The Holy Spirit’s Power in Inspiring and Illuminating the Bible

There are two kinds of people in the world: there are those who, when they buy something new and see the words, “Read instructions carefully,” toss the instructions aside and press on. Others read every word of the instructions, sometimes more than once, before starting the project. 

There’s one set of instructions all of us should read carefully before barrelling through life. I’m talking about the Bible. At this point in this series, we’re at the intersection of the topics of the Holy Spirit and the Bible. Where these two meet, there are three important words we should know: revelation, inspiration, and illumination.

Revelation is defined in the Holman Bible Dictionary as “the content and process of God’s making himself known to people.” We wouldn’t know anything about God without him revealing himself to us. One of the ways God has done this is through the Bible. He wants us to know him, and one way he’s given us to know him is Scripture. 

The next word is inspiration, defined as “the actions of God leading to the writing, preservation, and collection of his words to his people into the Bible.” It’s the process by which God gave us the Bible. 

Here’s what Paul has to say about this process:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Paul is saying the Bible came from God to the authors through his Holy Spirit. Peter says something similar: 

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21)

The writers of the Bible were “carried along” by the Holy Spirit, so they wrote exactly what he wanted them to write. There are some theological words to be aware of here. Inspiration is plenary, meaning that the whole Bible is inspired, not just certain parts. Every part is useful, every part has authority, and every part is life-changing. Inspiration is also verbal, in that inspiration extends to the very words the authors originally wrote, not just the overall themes they wrote about and thoughts in their minds. 

Inspiration means the Bible is completely trustworthy. This means that even when the Bible doesn’t make sense, we can confidently believe it and obey it. 

A man was driving down the highway one day when he got a call from his wife who said, “Be careful! The news just reported that a man is driving on the wrong side of the road on the highway you’re on!” The husband said, “One man? Honey, there are hundreds of people driving the wrong way!”

There are plenty of times in life when we might be wrong and everybody else right, but when we believe and obey the Bible, we can know we’re right even if everyone disagrees. The Bible came to you from God. It’s his Word. 

The last word is illumination, “the work of the Holy Spirit by which he enables the understanding of Scripture by enlightening its readers.” God speaks to us through his Spirit as we read the Bible. It’s the Holy Spirit teaching us the Bible and enabling us to understand it and interpret it correctly. Here’s an example: 

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. (Luke 24:45)

A couple requested their wedding cake have the words “1 John 4:18” on it, which says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” To their total shock and embarrassment, at their wedding reception, the couple found their cake had on it “John 4:18,” which says, “For you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband.”

It’s important to know your Bible. 

We need illumination because we’re sinful people and, as such, are blinded to God’s truth. Understanding anything about God never comes naturally to anyone (1 Corinthians 2:14). Only the Holy Spirit can bring understanding to us: 

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God…Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. (1 Corinthians 2:10, 12)

This is why, when we read the Bible, we should always ask God to give us illumination to help us understand and apply to our lives correctly what we’re reading in the Bible or even listening to someone teach from the Bible. 

That’s why each morning, as I open the Bible, I pray the prayer of Psalm 119:36: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” I need the Lord to open my eyes, heart, and brain to help me see what’s there, what he’s saying in the text, what he wants to say to me personally, and how I can apply what he’s saying. I need his illumination every time I read. 

Read your Bible. It’s his Word to you, so read it consistently. I think reading the Bible consistently is more important than the amount of time you spend reading. Read it often enough so it becomes a habit. And, because the Bible is God’s Word, come to it fully expecting to encounter God. 

Three incredible works of the Holy Spirit: revelation, inspiration, and illumination. Thank you, God, for the gift of your Word to us. Use this gift in our lives to make us more like you and more useful to you.

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