, by the Holy Spirit in us, those words we have consumed in God's time are quickened [brought to Life]
"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63
"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." I Cor 15:45
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" I Peter 3:18