Why You Need the Holy Spirit to Understand the Bible
This is an excerpt from How to Study the Bible (free), a message from Lance Lambert's Through the Bible series.
The third thing in studying and reading the Bible is the need continually of prayerful reliance upon the Holy Spirit.
The Bible is mere literature to the natural mind. It's a great mass of religious law, of story, some history and doctrine to the natural man. Its real meaning is hidden to such. Now it's true to say the Bible is a closed book to the natural man.
The Biblical Foundation for Spiritual Dependence
Now let's just look at a scripture or two. 1 Corinthians 2:12:
"But we received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God, which things also we speak."
Verse 14:
"Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him, and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and he himself is judged of no man."
And then again in 2 Corinthians 3:14:
"But their minds were hardened; for until this very day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remaineth, it not being revealed to them that it is done away in Christ. But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away."
Now listen, my dear friends, there is a veil over the heart of the natural man. You can be even a converted person, but you can have a veil over the heart. The Bible is a closed book, an absolutely closed book, unless you really have been brought into an experience of the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit of God that really begins to lead us into all truth.
Now this is exactly what the Lord Jesus spoke of in John 16:13-14. He said:
"When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth... He will glorify me; for he will take of the things concerning me, and will declare them unto you."
And then again in John 14:26, the Lord Jesus said again:
"But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things."
And of course, in Ephesians 1:16-18, which we have so often quoted, Paul gets on his knees and he prays for the church at Ephesus. And he prays that there may be granted unto them a spirit of wisdom and revelation, the eyes of their hearts being enlightened, that they might know.
Now, when you think about it—why didn't Paul write to the church at Ephesus and say, "Now look here, here's my letter. I believe this letter is absolutely from God. Now all of you get down to studying it. Get down to studying. That's all you've got to do."
He didn't say that. What he said when he wrote this letter was, "Look, I'm getting on my knees and I'm praying that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, that you might know what I'm talking about."
In other words, you can have this letter to the Ephesians, you can have this whole book and somehow or other you can study it, you can get hold of its doctrine and its teaching and yet remain spiritually in the dark because the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ has not been granted to you. The eyes of your heart have not been enlightened that you might know.
Key Principle: You can study Scripture, grasp its doctrine and teaching, and yet remain spiritually in the dark—because the spirit of wisdom and revelation has not been granted to you. The eyes of your heart have not been enlightened that you might truly know.
A Personal Testimony
So, my dear friends, you can't just approach this book like you'd approach Shakespeare or you might approach the Quran or you might approach something else, some of the great Chinese classics. You can't just approach it like that. You have got to approach this book in prayerful reliance upon the Holy Spirit.
Do you know I never read this book without praying first that the Holy Spirit will lead me. I was taught to do that when I was first saved. And I've done it all the way through my life that I can remember. I remember that dear old lady who had quite an influence on me when I was younger, Auntie Dagmar. She used to say many times to me, "Don't ever open that book without asking the Holy Spirit to lead you."
And it got into my heart. And I can't read this book without asking the Holy Spirit to reveal it. I always tell the Holy Spirit, "Lord, you know I'm blind. I'm absolutely blind to this book. Please lead me into the truth."
And it has been my experience that the Holy Spirit has led me into the truth. The little that I know, I owe completely to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Why did John the apostle in 1 John 2:22, say:
"You have an anointing from God. You have no need that any man teach you. The anointing itself will teach you."
It doesn't mean to say that you don't need teachers—that are functions in the church, gifts in the church of teaching. But you see, you have within you the Holy Spirit who can reveal originally these things. You not only hear it on the platform, but inside it's being made real to you so it becomes original. You've not got a second-hand experience.
The Danger of Second-Hand Knowledge
Now listen, whenever there is no real revelation or enlightenment of the heart by the Holy Spirit, all experience, all knowledge is second-hand. And when fascism or communism or whatever antichrist force finally comes, that kind of second-hand Christianity will be the first to go. It will shift overnight, be gone in a flash. People will not be prepared to lose everything for Christ's sake.
No, you see, the whole point is to have an originally inward knowledge of the Lord. How does that come? By you and I getting on our knees prayerfully telling the Holy Spirit, "I'm blind." You know, there's a strange arrogance in us all. A strange pride in us all that stops us from doing it, as if we're giving something away when we get on our knees.
Well of course we are, really. When we get on our knees and tell the Lord that we're just saying, "Lord, in these matters I'm a simple fool and I need the Holy Spirit." And that's the kind of attitude really the Holy Spirit takes up. Once you say, "I'm a simple fool in things of God," the Holy Spirit will say, "Well, I'll start to educate you."
But if you think that you've got a brain and a mind and an intellect and all the rest of it, you'll get yourself into such a mess, you'll have it all up here and you'll be barren down here and you'll blame it on everyone else. Go around saying, "Oh, they're this, they're that, they're the other." And in fact it's you. You've got it all up here [in your head] and not here [in your heart].
Can't blame that on anyone else. Every one of us has had provision made for us by Christ that we might have an original experience of the Lord.
Never study the word of God without first praying for the Holy Spirit's gracious ministry of guidance, enlightenment and instruction.
Remember: Never open the Bible without first asking the Holy Spirit to lead you. Approach with humility: "Lord, you know I'm blind. I'm absolutely blind to this book. Please lead me into the truth."
Continue Reading
- How to Study the Bible — The complete message
- What God Calls His Word: Eight Pictures of Scripture
- Bible Studies Collection
This teaching is part of How the Bible Came to Be, Lance Lambert's foundational series on the authority, inspiration, and study of Scripture.
About Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert was one of the most distinguished Bible scholars and speakers in Israel in our day. He had an itinerant teaching ministry worldwide.
Born in 1931, Lance grew up in Richmond, Surrey and came to know the Lord at twelve years of age. Later in life, Lance discovered his Jewish ancestry and became an Israeli citizen in 1980, making his home next to the Old City of Jerusalem.
Lance became noted for his eschatological views, which placed him in the tradition of Watchman Nee and T. Austin-Sparks.