Illumination

 If you’ve ever read a detailed legal document or tried to assemble an appliance based on cryptic instructions, you’ve probably wished that someone could come alongside you and provide a clear explanation. This sometimes happens when we read the Bible as well. Some passages are difficult to understand. More specifically, some passages are hard to apply in our day-to-day lives. Just how do we go about loving our neighbour as ourselves? How are we to shine as lights in a dark world? How are we to nurture our children in the faith, or grow in God’s grace? Thankfully, we have help in both understanding and applying the truths of God’s Word.

First Corinthians 2.12 tells us, “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” God the Holy Spirit is our source of spiritual illumination. Illumination refers to the work of God’s Holy Spirit whereby He applies the truths of God’s Word to our hearts and lives.

We know that the Holy Spirit is active even in the hearts of unbelievers. In John 16.8 Jesus said that the Holy Spirit”will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” The Holy Spirit convicts the hearts of unbelievers, heightening their sense of guilt before God. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ for our salvation, the Holy Spirit takes on a special role in our lives. In 1 Corinthians 3.16 the apostle Paul asks, “Don't you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” As believers, we have the Holy Spirit living within us. Because of this intimate relationship with God in our lives, we have help in understanding and applying God’s Word. The indwelling Holy Spirit illuminates the Bible so that we can live according to it’s truths.

The Holy Spirit’s work of illumination, however, doesn’t take away our need to read and study the Bible. Second Timothy 2.15 tells us, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” Studying the Bible demands hard work. We shouldn’t expect the Holy Spirit to allow us to bypass the work involved in studying and meditating on God’s Word. We’d miss out on the joy of discovering what God has to say to us each day. But we can depend on the Holy Spirit to take those truths that we’ve studied and apply them to our own situation. He, through His gentle and often mysterious leading in our hearts, will help us weave God’s Word into our daily lives.

The illuminating work of the Holy Spirit is available to every true believer. God wants us to understand His Word and use it effectively. First, however, we must establish a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Ask Jesus to be Saviour today, and then invite the Holy Spirit to open your heart so that you can live according to God’s Word.