Archive article 2
The gift of the Spirit for understanding the Bible.
When I need a chemist in Italy I look for a green cross among all other luminous signs along the road. When I need stamp, my eye looks for the large “T” and when I need cash I search for the “bancomat’ sign. In other words, I look for what I want to see.
It’s so easy for our reading of the Bible to be like this!
Taking as a source of reference the 7th chapter of Tozer’s book ‘The Divine Conquest’ ‘Illuminated by the Holy Spirit’. Two factors are identified which limit our reading of the Bible, keeping us, as it were, in a straightjacket.
Neo-fundamentalism and rationalism.
The first concentrates on the text as a sequence of words, taken literally. It stresses their descriptive strength and will apply them in an extremely rigid and formal manner. These people armed with their Bible will look for the verse to resolve every human question, from the most refined theological question to those involving current ethics.
The second on the other hand insists that human reason will have the correct interpretation of each biblical verse. It will go beyond the simple written words to give significance which will be contemporary, engaging and brilliant from an intellectual point of view.
Both refer to the scriptures. Both mean to honour the Lord in their search for truth. But they labour without the Spirit.
Passion for the text itself or applying the force of reason when reading the word of God amounts to depending on human effort …… This cannot be!
The Word of God is inspired by the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Holy Trinity. It is only with His work upon the heart enlightening it from above that we can understand the scriptures. When this happens we are able to read with divine understanding which is real spirituality. This leads us to total submission to God’s Word which, in turn, generates repentance.
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who I from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 1 Corinthians (2 v 12-13)
Pastor Paul Finch
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