SPECIAL TOPIC: ILLUMINATION

SPECIAL TOPIC: ILLUMINATION

God has acted in the past to clearly reveal Himself to mankind (i.e., creation, flood, call of Patriarchs, exodus, conquest, etc.). In theology this is called "revelation." He selected certain men to record and explain this self-revelation (i.e., the Bible, cf. John 14:26; 16:12-15). In theology this is called "inspiration." He has sent His Spirit to help readers understand Him and His promises and provisions, especially the coming of Messiah. In theology this is called "illumination." The problem arises, if the Spirit is involved in understanding God—why are there so many interpretations of the Bible?

Part of the problem lies in the reader's pre-understanding or personal experiences. Often a personal agenda is advocated by using the Bible in a proof-text or atomistic fashion. Often a theological grid is imposed over the Bible allowing it to speak only in certain areas and in selected ways. Illumination simply cannot be equated with inspiration, although the Holy Spirit is involved in both. Inspiration has ceased with the NT (i.e., Jude 3,20). Most NT texts which relate to illumination refer to knowledge about the gospel and the Christlike life (i.e., Rom. 8:12-17; 1 Cor. 2:10-13; Eph. 1:17-19; Phil. 1:9-11; Col. 1:9-13; 1 John 2:20-27). This spiritual understanding, in reality, is one of the promises of the "new covenant" (cf. Jer. 31:31-34, esp. v. 34).

The best approach to allow the Spirit to help believers understand revelation may be to attempt to assert the central idea of a paragraph, not interpret every detail of the text. It is the topical thought which conveys the original author's central truth. Outlining the book or literary unit helps one follow the intent of the original inspired author. No interpreter is inspired. We cannot reproduce the biblical writer's method of interpretation (i.e., inspiration). We can and must attempt to understand what they were saying to their day and then communicate that truth to our own day. There are parts of the Bible that are ambiguous or hidden (until a certain time or period). There will always be disagreements on some texts and subjects but we must state clearly the central truths and allow freedom for individual believer's interpretations within the boundary of the original author's intent. Interpreters must walk in the light they have, always being open to more light from the Bible and the Spirit. God will judge us based on the level of our understanding and how we live out that understanding.

Since the Holy Spirit is crucial in illumination, let me insert my thoughts on "the Spiritual Aspect" of Bible interpretation. The following is taken from my Seminar on Bible Interpretation (i.e., Practical Procedures, I. A., free on www.freebiblecommentary.org

The spiritual aspect of Bible study (which is so necessary) is difficult to discuss because of the vast array of differing interpretations affirmed by godly, educated, sincere believers.

Pray for the Spirit's help every time we read and try to understand the Bible (cf. 1 Cor. 1:26-2:16).
Pray for personal cleansing (cf. 1 John 1:9).
Pray for greater desire to know God (cf. Ps. 19:7-14; 42:1ff; 119:1ff).
Apply new insights to your own life (cf. Eph. 4:1; 5:2,15; 1 John 1:7).
H. H. Rowley: "It perceives that no merely intellectual understanding of the Bible, however complete, can possess all its treasures. It does not despise such understainding, for it is essential to a complete understanding. But it must lead to a spiritual understanding of the spiritual treasures of this book if it is to be complete. And for that spiritual understanding something more than intellectual alertness is necessary. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and the Bible student needs an attitude of spiritual receptivity, an eagerness to find God that he may yield himself to Him, if he is to pass beyond his scientific study unto the richer inheritance of this greatest of all books." The Relevance of the Bible (p. 19).
A good article is found in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, vol. 1, pp. 66-67.
A good book is Listening to the Spirit in the Text by Gordon D. Fee.