The Spirit Teaches us
Jesus told us that the Spirit would guide us to the truth. Towards the end of his life John captures these words that Jesus told his disciples: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard.” (John 16:13 NIV)
Yes, the Spirit is our expert teacher, revealing the truth to us about who God is. Without the Spirit, the truth about God just bounces off us. It goes in one ear and out the other and it doesn’t do anything. Because it’s just words and ideas.
I wonder if you’ve been there. You try read the Bible and it just feels like wading through cement. We need the Spirit’s guidance when we open this book! When the Spirit guides us, these words and ideas become life-giving!
Hear this today: the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit. It was the Spirit who guided the writers of the different books to write God’s Word – which is why Paul referred to Scripture as “God-breathed” (2 Tim 3:16).
Spirit Illuminates Scripture
In the book of Acts that we are looking at this week, the disciples would quote Old Testament Scripture, and say that the Spirit inspired those words, like this:
- Acts 1:16 Peter says: “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David.”
- Acts 28: 25 Paul says “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet” and then he quotes him.
It’s clear that the followers of Jesus believed that the Spirit of God inspired the words in the Bible. And if we read them when we are “Spirited-filled” – empty of ourselves but full of Him – he teaches us. He guides us to the truth and we begin to see God himself and God’s truth in these words. Amazing!
When you sit and spend time with God in the Bible, are you relying on the Spirit to reveal God to you? Billy Graham in his book The Hoy Spirit wrote: “Things I may have known intellectually for years have come alive to me in their fuller spiritual significance almost miraculously. As I have studied the Scriptures, I have learned that the Spirit always lets more light shine from the Word.”
Spirit Reveals Truth
Many people call Billy Graham a spiritual giant. But he needed the Holy Spirit to teach him when he read the Word of God.
In fact whenever you are taught about God, in any form: reading the Bible or an article, listening to a devotion or sermon, whatever medium it is – ask the Spirit to reveal the truth to you. Because in and of our own abilities, we are like that boxing glove. Useless in spiritual things, unless we allow the glove to be filled with the hand of God through the Spirit.
And so may God guide you to what is real and reliable through His Spirit of truth, in your daily reading and listening and studying. Only the Spirit can do it.
