“Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.” – 2 Corinthians 2:14
If you’re a Christian, you’ve received the Holy Spirit and He lives within you. The Spirit does many things but one of the most critical is help you understand God’s Word. Because the Bible is spiritual in nature, we need God’s Spirit to really understand it. A person without the Spirit can know many things about the Scripture, but will never truly understand it. Why? Because truly understanding Scripture demands a response – worship, obedience, faithfulness. Head knowledge about the Bible that doesn’t provoke that response indicates a lack of genuine understanding.
What’s far more important is the other side of this reality… If you have the Holy Spirit in you, then you have the most important thing you need in order to read and understand Scripture for yourself. You don’t need to be a great scholar to understand, respond to, and be changed by the Bible. You just need the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit unlocks Scripture for us. Study, learning, and practice can certainly help but if Jesus is your Lord, then Scripture is for you and you CAN understand it. Don’t let anyone (including yourself) convince you otherwise!!!
If you’ve always believed that you can’t read or understand the Bible for yourself, trust God’s Spirit and start reading. Make sure you have a good translation you can understand. Get a reading plan to systematically read a little Scripture every single day. Pray for God’s help to understand before you read. Ask for God’s help to understand after you have read. Start reading every day and spend a few minutes thinking about, asking questions about, and reflecting on what you’ve read. If you’re diligent, the Spirit will help you begin to understand what you’re reading more and more. The Bible will begin to change you more and more. Why? Because God’s Spirit opens your mind to understand the Scriptures He’s given you for your blessing, benefit, and transformation. #FollowJesus