The Spirit and the Word— Part II.

There are five essential works of the Holy Spirit in regards to the Word of God.  We’ve seen the Spirit’s works of revelation and inspiration.  The next is:

III. Preservation.  1 Peter 1:25 tells us “the Word of the Lord endures forever.”  Only the realities of inspiration and preservation can explain the existence of the Scriptures today.  The Bible is one book with one Message {if I can summarize it to its most succinct}: the revelation of Man’s Redeemer and his relationship with this Redeemer.  But to make this one book the Holy Spirit caused sixty-six individual books written in three languages by more than forty authors over a 1,500 year span of Time to be brought together as a single unit with two complete canons.  And to this very day, 2,000 years after its completion, the Bible continues to be the most widely distributed book ever written.

Only Abba could undertake the preservation of His Word... and He’s promised to do exactly that.  According to Psalm 119:89 the Word of God will be preserved in Eternity: “Your Word, LORD, is Eternal; it stands firm in the Heavens.”  And it will last forever, “Long ago I learned from Your statutes, that You established them to last forever,” v. 152.

IV. Illumination.  In John 16:13 Jesus said, “But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the Truth.  He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.”

To ‘illuminate’ means- cast light on; make clear; enlighten.  Only the Spirit of Truth can cast light on the Word and make it clear to you and I.  By himself, man is blinded by Satan and unable to understand divine truth, including even the Gospel of Grace— 2 Corinthians 4:4.  1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and [Notice!] cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

In the work of illumination, which is His teaching ministry, the Spirit makes the Word both comprehensible to our minds and applicable to our needs.  Whether the Spirit will open our eyes when we study depends on our attitude when we approach the Word.  This is why it’s essential for our souls to be in a stance of surrender to the the Spirit of God; that is, influenced by His presence and His power as we study the Word.

V. Interpretation.  2 Peter 1:20 says, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things [or events].”  To ‘interpret’ means- explain, or tell the meaning of.  The apostle Peter makes it absolutely clear there’s only one correct interpretation of any passage in the Scriptures ...and that’s Scripture’s own interpretation.  Only by applying the laws of hermeneutics— rules of systematic study— can any student discover the correct interpretation of any passage.

So, while there’s only one interpretation, there may be numerous applications, ways in which a Scriptural truth, a divine promise, or a holy precept may be used in someone’s life.

So, here they are.  Revelation, inspiration, preservation, illumination, and interpretation— the five works of the Spirit in regards to the Word.

HJC	Ric Webb  |  Shepherd Heart’s Journey Community 9621 Tall Timber Blvd. |  Little Rock, AR 72204 t +1.501.455.0296
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