PDF Print version

The Holy Spirit reveals the Word of God

Who are we?  Once we find the answer to this question of who, then we can know our purpose.  For some the answer of “who”, is irrelevant. Others see our identity as the result of one big accident, followed by many smaller accidents called random mutations[1] in the evolution of life.  If we are just accidents, nothing more then highly evolved animals, what is our purpose?  Well, we would have no purpose; to have purpose assumes there is some greater goal or meaning.  Something beyond ourselves, gives purpose, without God, our purpose is no more relevant then a leaf on tree, which exist and falls away from the tree. 

According to the Bible, this is not the case; we are made in the image of God, the Creator of the universe. Our being is modeled after His existence.  Through logic, we can determine the existence of a First Cause[2] and an Intelligent Designer,[3] both which point to the logical need for the existence of God.  However, logic cannot identify God, unless God chooses to reveal Himself.  Why is this so? If God made the eyes, ears and mind of humanity, how would we know whom the creator is, unless the creator revealed Himself to creation?   

The Bible teaches, we are made in the Creator’s image, but our condition is fallen, we lack the ability to know God apart from His willingness to reveal Himself. Isaiah in the Bible paints a vivid picture of our fallen nature in the Isaiah 59.  He shows how our fallen nature prevents us from knowing our Creator.  

1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. 10 We grope for the wall like the blind, And we grope as if we had no eyes; We stumble at noonday as at twilight; We are as dead men in desolate places. 11 We all growl like bears, And moan sadly like doves; We look for justice, but there is none; For salvation, but it is far from us. 12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And as for our iniquities, we know them:
Isaiah 59:1-14

This is our predicament, how can fallen humanity know God?  We cannot! That is the point, it is impossible for us to know God, unless He reveals Himself.  Does God choose to reveal Himself? Yes, He does, the Bible, the Word of God, is the written record of God’s revelation. The revealed record is the inspired word of God, which the Holy Spirit revealed through the prophets to us. 

Therefore, understanding and knowing God is beyond our nature, meaning it is super-natural.   Since we are fallen, the Holy Spirit plays two roles in revelation.  One role, the Holy Spirit reveals the Word of the Lord to fallen humanity through the prophets who transmit God’s Word. Second, after the word is revealed the Holy Spirit reveals these words to fallen man, moving them to understand and apply God’s Word.  These two aspects of the Holy Spirit work together in Revelation.  

Holy Spirit and Revelation           

            Isaiah captures our situation; he paints four pictures of our condition in Isaiah 59:10, each pictures the helpless condition of humanity.  Notice Isaiah includes himself, saying “We”, the “blindness’ of the human condition is at issue.

• We grope for the wall like the blind,
• We grope as if we had no eyes;
• We stumble at noonday as at twilight;
• We are as dead men in desolate places.

Therefore, the Holy Spirit revealed the communication of God to fallen humanity. The Holy Spirit then gives us the ability  understand the words revealed to humanity.   In our fallen state, we are enveloped in darkness, unless God reached down to us, we would be without hope.

These are two aspects of the Holy Spirit’s revelation; 1. He reveals God’s Word   2. He gives us the ability to understand the revelation. 

1.The Spirit reveals God’s Word

How does the Spirit reveal the Word of God?  When we read the Bible, we see the different ways God spoke; Moses for example went to Mt. Sinai and was with God on the Mountain for forty days, while David wrote under the power of the Spirit.  Ezekiel caught up by the Spirit, was taken to Jerusalem.  John in Revelation sees and talks to the resurrected Jesus, Jesus tells him to write a letter to seven churches. Paul saw a vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus and was commissioned to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles.  These are just a few examples, but we can see God’s method of revelation is not uniform. 

The Bible was transmitted through the power of the Holy Spirit, is recorded  in a written format.  Yes, God used human agents to pen the words, but these authors were working under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  The Bible was not an oral transmission as some liberal schools teach but a written transmission[4], the Hebrew culture was literate from the earliest times as validated in archeological records.  Therefore, through written transmission, the Words of God were recorded, and through the generations, the words were transmitted to the present era.  The role of the Holy Spirit in the transmission of scripture is noted in Zechariah. 

"Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 7:12 

A. God dictated the message 

In some cases, God directly dictated the message, such as in the book of Revelation chapters 2 and 3, where Jesus tells John what to write to the Seven-churches (Revelation 2-3).  God in Exodus wrote the Ten Commandments in the stone, which Moses carried down Mt. Sinai. 

10 "Then the Lord delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.  11 "And it came to pass, at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.
Deuteronomy 9:10-11 

B. Prophets wrote under Inspiration  

In other cases, the prophets recorded what they saw and did under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  They were not dictating the words of God, but were recording their own words and impressions, under the power of the Spirit.  For example, the Davidic Psalms were written under the power of the Spirit, Jesus says David wrote under the power of the Spirit (see also Acts 1:16).  

36 "For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." ' 
Mark 12:36 

Moses also under the power of the Holy Spirit recorded the history of creation, including events such as what happened at the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve fell.  How could Moses have known the details of these events, unless God’s Spirit revealed them? All of Genesis took place before the birth of Moses, with the death of Joseph being the last verse.

The New Testament, like the Old was written under the direction of the Holy Spirit, this was the promise Jesus gave to the disciples.  

"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. John 14:26 

The disciples then affirmed the written transmission of the other disciples, Peter affirmed Paul’s words as scripture (2 Peter 3;15-16). 

           C. Prophets had dreams and visions:         

         Prophets also had dreams and visions. In these dreams and visions, the Holy Spirit revealed to the prophets the very words of God, through the interpretation of the dream and vision.  Dreams occur while the person sleeps, while visions take place when the person is awake.  In both instances, God through the power of the Spirit revealed His Word.

         Peter was on the roof of his house praying, and fell into a trance, seeing a vision. Jesus spoke to Peter, telling him to go with the men sent from the house of Cornelius (Acts 10).  Ezekiel, a Jewish captive of Babylon, had visions of God and was taken by the Spirit to Jerusalem (Ezekiel 8;3).  Ezekiel reported what he saw and heard, under the power of the Spirit, thus the book of Ezekiel came to be.

         In regards to dreams, God even gave dreams to unbelievers such as Pharaoh (Genesis 41) and Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2), King of Babylon. Under the power of the Holy Spirit, Joseph and Daniel interpreted these dreams, which allowed them to elevate to positions to power in Babylon and Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of Daniel chapter 2, is foundational to Bible prophecy.  Daniel under the power of the Spirit was able to tell the king his dream was and what it meant (Daniel 4:8).   

2. God’s Word is revealed to us 

         A. God chooses who believes 

         The Bible is big book; the King James translation for example has the following statistics[5],

 the Bible is actually a library of scripture recorded over a 1500-year period. The Bible is more then just a book, the contents are spiritual, which means not just anybody can understand what it says. 

         Just as the Spirit of God revealed its word to the prophets, the Spirit of God must reveal its contents to the reader.  Paul was a Pharisee of Pharisees (Acts 23:6) according to his own words, he knew the words of the prophets, beyond most, but until Jesus revealed Himself to Paul, Paul was in darkness.  Paul could not see Jesus as the Messiah revealed by the prophets in the Old Testament, not until the Spirit of God moved in his heart, when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus.

17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. 19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. 20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. 21 Then all who heard were amazed, and said, "Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?" 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.
Acts 9:17-22 

         Notice Paul did not know who Jesus was before he met him on the road.  To Paul Jesus was a false Messiah, who had misled Israel.  After being filled with the Holy Spirit (vs. 17), Paul spent time with the disciples in Damascus, and he then headed to the Synagogue.  There, through the power of the Holy Spirit, he confounded those who were formally allied with him, proving Jesus is the Messiah of Israel.          

         B. Belief is depends on God 

         Paul is like me or you, just like Paul, God’s Spirit allows us to see Jesus, without God’s Spirit, we are blind to Jesus.  Jesus is just another prophet or one of the many ways to heaven.  Knowing Jesus is not the work of human knowledge or intelligence but the Spirit.  Human knowledge and wisdom is often hinders the work of the Spirit.  Listen to what Jesus says about, the knowledge of God, ask yourself, who is hindered from this knowledge?   

21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  22 "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." 
Luke 10;21-22 

         The wise and prudent are those who are wise in the wisdom of this world. While the babes referred to here are the unlearned, those who lack in worldly wisdom.   Further, we need to understand, Christ is the one who reveals the identity of the Father.   Becoming dependent on the Holy Spirit is a sign of growth, contrasted to those who depend on the flesh and their own wisdom.  Personal pride and glory prevent the seeker from finding Christ.   Notice God is the one who reveals Himself it is not our doing.  

44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 
John 6:44 

26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; I Corinthians 1:26-27 

Therefore, if we want to be used to the highest potential of our being, we need to learn to be led by God’s spirit, and not our flesh or earthly wisdom.  The Greek word for wisdom used in Luke 10:21 and I Cor. 1:26 is sophos, this is where we get our word philosophy (philo-love sophos-wisdom).   

C. Knowing the name Jesus is not enough 

To know Jesus requires the revelation by God’s Spirit.  Many people in the world might confess belief in Jesus, but professing belief does not mean you believe.  True belief is demonstrated by the revealing of the Spirit, which then dwells inside the believer.  Jesus makes this very clear in John 3:3,6,9, the believer must be “Born again”, which means being born of the Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer there is no real belief. 

5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 
John 3:5-7 

This might be hard concept for some to follow, think for a moment the name Jesus is actually the anglicized way of pronouncing the Greek translation of Hebrew name Joshua.  The name Jesus is Joshua in the Hebrew.  Though today the name Jesus is identified with the biblical Jesus, the Muslims, Mormons and other cults also have a “Jesus”.  A distinction must be made between the biblical Jesus and the Jesus created by the flesh.  Though the Jesus of Islam and Mormonism have the same name, they are different in nature. For example, the Muslim Jesus is not the Son of God and he did not die on the cross.  The Mormon Jesus, is the brother of Satan, he married Mary, Martha and Mary, and is one of many gods. Paul had to deal with this very issue in the Church at Corinth; Paul refers to “another Jesus” and a “different gospel”.

3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted-you may well put up with it! 
2 Cor. 11:3-4  

For this very reason Jesus warns on the day of Judgment, how many people will be deceived by a “another Jesus”. He records His response, “I never knew you” He will respond on that day.  The sad part is they thought they had truth, but the source of their truth was a lie, they were in fact deceived by Satan, who appealed to their flesh, they rejected the simplicity of the Gospel for a lie. Jesus says about that day, 

21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
Matthew 7:21-23

Many will claim to have done things in the name of Jesus; however what they will lack is relationship. Jesus says, “I never knew you”, in other words there was never a relationship there. Even though works were done in the name of Jesus, Jesus was not involved.  Their “Jesus” was not revealed by the Spirit, but by flesh, the creation of men. 

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Romans 8:9 

The Holy Spirit and the revealed Word 

The Authority of the Bible

How can we know which Jesus to believe in?  As mentioned earlier, the name Jesus does not mean we are talking about the same person.  The Jesus of the Bible is identified with the Bible, while the Jesus of Islam with the Quran.  The Mormon Jesus is a creation of Joseph Smith and the LDS church.  Recently, the book The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown, has reissued the Gnostic Jesus, selling over 40 million copies; many readers might base their belief in Jesus on the creation of Dan Brown.  Regardless, one thing all these groups have in common is the basis of their “Jesus”, he is not found in the Bible, but the creation of individuals.  People who write under their own name and authority, create their own Jesus.

The Bible on the other hand claims ultimate authority; In Isaiah God warns of the disaster for those who look to false sources of authority, the end of their search is darkness, gloom and anguish. 

19 And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them... 22 Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness..
Isaiah 8:19-20,22  

The Bible demonstrates it super-natural nature, proving the source of its inspiration is from the God.  Through Bible Prophecy, the Bible foretold specific information about Jesus, proving the Jesus of the New Testament is the Messiah.  The Bible also demonstrates it super-natural nature by proclaiming specific events in the future, regarding Israel, Jerusalem and the Jewish people.  (See attached Chart)

To validate Jesus is Messiah, Isaiah 700-years before His birth, foretold His rejection and murder, calling him “Righteous servant” (Isaiah 53:11), who would die for the iniquity of all (Isaiah 53:6). Daniel revealed the exact time of his death, 539-years before His birth, in the Seventy-Weeks of Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27).  The point is God provides evidence for those who seek evidence, despite this, only through the Holy Spirit drawing of the soul, can the person find Christ.

Once we understand and trust the authority of the Bible, as the revelation from God, to fallen and lost world, we can then tap into the eternal power of Holy-Spirit. 

 How the Spirit uses the Bible 

         Once we come to the point of salvation, and we put our trust in Jesus Christ, we then receive the gift of Salvation; God’s Holy Spirit is then deposited in us as a guarantee of the redemption to come (Ephesians 1:14).  The Holy Spirit dwelling inside us gives us direction, searching our hearts, and moving us  

26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 
Romans 8:26-27 

         Since the Bible is the Word of God, and the Word of God is called the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), we have a weapon to wage war in the spiritual realms.  Since the Holy Spirit dwells in us, the Words in the Bible become our way of understanding the will of God.  The Spirit uses the Word for use to know God’s will.  By knowing the will of God, we can stay in fellowship with God.

One illustration, which demonstrates the dilemma facing  believers, both young and old is to understand the concept of the  new man and old man.  Once we come to know Christ, we have a new man or new nature because we are Born Again.  Even though we have a new nature, we still have an old nature, or sin nature, which remains until this life is over, and redemption is complete. We however have the ability to control this nature. 

         These two natures fight each other, like two dogs in locked room, each trying to dominate the other.  Our flesh seeks mastery of the new man, while the new man seeks mastery over the old man. 

         If we feed our new nature and starve our old nature our new nature can then dominate, on the other had if we starve the new nature and feed the old, then the old nature will dominate and control our life.

How do feed and starve these natures?

         The contrast between these two natures is best pictured in the fruits of the spirit and the works of the flesh, our job is to learn, through the Spirit to master our weakness.  

 Through the Holy Spirit, we have power over our flesh. The Spirit through the revealed word can show our new man how we should interact in the world.  Our fallen nature desires to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, the Bible however is the light in the darkness, to overcome the fallen nature. 

3. Why the world attacks the Bible 

The Bible today is a very controversial book in the eyes of the world, just its possession in some countries could mean a death sentence.   While that is not the case in the United States, still the presence of a Bible causes an uneasy feeling for some. Why is this so?

The Bible opposes and exposes the works of the flesh; the works of the flesh operate in darkness, while the word of God is light.   Those who love the darkness hate the light, because the Bible exposes the deeds of flesh.  

19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
John 3:19-20 

One problem people have with the Bible is it says actions are right or wrong.  The Bible also claims there are eternal consequences for our actions and beliefs.  The flesh is at war with the Spirit; therefore, the Bible is at war with the works of the flesh. 

Two ways the world tries to subdue the power of the God’s word is by diminishing it’s authority.  One is to deny its authorship, declaring the Bible is a book written by man alone.  The second is to misinterpret the words in the Bible. Answers to the charges of skeptics, is dealt with in the field of apologetics[6], there is tremendous amount of evidence for those who want evidence. The other issue is Bible interpretation or hermeneutics, the Greek word for interpretation.  

Does the Bible mean what it says? 

How many times have you heard the phrase, “that is your interpretation”?   Since the Bible tears down the strongholds of the flesh, the flesh tries to tear down the Bible.  When the Bible confronts issues in our life, or in the world, the world tries to diminish its authority by attributing the issue as a matter of interpretation.  In this way, the issue is glazed over. 

A popular issue today is Homosexuality, is it right or is it wrong?  Well saying it’s a sin, can get you the title Homophobe in many circles.  The Bible clearly states it’s a sin, so the Bible is at odds with the world.  If its a sin, then why do many churches support homosexuality and gay marriage?  They respond its how you interpret the scriptures.  While not outright denying the Bible, they claim to accept the Bible while at the same time denying the authority of its words.  They have fallen to the deception of the enemy, Satan who has the goal of subverting God’s authority, causing people to enter a Christ-less eternity.

To grow in the Spirit, we need to submit our lives the words of the Spirit, the Word of God.  Unless we submit, we put a roadblock in the way of the Spirit.