The Word and the Spirit
God has graciously given Christians His written Word and His Spirit! We need both the Word and the Holy Spirit as the center-piece for our daily walk. The Biblical concept of this – Word and Spirit together – is essential. We need the objective truth of Scripture and the Holy Spirit to illumine the given truth of Scripture to our hearts. The saint of God does not expect one without the other because both are God’s promises for us.
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you…But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” John 14:16-17,26 NASB
Notice that the promise of the Holy Spirit is given only to His own. And the Father and the Son have not relinquished on this promise. The Holy Spirit is a continually abiding presence with all of God’s people. That is great comfort!So, is this teacher correct in saying “you can’t get the specifics that you want from God unless you have the spirit?” Let’s read what 1 Corinthians 2:14 says:
“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
This text is saying that without the Holy Spirit, one cannot understand the things of God. It does not mean that once a person has God’s Spirit, they can have direct, meaningful, and ongoing conversation with God. Let’s read just a few verses prior:
“For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” 1 Corinthians 2:11-13 NASB
Now, this teacher rightly says that only the spiritual person can appraise spiritual things. But those spiritual things are not some conversation. Rather, they are the spiritual truths found in God’s Word. God speaks to us – in His Word – and He graciously listens to us – in our prayers. The wonderful truths of Scripture are not some springboard into hearing a mystical voice.So, how does the Holy Spirit operate? Does the Spirit speak as God’s voice? Does He speak directly to us apart from the Bible?The Holy Spirit guides His children into all truth.
“’But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.’” John 16:13-15 NASB
The Holy Spirit testifies to Jesus by guiding His own children into all the truth – Scripture. Imagine that! God “speaks” to us each time we go to the place where He has already spoken – His written Word. And we can hear and understand because of a special promise by God Himself to give us the Holy Spirit.Therefore, do we learn and recognize God’s voice through building a rapport and friendship with Him? Only if we mean that we go to where we can know Him – that is, to the words He has already spoken. This is where God makes His mind known. We can be spiritual and know the specifics of God’s will because we receive those words (Bible), not “specific and extra” words. It is not through some mystical (mysterious) or direct communication. The real Holy Spirit is not our own personal spirit.To be led by the Spirit means to believe God’s written Word and walk in the Spirit’s strength according to that Word. It is personal because it is the Spirit bearing witness to you or I as we do this. But it is not something more than the revelation of the Word already given to and for us. We must be careful if we believe we are hearing the voice of God, i.e. hearing from the Spirit, while not having the Word of God right before us externally or internally as memorized.Thomas Watson said, “The Word written is above an angelic embassy, or a voice from heaven.”When the Apostle Peter actually heard a voice from heaven, he used it to remind his readers that Scripture is God’s Word. He makes no mention of seeking or listening for more voices, whether they are external or internal.
“For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such a declaration as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory: “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”— and we ourselves heard this declaration made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 2 Peter 1:16-21 NASB (emphasis added)