لخّصلي

What makes the Bible different from a history or science book is that the Bible has a power of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit plays three different roles in the Bible: inspiration, illumination and sanctification.

Inspiration

2 Peter 1:20–21: “First of all, you should know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” There are two truths written in the Word of God: The first truth about the Word of God is that it is from God not man. The second truth is that the human authors were “moved by the Holy Spirit” Peter’s explanation is equivalent to what Paul was describing: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16–17). The first role the Holy Spirit plays when it comes to the Word of God is the act of inspiration. Thus the Bible is the product of God’s will, mediated through the Holy Spirit to the men who wrote it.

Illumination
Through illumination God enables us to understand the truth. Believers, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, receive the ability to understand God’s Word. Illumination is not revelation. When we study the Bible, the Holy Spirit does not reveal new truth but rather opens our eyes to interpret and understand the truth that has already been revealed in the Bible.

Several passages in the New Testament help us better understand this idea of illumination. In Ephesians 1:17–19, There are two important practical applications related to the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit. First We should approach the bible with humbleness not with arrogance, and second we need to be careful about giving unbelievers the impression that they can truly understand God’s Word apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Sanctification

This chapter refers to the sanctifying work that the Holy Spirit does in the life of believers to enable them to grow in faith and become more like Christ. The Word of God and the Holy Spirit are indispensable to this process. In James 1:22–25, we read about the importance of obeying the Word of God rather than merely reading it: But doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. In order to get all the wisdom and blessings God has in store for us, we have to practice the word of God and not just read it.
The image of the Bible as a mirror is brilliant. Mirrors don’t lie. As we read God’s word, the Holy Spirit works to convict us of sin .

At that moment, we have the opportunity to respond to this conviction or to remain in darkness.Either we choose to confess and repent of our sins or we stifle the ministry of the Holy Spirit.The progression of sin in this passage revolves around the idea of lying. Bible study cannot remain a purely academic exercise.
The conclusion of this chapter is that we need to begin the study of God’s Word in prayer.
Confessing, repenting and inviting the Holy spirit will help us open eyes to the truth of God.