{"id":5513,"date":"2025-01-30T07:36:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T12:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/?p=5513"},"modified":"2025-07-30T11:55:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T15:55:39","slug":"holy-spirit-scripture-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/topics-themes\/character-of-god\/holy-spirit-scripture-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Holy Spirit? How the Third Person of the Trinity Illuminates Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever felt next to nothing in your faith? It’s not uncommon to feel despair and resignation in your relationship with God. I felt that deeply during my early adult years. The book of Psalms especially records emotions of God\u2019s people feeling abandoned, left alone by God, full of restless anxiety<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we live in the experience of feeling nothing from God for too long, however, we risk letting our lives slide into quiet desperation. We might become hypocrites talking about our love for God when we don\u2019t experience it; or we might walk away altogether, saying this Christian thing doesn\u2019t work, it\u2019s all pretend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So where do we go for help? The Holy Spirit. Very simply, what we want and need is personal, relational comfort from God, and the Holy Spirit is the<\/em> Comforter (John 14:26<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specifically, we need to meet the Holy Spirit in the Bible. Because the more we understand about the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Scripture, the more we can become like the child in Psalm 131<\/a>: filled, confident, resting contentedly in our experienced relationship with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our topic then is the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and our personal relationship with Christ \u2014 a triad, which has also been called a \u201cthree-fold encounter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is the Bible?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first part of the triad is the Bible. We\u2019ll do this briefly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Very simply, the Bible is God\u2019s Word. It\u2019s God\u2019s communication to us. It has authority because God has authority. It\u2019s God\u2019s revelation of who He is and what He\u2019s done, is doing, and will do \u2014 it\u2019s the story of creation, the Fall, of redemption in Christ, the church, and of the coming New Creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, the Bible is about the Gospel, the true story of Christ, and it points to Christ (John 5:39<\/a>). \u201cIgnorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What \u2014 or Who \u2014 Is the Holy Spirit?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The second part of the triad is the Holy Spirit. The first point I want to make about the Holy Spirit is that the Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Trinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Holy Spirit Is God<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the Bible the Holy Spirit is described as God\u2019s Spirit, as Christ\u2019s Spirit (Romans 8:9<\/a>). The Holy Spirit is fully God, worthy of praise Himself, but His primary responsibility in the Trinity is to point to Christ so that Christ gets our attention and glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Holy Spirit shines a spotlight on Christ so we can be awestruck by Jesus, so we come to know, love, and follow Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Picture a large auditorium that is completely dark. In the back, up top, there\u2019s a world class musician, and he\u2019s pointing a spotlight down on his favorite world class musician on stage. The musician in the back is excited for everyone in the auditorium to meet, hear, and be blown away by the musician on the stage. That\u2019s what the Holy Spirit wants to do for Christ, to shine the spotlight on Him (John 16:13-14<\/a>). It gives Him the deepest joy to help us to see and hear Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Holy Spirit Inspired Scripture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The second point about the Holy Spirit is that the Holy Spirit inspired Scripture. \u201cInspired\u201d comes from the Latin word inspirare, <\/em>which literally means \u201cbreathe into.\u201d The Holy Spirit breathed life into<\/em> the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Holy Spirit is the source of the Bible. If we ignore the Bible, we\u2019re ignoring the work of the Holy Spirit, and since the Holy Spirit is God, we\u2019d be ignoring God. Scripture is an intentional communication from one Living Person (God) to another (you and me).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a parallel to God breathing His life into human beings in Genesis. In Genesis 2:7<\/a> Adam became a living being when God breathed into his nostrils. The Holy Spirit, God, has also breathed His life into the Scriptures. The Bible, in some amazing sense, is a living book (Hebrews 4:12<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Banner<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To tell you the truth I don\u2019t fully understand the idea of a book being alive, but I\u2019ve experienced it. I hope you\u2019ve experienced this too \u2014 the Holy Spirit using the words of the Bible to speak directly to your soul so that you knew it was God speaking to you. Maybe helping you catch glimpses of God\u2019s holiness, power, or lovingkindness. Maybe convicting you of your sins and then comforting you after you\u2019ve confessed them. Those are very real Holy Spirit experiences, and they remind us that God is active in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you come to God\u2019s inspired Word, in a very real way you\u2019re coming to God. It\u2019s an amazing biblical truth that we have access to God, through Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, through the words of the Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Holy Spirit Illuminates Scripture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The next point about the Holy Spirit is that the Holy Spirit illuminates<\/em> Scripture (John 14:26<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mentioned that the Holy Spirit\u2019s role is to direct a spotlight at Christ to illuminate Him, so that we can be awestruck by Christ, so that we will know and love and follow Him. In this illustration, the spotlight that the Holy Spirit uses for us to see and experience Christ is the Bible that He inspired. The Holy Spirit inspired the Bible and then uses its light to point us into a relationship with Christ, making us more aware of Christ\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Holy Spirit is our \u201cAdvocate\u201d (John 14:26<\/a>). The Greek word is \u201cparaclete,\u201d which also means \u201cComforter,\u201d \u201cCounselor,\u201d or \u201cone called to the side of another.\u201d The Holy Spirit comes alongside of us in the Bible. He uses it to comfort, convince, and convict us. He uses it to help us to meet Christ. We\u2019re reading the Bible with the Author of the Bible right there with us. Amazing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Holy Spirit is within us and helps us to read the Bible well<\/a>. He is the catalyst for all spiritual transformation. By spiritual transformation I mean we\u2019re growing in our love of God and others, growing in our reflecting the image of Christ, growing in our following Jesus. He shows us a world we wouldn\u2019t begin to see without Him. He\u2019s the Godly teacher in the heart of every believer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relational Reading<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Reading Scripture rightly is never reading alone \u2014 it\u2019s a relational process. God is relational, so reading the Bible is relational. The Bible is a relational book. When we engage Scripture, we engage God. Given that the Holy Spirit is using Scripture to point to Christ, reading Scripture can and should be a real-time experience of communion with Christ. He\u2019s calling us into a relationship with Him through the Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading relationally means I don\u2019t look at the Bible like it\u2019s a theory. Instead it\u2019s a home<\/em>, the place we come to love and be loved by Christ, the central subject of all Scripture. Think of Bible reading as a conversation with a beloved family member, a family member you know already but want to know better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember a conversation I had with my grandmother, whom I loved very much, late in her life. It was a deep and real conversation, just the two of us, where I remember realizing at a much deeper level \u2014 because I was finally mature enough to have this conversation \u2014 how amazing she really was, how complicated her life had been and what an adventure she\u2019d been on during her life. I remember lingering with her, enjoying her presence, wanting to know more about her, and her<\/em> wanting me to know more about her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She showered me with her love and wisdom during that conversation. Surely speaking with Christ, the Lord of the universe, should be as relationally interesting as that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transformational Reading<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The author of the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, is within us, guiding us (Ephesians 1:17-18<\/a>). The Holy Spirit is talking to us through the Scriptures. When the Holy Spirit talks to us, He isn\u2019t revealing new doctrines, He\u2019s speaking through what He\u2019s already said in the Scriptures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we say that the Holy Spirit illuminates Scripture, we\u2019re saying that He\u2019s teaching us to acknowledge the truth in the Bible and how it bears on our lives. The inner witness of the Spirit authenticates God\u2019s Word to us. The Spirit of God communicates by stimulating thoughts, feelings, and inclinations. The Spirit tells us \u201cthis<\/em> in the Bible is true,\u201d and \u201cthis<\/em> has to do with you, so pay attention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A simple example of this is when we read about God\u2019s love in the Bible, how Christ loves us and gave Himself for us. The Holy Spirit can take those words and help you to realize they\u2019re actually true<\/em>; God is a God of love and grace. But more importantly the Holy Spirit helps you to see and know that God loves you<\/em>, right now, right where you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we start to sense that truth in our souls, it transforms the way we see God and we grow in our love for and desire to be with God. Our view of the world is changed \u2014 our hearts are reprogrammed \u2014 which would not have happened apart from the Holy Spirit\u2019s active illumination of the truths in the Bible. Just reading the words \u201cGod loves you\u201d doesn\u2019t transform us; we need the Holy Spirit to press that truth into our souls as we meditate on Scripture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes I hear people talk like they have such close contact with the Holy Spirit that they don\u2019t really need the Bible. It sounds holy, but its theologically unsound. The primary tool that the Holy Spirit uses to bring us into contact with God is the Bible He inspired and illuminates. To cut the Holy Spirit off from the use of the Scripture in our lives is like asking your doctor to do surgery on you with no medical equipment. It\u2019s crazy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The simple truth is that Jesus studied, meditated on, and prayed the Bible<\/a>. If it was so important to Jesus, and He was completely Spirit-led, we His followers must do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the Holy Spirit Guides Us to Christ Through Scripture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So far we\u2019ve looked briefly at two parts of our three-fold encounter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. We\u2019ve looked at the Bible; that it\u2019s God\u2019s Authoritative Word, God\u2019s communication of the Gospel \u2014 the good news of Jesus Christ \u2014 and that it points to Christ.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. We\u2019ve also looked at the Holy Spirit; that He\u2019s God, He inspired the Scriptures, and He illuminates them in our lives through relational and transformational Bible reading.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    So, what\u2019s our<\/em> role, the third part in this three-fold encounter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Scripture Engagement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    One phrase that describes our role is \u201cScripture engagement.\u201d Scripture engagement means meditating on the Bible with the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we can be transformed by meeting Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What do I mean by biblical meditation (Joshua 1:8<\/a>)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Have you ever noticed your mind so centered on something that it just won\u2019t let go? Maybe something you wish you hadn\u2019t said, or something you\u2019re just worrying about, that repeats over and over. Or maybe it\u2019s a positive thought, like you\u2019re in love and can\u2019t help thinking about that other person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s meditation, and we all do it. It\u2019s when our thoughts are on a slow simmer. In biblical meditation, you\u2019re purposively choosing the thoughts you want to mull over instead of letting your thoughts run you (Philippians 4:8<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When we meditate on the Bible we slow down and savor the words, images, and truths of Scripture. We turn them over in our minds and, in the presence of the Holy Spirit, ask God to make them real to us. We keep in mind that we\u2019re reading relationally, we\u2019re reading to meet Christ. It\u2019s right at this point, in the slowing down, that the Holy Spirit does His work. It\u2019s when we choose to meditate that we give room for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s why it\u2019s so critical to slow down and soak in Scripture: it\u2019s the tool the Holy Spirit uses in our lives to transform us. We don\u2019t grow in a relationship with a friend who isn\u2019t present with us, who\u2019s always zipping away to someplace else. \u201cSorry, can\u2019t talk, got to go do something more important than you. I\u2019m busy, terribly busy.\u201d Don\u2019t do that to Christ either. \u201cDwell, don\u2019t dash.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How to Meditate on Scripture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Meditating on the Word<\/em> says simply that \u201cyou should accept the Word of Scripture and ponder it in your heart<\/a> as Mary did. That is all. That is meditation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Meditation is a middle ground between our time reading the Bible and prayer. Too often when we read the Bible we read for information only, we read quickly and in a shallow way, trying to get the task done, and then after we read we pray our requests to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I can\u2019t tell you how many years I followed that exact pattern. Read some Bible, pray my same prayers, then walk away, often somewhat dissatisfied relationally, but feeling I was at least doing my duty as a Christian. The Bible was<\/em> changing me, I don\u2019t want you to think it was all bad \u2014 but I yearned for something more. It felt like the volume on my spiritual life was set at \u201clow\u201d and I wanted it turned up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Learning about and practicing Scripture meditation, Scripture engagement, is what\u2019s been deepening my relationship with God for the past 25 years. Scripture meditation personalizes what I\u2019ve read and studied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s how I do it:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I start by asking the Holy Spirit to use God\u2019s Word to speak to me. I come in a posture of listening, asking for help to obey whatever God\u2019s calling me to think, feel, or do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I then carefully and slowly read a passage and study what it says. I love the One who speaks the words in the Bible \u2014 I want to make sure I get His words right \u2014 so I study them. I can\u2019t reflect rightly on what I don\u2019t understand. Without study my spirituality can become shallow and self-indulgent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As I ponder what I\u2019m studying and reading, I find the Holy Spirit personalizes what\u2019s in the Bible. It becomes a conversation between God and me in which I literally talk to God; in other words, I pray as I\u2019m reading<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I praise Him, thank Him, confess to Him, and make requests of Him all as I read, all prompted by my reading and reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Let the Spirit Lead You to Christ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Read, meditate, pray \u2014 all in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. It isn\u2019t that complicated; it does<\/em> take practice; there are lots of ways to do it<\/a>; and \u2014 although I truly wish someone had taught me about all of this when I was much younger \u2014 it\u2019s never too late to start. There\u2019s absolutely nothing better than knowing, loving, and following Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As we read, meditate, and pray the Bible our spirits are filled with a meaningful personal relationship with our Lord. We learn to trust and wait on His goodness, knowing that He has given everything we need to thrive in Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Open your heart to the Holy Spirit, be shaped by God\u2019s Word, and grow in your relationship with Christ. It\u2019s what your Father designed you for, and engaging Scripture is the primary means for you to experience the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you’re new to Bible reading and not sure where to start \u2014 or if you want to challenge yourself with a Bible-in-a-year plan or simply renew your dedication \u2014 read our free guide<\/a>. Or, if you’re already Bible-engaged and want to deepen your relationship with God’s Word, try Bible Gateway Plus free<\/a> and get access to a host of amazing study resources.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Trinity, and He illuminates Christ through the Scriptures \u2014 if we take the time to read them well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5514,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[463,459],"tags":[78,342,341,221,203,340,343],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Is the Holy Spirit? 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