The Holy Spirit and the Word -- Revealer of the Mind of God!
By Keith Greer

"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God." {Luke 8:11} Where seeds are concerned, two things are true:

One of the most important parts of the Holy Spirit's work deals with the revelation of God's word and how man came to know God's mind. "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." {2 Peter 1:20,21} God's book did not come through man's wisdom--but by revelation. "But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ." {Galatians 1:11,12}

The Bible makes some very special claims about itself. It claims to be:

By way of Inspiration and Revelation, God's word passed from His mind to man. Inspiration is the broader term. All scripture is inspired, but not all is composed of revelation. To inspire means "to breath into." It is as though God "breathed into" men the things that they wrote. He provided (breathed) miraculous guidance in the writing of the sacred text. It implies an influence from without that produces effects beyond man's ability to perform. This takes man out of the equation. To reveal is "to uncover, to unveil, to make known" miraculously what cannot be learned through any other means.

The nature of Deity necessarily implies the nature of scripture--it is immutable; it cannot be changed or broken. "That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us." {Hebrews 6:18}

God's word is inerrant--incapable of error. "For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints." {1 Corinthians 14:33} It is also infallible--a perfect guide that is certain and sure. "That you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed." {Luke 1:4}

The word is the Holy Spirit's vehicle for leading, directing, and instructing. He brought us:

Many passages refer to inspiration and revelation as special works of the Holy Spirit.

As we turn to the pages of the New Testament, we also see the Holy Spirit's work in bringing God's word to those who needed it.

The instrument of the Holy Spirit is the Word of God. By it, we are:

  1. Born - "Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever." (1 Peter 1:23)
  2. Cleansed -- "that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word," (Ephesians 5:26)
  3. Justified -- "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." (Galatians 2:16)
  4. Purified -- "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart," (1 Peter 1:22)
  5. Sanctified -- "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth," (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
  6. Strengthened -- "that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;" (Colossians 1:10,11)
  7. Established -- "Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith." (Romans 16:25,26)
  8. Edified -- "And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." (Acts 20:32)

The Spirit and the Word are Inseparable. "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)

The Word was confirmed. "how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?" (Hebrews 2:3,4)

The Spirit revealed God's mind. "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual."

Please refer to the following chart.

THE HOLY SPIRIT and THE WORD

The Spirit   The Word
Romans 8:16 Witnesses John 5:39
Nehemiah 9:30 Instructs 2 Timothy 3:16
John 16:8 Convicts Titus 1:9
2 Corinthians 3:6 Begets James 1:18
John 3:5 Gives Birth 1 Peter 1:23
Titus 3:5 Saves James 1:21
1 Corinthians 6:11 Sanctifies John 17:17
Ephesians 5:26 Cleanses John 15:2,3
Romans 8:11 Indwells Colossians 3:16
Ephesians 3:16 Strengthens Acts 20:28
Romans 15:13 Power Hebrews 1:3
Romans 8:11 Resurrects John 5:28,29
Galatians 5:16-18 Leads Psalm 119:9
Acts 9:31 Comforts 1 Thessalonians 4:18

The Bible writers did not conceive these thoughts in their own minds, then write them down as they remembered them. God does not take chances; neither did He wish for men to insert their own theories and opinions into His divine word. The Holy Spirit once spoke through inspired men. Now He speaks through the inspired book--The Bible. God's Divine Word is the only medium through which the Holy Spirit works today--period! He gives no latter-day revelations, has no personal conversations, issues no textual changes or amendments. Every thing the Scriptures say the Spirit does, the word also does. Why would there be a need for any other work of the Spirit? If the divine word, already delivered, leads men to every good work (2 Timothy 3:16,17), gives all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), is the perfect law of liberty (James 1:25), was once delivered to the saints (Jude 3), what, pray tell, is missing? We must conclude that the only way to hear, and be led by, the Spirit today is to OPEN GOD'S BOOK!!!