The Holy Spirit: Author and Teacher of the Word

Earlier in the year, I shared ten powerful things that the Word of God does in our lives and encouraged you (and me) to commit to spending time studying, meditating, and obeying God’s Word.

 

Suppose you missed that post, no worries! You can read it by clicking HERE.

 

Today, I’m focusing on the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Word of God by showcasing the Holy Spirit as the author of ALL Scripture, and the One who teaches us and transforms our lives through the Word.

 

The Holy Spirit: The Author of Scripture

We believe in and worship one God who eternally exists as three persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. From multiple Scriptures, we learn that the Father is God (Ephesians 1:3), Jesus is God (Romans 9:5), and the Holy Spirit is also God (Acts 5:3-4), but there is only one God.

 

The Holy Spirit is the author of all Scripture, both Old and New Testament.

 

“For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:21 NIV

 

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16

 

The transliteration of the Greek word for God-breathe is theópneustos, which means that God is the One who inspired all written Scripture. Theópneustos also “relates directly to God’s Spirit (pneuma), which can also be translated as “breath” (Strong’s 2315). So the Spirit of God inspired the prophets and apostles and “carried them along” as they wrote down the words of Scripture.

 

Holy Spirit: The Spirit of Christ

Jesus is the Living Word (John 1:1,14), and the Bible is the written Word inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Jesus Christ, reflecting the unity of the Trinity (Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:9).

 

The Spirit and the Word are ALWAYS in perfect harmony and agreement. Jesus Himself testified that the Words from His lips were Spirit-filled and life-giving.

 

“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.” John 6:63

 

Jesus sent His Spirit, God’s Spirit, as a gift to be with us, live in us, teach us about Him, and remind us of His words (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit is everywhere at the same time and able to permanently dwell in the church and us, His followers (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). Every believer can enjoy intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.

 

I encourage you to become intimately aware and sensitive to the presence of the Holy Spirit in you. He is a Person. Therefore, get comfortable with Him. Talk to Him and ask Him questions. Seek His guidance and invite Him to help you understand the Word of God. He will teach you everything and show you how to live as Jesus did.

 

What Role Does the Holy Spirit Play When We Study the Bible?

 The Holy Spirit Teaches and Interprets the Word 

The Holy Spirit is a Teacher. He is the One who teaches us and helps us to understand the Word. He unfolds our spiritual understanding so that we can receive everything that God has graciously provided to us (John 14:26).

 

The Bible makes little to no sense without the Holy Spirit because it requires spiritual discernment. Without Him, Bible study becomes nothing more than a tedious academic exercise. But, we can depend on the Holy Spirit to teach us the Word because as the author, He is able to help us correctly interpret Scriptures so that we can discern truth from lies.

 

“What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.

 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:12-14

 

The Holy Spirit Transforms Our Lives Through the Word

God speaks to us through the Bible. The Holy Spirit is the One who makes the written Word of God “speak” to our hearts and transform our minds. He makes the Scriptures come alive to us and helps us apply them to our lives.

 

The Holy Spirit uses the truth of the Scriptures to combat the lies of our selfish inclination, the world, and the devil. He helps us discern whether our thoughts and actions align with the will and Word of God.

 

There is no limit to what the Holy Spirit will produce in our lives when we allow Him to mold and transform us with the Word.

 

The Holy Spirit Guides our Lives Through the Word

As we spend time in the Word, the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of truth guides us and leads us to Jesus who is the Truth (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit uplifts, reveals, and makes Jesus known to us, and helps us to fix our minds on Jesus.

 

The Holy Spirit guides us in our study of the Word by highlighting the Scriptures we need at that specific time. He uses the Scriptures to guide our path and our decisions in life.

 

 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” John 16: 12-13a

 

The Holy Spirit Helps us Remember the Word

The Holy Spirit helps us remember the Word and gives us the boldness to act on what we know.

 

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26

 

Practical Steps for Bible Study

The Holy Spirit reveals the Living Word, Jesus, to us through the written Word. We need both the Word and the Spirit to live victoriously as Christians.

 

Therefore, pray before you study the Word and receive the Word with humility. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the understanding you need. Be expectant that He has something to reveal to you. Then yield and obey Him as He teaches and guides you with the Word. He is only a prayer away!

 

Prompts

You can ask Him the following questions:

What …

• … does this Scripture mean?
• … truth do you want me to believe about who God is and who I am in Him?
• … are you revealing to me about my life?
• … steps of obedience are you prompting me to take?

 

Sample Prayer 

Heavenly Father, I thank You that I can come before You in prayer because of what Your Son, Jesus did by conquering the cross. Thank You so much that I am blessed to have a copy of Your written Word. It’s my desire to personally know You and Your ways as I read the written Word.

Thank You, Holy Spirit that You revealed and inspired men to record these words. Lord, I confess that in and off myself I can’t grasp Your mysteries. Holy Spirit, I rely on You to reveal and give me understanding of these deep truths.

Jesus, by the grace within me, I choose to hear, believe and obey all that You speak. I welcome Your presence as we fellowship together through the Scriptures I’m about to read.

Amen!!

Prayer used with permission from Keystone Fellowship.

 

 

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Until next time……

Chizobam Idahosa

 

 

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Except where indicated, Scriptures are from the NIV.

 

© The Holy Spirit: Author and Teacher of the Word. Chizobam Idahosa @Beautiful in Jesus. All Rights Reserved.