I hear some talk from time to time that disturbs me. The
statements appear something like this: “The Holy Spirit helps me understand the
passage.” Or, “I let the Holy Spirit
teach me what it means.” On one level
this is right and good. But on another
level it is dangerous, misleading and false.
If you were dealing with a text of Scripture that seemed
unclear or uncertain to you, and you told me that the Holy Spirit revealed the
truth of it to you, I’d ask you how you knew that it was the Holy Spirit! It might be shocking to you to hear these
words but it is critically important to you to know that on an immediate level
the Holy Spirit does not interpret Scripture.
He does not mediate direct thoughts to you that clarifies the meaning of
a text. Scripture interprets
Scripture. It is the hard work of
exegesis, applied hermeneutics, cross-referencing and biblical theology that
interprets Scripture.
The Holy Spirit is the authorial agent of Scripture, so if
you mean that through careful study of the canon, the Holy Spirit interprets
the text, you are safe and right. The
Holy Spirit’s immediate function is to illuminate the passage. He by grace applies the passage to our
lives. He points out areas where we need
to learn, need to be rebuked, corrected are taught how to live in holiness. But in terms of immediacy, the Holy Spirit
does not interpret the text.
Now many use the passage found in John 16:13 (ESV): “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide
you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but
whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are
to come.” I ask the question “Is this
verse written to the Church?” I agree
with the ESV Study Bible notes that show:
“The
Spirit’s ministry of guiding Jesus’ followers into all the truth is a promise especially directed toward these 11
disciples, and it finds particular fulfillment in the subsequent work of these
disciples in personally writing or overseeing the writing of the books of the
NT (see note on 14:26). The promise, like the other things that Jesus says in
these chapters, also has a broader application to all believers as the Holy
Spirit leads and guides them (see Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:18).”[1]
This passage was not written to us, albeit it is for
us. This is a marvellous promise whereby
we now have the New Testament. But if we apply the “broader meaning” of the
passage we can readily see that it is referring to the Spirit’s work of
illuminating and guiding the believer toward killing sin, holiness. The Spirit is not interpreting the text, He
is applying the text.
Indeed, proper study requires the Holy Spirit’s work of
purifying the heart, cleansing the motives and reminding us of our desperate
need to rely on Him. But the Holy Spirit
does not do the reading, study, exegetical work for us. He has done that by giving us a lucid, canon
of Scripture with the abilities to read and comprehend the Bible in our own
native language.
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