NEWS Life from the Spirit
Here's a little meditation for you today inspired once again by T. Austin-Sparks. May it be light for you. Sparks says:
"Before I ever had a great spiritual crisis, I had very thoroughly studied the Bible. I had studied the Bible systematically right through. I could put on a big blackboard the outline and analysis of every book in the Bible. And I could give Bible lectures, but it was not until I had a real spiritual crisis, that I came to understand the Bible which I knew so well in my head. Then the Bible that I knew became a living Book.
You see that is what happened to the apostles on the day of Pentecost. They were Jews and they knew Jewish Scripture very thoroughly. That is, they knew what was written in the Old Testament. They could have told you all that Moses had written. They could have told you all that David had written. And they could have told you all the prophets had written. But on the day of Pentecost their Bible became alive.
Do you notice that was the difference between Jesus and the scribes? Now the scribes were the authority on the Bible. They were the people who had committed the Bible to memory. They knew everything that was in the Bible, which was the Old Testament. And if anybody wanted to have an explanation of any part of the Old Testament, they went to the scribes, because the scribe was supposed to know all about it. Now when Jesus spoke to the multitudes, the verdict upon His teaching was this: "He talked as One having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matt. 7:29). And yet, the people thought the scribes were the authority. But they said of Jesus, "He taught as One having authority and not as the scribes." What was the difference between Jesus and the scribes? He had the spiritual understanding of the Scripture. And they only had the letter of the Scripture. The apostle says, "The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life" (2 Cor. 3:6)."
It is one thing to read Scripture and be able to recite it from memory, and another entirely different thing to understand it. The Holy Spirit, and only the Holy Spirit, gives understanding. The Bible is a closed book to a heart that is not led by the Holy Spirit. Oh sure, you can read the Bible without the Holy Spirit. But don't confuse reading a book with spiritual understanding. The act of reading doesn't constitute spiritual understanding unless it is led by the Spirit. The Spirit is Light, and it is the Light that allows us to see Christ - God's true expression of love.
The Bible comes alive, as Sparks says, when we have that great spiritual crisis in our lives, when God reveals His Son and we become entangled with Love. In the presence of the Spirit, we no longer view the Bible as a book. We see the Bible for what it truly is - an all powerful and magnificent Person Who is Love, Light and Life.
The scribes and Pharisees knew the Scripture backward and forward. I imagine many scribes could recite Scripture line by line from memory. But they did not have a clue who Christ is. The Lord stood right in front of their faces and all they could do was throw stones at Him, spit in His face and ask the Romans to have Him killed. The letter indeed killeth!
Oh, to have spiritual understanding! There is no substitute for spiritual understanding.
Never, ever confuse having head knowledge of the Bible with knowing Christ, beloved. I have heard several men in the past quoting Scripture in rapid fire succession who have no idea who Christ is. These men are the scribes and Pharisees of modern times. They can recite the Bible, but the Son hasn't been revealed to them by God. The Bible is a closed book for such people. There is no life. Spiritual understanding and life go hand in hand. Jesus came so we may all have life - Great Life! The Holy Spirit is the source of all spiritual understanding. The Holy Spirit guides us along to narrow road to eternal life. The only begotten Son and the Holy Spirit are One.
The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. That is the truth.
May the Lord give to you spiritual understanding.
Agape,
Steve
"Before I ever had a great spiritual crisis, I had very thoroughly studied the Bible. I had studied the Bible systematically right through. I could put on a big blackboard the outline and analysis of every book in the Bible. And I could give Bible lectures, but it was not until I had a real spiritual crisis, that I came to understand the Bible which I knew so well in my head. Then the Bible that I knew became a living Book.
You see that is what happened to the apostles on the day of Pentecost. They were Jews and they knew Jewish Scripture very thoroughly. That is, they knew what was written in the Old Testament. They could have told you all that Moses had written. They could have told you all that David had written. And they could have told you all the prophets had written. But on the day of Pentecost their Bible became alive.
Do you notice that was the difference between Jesus and the scribes? Now the scribes were the authority on the Bible. They were the people who had committed the Bible to memory. They knew everything that was in the Bible, which was the Old Testament. And if anybody wanted to have an explanation of any part of the Old Testament, they went to the scribes, because the scribe was supposed to know all about it. Now when Jesus spoke to the multitudes, the verdict upon His teaching was this: "He talked as One having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matt. 7:29). And yet, the people thought the scribes were the authority. But they said of Jesus, "He taught as One having authority and not as the scribes." What was the difference between Jesus and the scribes? He had the spiritual understanding of the Scripture. And they only had the letter of the Scripture. The apostle says, "The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life" (2 Cor. 3:6)."
It is one thing to read Scripture and be able to recite it from memory, and another entirely different thing to understand it. The Holy Spirit, and only the Holy Spirit, gives understanding. The Bible is a closed book to a heart that is not led by the Holy Spirit. Oh sure, you can read the Bible without the Holy Spirit. But don't confuse reading a book with spiritual understanding. The act of reading doesn't constitute spiritual understanding unless it is led by the Spirit. The Spirit is Light, and it is the Light that allows us to see Christ - God's true expression of love.
The Bible comes alive, as Sparks says, when we have that great spiritual crisis in our lives, when God reveals His Son and we become entangled with Love. In the presence of the Spirit, we no longer view the Bible as a book. We see the Bible for what it truly is - an all powerful and magnificent Person Who is Love, Light and Life.
The scribes and Pharisees knew the Scripture backward and forward. I imagine many scribes could recite Scripture line by line from memory. But they did not have a clue who Christ is. The Lord stood right in front of their faces and all they could do was throw stones at Him, spit in His face and ask the Romans to have Him killed. The letter indeed killeth!
Oh, to have spiritual understanding! There is no substitute for spiritual understanding.
Never, ever confuse having head knowledge of the Bible with knowing Christ, beloved. I have heard several men in the past quoting Scripture in rapid fire succession who have no idea who Christ is. These men are the scribes and Pharisees of modern times. They can recite the Bible, but the Son hasn't been revealed to them by God. The Bible is a closed book for such people. There is no life. Spiritual understanding and life go hand in hand. Jesus came so we may all have life - Great Life! The Holy Spirit is the source of all spiritual understanding. The Holy Spirit guides us along to narrow road to eternal life. The only begotten Son and the Holy Spirit are One.
The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. That is the truth.
May the Lord give to you spiritual understanding.
Agape,
Steve
posted by Steve at
8:36 AM
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