Illumination
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1 Corinthians 2:6-16
For His Spirit searches
out everything and
shows us God’s deep
secrets (v.10).
It’s glossy and features the pics of people like Bono,
Angelina Jolie, the Dalai Lama, and Che Guevara.
If you glanced at the cover you might mistake it for a
fashion magazine. What is it? A New Testament called
The Bible Illuminated. The publishers, however, admit that
they don’t “support a specific faith.” Many of the images
of celebrities and well-known people are positioned next
to specific verses to make political or social statements.
The photos don’t “illuminate” the text. Instead, they
mislead and confuse the reader.
I’m grateful for the illumination that the Holy Spirit
brings, so that we can truly understand God’s Word
(1 Corinthians 2:10). He “shows us God’s deep secrets”
as we read and study it. Like a lens that allows us to see
what once was blurry and undefined, God’s Spirit helps
us grasp the truths in Scripture that nonbelievers can’t
possibly understand. To them it’s foolishness (1:18).
As the Holy Spirit illumines God’s Word for us, we
move from false and distorted views to the clarity of what
the Bible’s authors are actually communicating (2 Peter
1:21). Then, after the Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to
what the Word is saying, we can pray that He will also
help us take it to heart and obey it.
Now, when a particular passage of the Bible is
highly confusing or hard to understand, it’s good
to do two things: (1) Seek out helpful insights from
godly commentators and theologians who have studied the Scriptures and
experienced the Spirit’s illuminating ways; (2) pray for the Spirit to shed His light
on the verses in question. For “we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s
spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us”
(1 Corinthians 2:12).
Now that’s illumination! —Tom Felten
more›
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17,
Paul reveals that the
Scriptures came about
by God’s inspiration.
How does this differ
from the illumination
of God’s Word?
next›
How have you viewed
Scripture through the
wrong lens? How does
the Holy Spirit open your
eyes to the truths found in
the Bible?
