![]() ![]() It is better to live one verse of the Bible, As Alexander Maclaren said "He who has the Holy Spirit in his heart and the Scriptures in his hands has all he needs." O blessed holy book, the Bible, for there is no other book wherein the Author Who wrote it is always present with you, ever ready to explain what He wrote! Spurgeon agrees that "If you do not understand a book by a departed writer you are unable to ask him his meaning, but the Spirit, Who inspired Holy Scripture, lives forever, and He delights to open the Word to those who seek His instruction.” ![]() As Puritan Stephen Charnock wrote "The Word is the chariot of the Spirit, the Spirit the Guider of the Word." Jesus promised His disciples that “when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth.” (Jn 16:13) Hallelujah, He has come and now indwells all His children, Paul explaining that “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (Ro 8:9 +) Paul also taught that "the natural (unregenerate) man cannot accept the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." (1Cor 2:14 +) In contrast believers have received "the Spirit Who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." (1Cor 2:12 +) John wrote that we "have an anointing from the Holy One" (1Jn 2:20 +), going on to explain that "the anointing which you received from Him abides in you (the indwelling Spirit 1Cor 6:19), and you have no need for anyone to teach you." (1Jn 2:27 +) John is not saying we don't need teachers (Eph 4:11 + Acts 13:1 +), but wants us to understand that each believer is capable and responsible to study the Word for themselves, because the Spirit Who inspired the Scriptures, has anointed and indwelt every believer. The Scriptures teach that the Holy Spirit and the Holy Word operate together. "Oh, that Thy words, like the beams of the sun, may enter through the window of my understanding, and dispel the darkness of my mind!" (Spurgeon) In it, we find a light for every darkness, life in death, the promise of our Lord’s return, and the assurance of everlasting glory.” This begs a question - Every time you open the Book, do you ask the Author of the Book to open your heart to receive the truth from His Book? If you do, you can rest assured that with God's Word as your map and His Spirit as your compass, you are sure to stay on course. As D L Moody said, Spirit led “study of God’s Word brings peace to the heart. And that is our desperate need, every time we open the Book we should beg God: “Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from Your Law." (Ps 119:18 +). Indeed, illumination is something we should pray for even as Paul prayed for the saints at Ephesus asking that “the eyes of (their) heart (the core of one's being) be enlightened, so that (they) may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the surpassing (Gk - exceedingly extraordinary) greatness of His power (dunamis - inherent supernatural power to to live a supernatural life = “Resurrection power” - Eph 1:20 +) toward us who believe.” (Eph 1:18-19 +) Paul was not praying for new revelation, but for spiritual illumination of truth they already knew. Simply put, illumination in the spiritual sense is “turning on the light.” The Source of spiritual illumination is the Father, the Channel is the Holy Spirit and the supreme Goal is that He shine "in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (2Cor 4:6 +) While some might say this is a bit too mystical, it is thoroughly Biblical. Figuratively, illumination can mean to be be enlightened spiritually. ![]() ![]() THE BIBLE & ILLUMINATION – To illuminate means to have something brightened with light and made clear to the eyes. ![]()
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