1 Corinthians 2:13-14 “But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “Illumination” as: Infusion of intellectual light; an enlightening of the understanding by knowledge, or the mind by spiritual light. Inspiration; the special communication of knowledge to the mind by the Supreme Being.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Pastor J. Vernon McGee says that since you and I have a God book and human book, written by men who were writing down the Word of God in the living Bible, only the Spirit of God can teach it to us. Although we can get the facts of the Bible on our own, the Spirit of God will have to open our minds and hearts if we are to understand the spiritual truth that is there. There are a lot of things on this side of Heaven that you and I can’t learn through natural means. The Holy spirit has to be our teacher.
You see, we are studying a book that is different from any other book. It is not that McGee just believes in the inspiration of the Bible. He believes that it is a closed book to you unless the Spirit of God will open your heart and make it real. In John 14:15-17, 26-26 Jesus tells us, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
In Luke 24:44-45 Jesus said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
Note in the above passage that Jesus believed that Moses wrote the Pentateuch; He believed the prophets spoke of Him and the Psalms pointed to Him. And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. And friend, if He doesn’t open your understanding, you’re just not going to get it, because they are spiritually discerned. That is the reason that we ought to approach this book, the living Word of God, with great humility of mind, regardless of how high our IQ is or the extent of our education.
In John 3:3,5 Jesus answered and said to a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
Dr. McGee was never disturbed when an unbeliever comes along and says that they do not believe that the Bible is the Word of God. After all, if he or she is not a believer, they cannot understand it. Mark Twain, who was no believer, said that he was not disturbed by what he did not understand in the Bible. What worried him were the things he did understand. There are things an unbeliever can understand and it’s those which cause many to reject the Word of God. It was theologian Blaise Pascal, author of “Pascal’s Wager”, who said, “Human knowledge must be understood to be loved, but Divine knowledge must be loved to be understood.”
Only the Spirit of God can open your mind and heart to see and to accept Christ ad to trust Him as your Savior. How wonderful! How helpless we are, but not only are we weak, we are mighty – not mighty in ourselves, but mighty in the knowledge that the Spirit of God can take the words of the Bible and make them real and living because as you read or hear the Word of God, you’re not alone. The Holy Spirit abides in you, ready to stir your heart, illuminate your mind, and direct your life.
Lord, please give me a deeper desire to read Your holy Word. Increase my ability to understand Your sacred Word. Show me more of Jesus Christ in Your living Word. Make me a doer of Your blessed Word and produce genuine godly change in my life. Amen
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