What would Christians do without the Holy Spirit?
As it turns out, not much!
Find out why by watching / reading our Truth in Two (full text and footnotes follow).
Dr. Mark Eckel is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University. Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website) and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video).
Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat
FULL TEXT
Over the few weeks, our Truth in Twos have focused on The Bible: responses to unbelievers, the good the Bible has brought to the world, and the importance of The Bible’s original languages. This week I wanted to answer the question, “How do we begin to understand The Bible?” This drawing is original artwork that I had commissioned for my curriculum Timeless Truth to illustrate teaching about the illumination of The Spirit. Represented by the dove, The Spirit enlightens a Christian’s mind to the truth of God’s Word as he reads it. One of the key ingredients to Bible study is the concept of illumination.
1 Corinthians 2 gives us a snapshot of our understanding of God’s Word. “Illumination”* defined there is simply The Holy Spirit causes believers to understand the Scriptures. Unbelievers, who do not have The Spirit residing in them cannot understand spiritual things. Believers, however, can be inhibited in their thinking because of sin, spiritual apathy or false teaching. The Bible is peppered with statements about a believing person, indwelt by The Spirit being “enlightened” by God’s Spirit and Scriptures.
As a cultural understanding the word “spirituality”** suggests that some internal motivation moves people toward goodness. The focus is totally on the human self. The Hebraic-Christian view of internal change, however, begins with the work of The Holy Spirit in a believer. Christians believe Jesus’ words about The Spirit, that “He will guide you into all the truth.” The work of Christians should be dependent upon the authority of Jesus through the internal direction of The Spirit. Not only did The Spirit inspire the God-breathed words of Scripture, but The Spirit also helps to illumine the mind of the believer in Bible study to properly interpret God’s inspired Word. For the Comenius Institute, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.
AFTERWORD
* “illumination” 1 John 2:20-27; “unbelievers” (1 Cor 2.14); “sin” (Ps 66.18); “apathy” 1 Thess 5.19-22; “false teaching” 2 Peter 2.1; “indwelt” (Rom 8.5-9); “enlightened” (Ps 18.28; 19.8; 119.18; 2 Cor 4:6; Eph 1.18; 3.16). ** “guide” John 16.13; “inspired” 1 Cor 2.11-13).