The Spirit Helps in Our Weakness (Romans 8:26-27)

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:26-27, ESV). 

Divine-Human Collaboration

“Likewise” or “in the same manner”—pertaining to “what we do not see” and our “hope” that sustains us with patient endurance in cooperation with God (vv. 24-25)—“the Spirit” (as per vv. 9a, 11, 14, 16) “helps with”¹ “our weakness.” This is yet another divine-human cooperative effort (cf. v. 16),² wherein the Spirit is not doing the praying for us, nor are we praying without the Spirit’s intercession.³

Intercession in Prayer

In contrast to what “we know” (vv. 22, 28), when “we do not know what to pray for as we ought,” whether struggling to identify our deepest needs or to find the right words to express them, or to apprehend the will of God in particular areas of our lives and the lives of others, divine help is available. While we may preface our feeble requests with the qualifier, “your will be done” (cf. 1:10; 15:32),⁴ double-intercession is at work as the Spirit intercedes from within praying hearts and as Christ intercedes at the heavenly throne (v. 34).⁵ This occurs in conjunction with God’s providential care (v. 28). 

The “groanings too deep for words” are different from the “groanings” of creation and of God’s suffering children (vv. 22-23).⁶ The adj. ἀλάλητος, “unexpressed, wordless” (BAGD 34), does not convey the sense of “unintelligible” as much as “unspoken.” “While far from being devoid of content, meaning, and intent, they nevertheless transcend articulated formulation.”⁷ Assurance, then, is given “which the unready of speech may well lay to heart, that all prayer need not be formulated but that the most inarticulate desires (springing from a right motive) may have a shape and a value given to them beyond anything that is present and definable to the consciousness.”⁸

The Divine Will

God “searches hearts”⁹ and “knows what is the mind [φρόνημα] of the Spirit [πνεῦμα],” or perhaps “the mind of the [human] spirit,” synonymous with the human “heart” [καρδία] (cf. vv. 5-8).¹⁰ If “the Spirit” is intended, we are reminded of the perfect unity within the Godhead, inclusive of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (cf. vv. 8-10, 14-17, 32-34; also 1 Cor. 2:10-11, 16). Rather than an explanatory “because,” the conjunction ὅτι here seems more descriptive, “that” the Spirit “intercedes for the saints according to [the will of] God” in that the Spirit’s intercession is in fact God’s will (v. 26), and God always answers prayers in accordance with what he wills (v. 28), and he wills to hear and answer the prayers of those sanctified (1:7; 15:30-32), and the intercession of the Spirit is for those who live and pray in accordance with God’s revealed will (1:10; 12:2). Precision of meaning is not necessary here when all of the above are biblically affirmed.¹¹ 

The “inability to petition God specifically and assuredly is met by God’s Spirit, who himself expresses to God those intercessory petitions that perfectly match the will of God…. our failure to understand God’s purposes and plans, to see ‘the beginning from the end,’ does not mean that effective, powerful prayer for our specific needs is absent.”¹² See 1:10; 10:1; 12:12; 15:30; Eph. 3:20; Phil. 4:6-7; Jas. 4:13-18; and compare Psa. 88:1-2, 13.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ The compound συναντιλαμβάνομαι (also occurring in Luke 10:40) is comprised of two prepositions, σύν ("together with") + ἀντί ("over against" or "corresponding to") and the verbal λαμβάνω ("take hold of").

     ² Note also “with” Christ (vv. 17, 32), and the providential working of God (v. 28).

     ³ Paul uses two different words that essentially convey the same meaning: ὑπερεντυγχάνω, to “plead” or “intercede” (v. 26), and ἐντυγχάνω, to “appeal,” “entreat,” “petition” (vv. 27, 34; 11:2). See BAGD 270, 840. 

     ⁴ Cf. Matt. 6:10; 26:39, 42; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42; John 12:27; Acts 18:21; 21:14; 1 Cor. 4:19; 16:7; Heb. 6:3; Jas. 4:15; 1 John 5:14.  

     ⁵ See also Heb. 4:14-16; 7:24; 9:24; 1 John 2:1.

     ⁶ Against the popular glossolalia interpretation, see D. J. Moo, Romans 524-25; E. F. Harrison, “Romans” 96. Whatever biblical tongue-speaking entails, it was not intended for every Christian (1 Cor. 12:7-11, 28-30), whereas the Spirit’s intercession in prayer is. 

     ⁷ J. Murray, Romans 1:312. “Even though we’re unable to verbalize our deepest desires, God knows them …” (R. Mohrlang, Romans 139). 

     ⁸ W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 213-14.

     ⁹ 1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Kings 8:39; 1 Chron. 28:9; Psa. 7:9; 17:3; 139:1, 23; Jer. 11:20; 17:10; Acts 1:24; 15:8; 1 Cor. 4:5; Rev. 2:23.

     ¹⁰ The term “heart” [καρδία] represents a person’s physical, mental, and spiritual core, involving the cognitive (10:6, 8-10), emotional (9:2), and impetus of action (6:17). 

     ¹¹ Matt. 6:9-10; 7:20-21; 12:50; Eph. 3:20; 5:10, 17; 6:6; 1 Thess. 4:3; Heb. 6:3; 10:7, 9, 36; Jas. 4:15; 1 Pet. 1:12; 3:17; 1 John 2:17; 5:11-15.

     ¹² D. J. Moo, Romans 526. 

Related Posts: Rom 8:28-39

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Deliverance from the Law of Sin and Death (Romans 8:1-11)

 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.¹ For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:1-2, ESV). 

No Condemnation in Christ

Because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” all accountable persons are subject to God’s wrath and judgment in need of redemption (3:5-23). The prospect of forgiveness offers reconciliation to God (5:10-11), implying a prior separation due to sin. This pre-conversion predicament is described as “death” (5:12-21; 6:16, 23), essentially meaning “condemnation” (5:16, 18). Having laid the preliminary groundwork in the previous chapters, Paul gives his sanctified readers (1:7) the assurance of “no condemnation … in Christ.”²

To be “in Christ” is to be integrated into the only spiritual realm wherein God’s gracious blessings are available, including “redemption” (3:24), “alive to God” (6:11), “eternal life” (6:23), “no condemnation” (8:1), and “free … from the law of sin and death” (8:2). These and all other spiritual blessings³ are provided to penitent believers “who have been baptized into Christ Jesus …” (6:3-4; cf. Gal. 3:26-27), synonymous with “baptized into one body …” (1 Cor. 12:13). To be “in Christ” is to be incorporated into his emblematic “body” – the church, the community of the saved.⁴

Also “in Christ Jesus,” that which “has set you free” is elsewhere identified as obedience “from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed” (6:17-18, 22). As opposed to “the law of sin and death,” here we have “the law of the spirit of life.” The “spirit” [πνεῦμα] is parallel to the “heart” [καρδία] just as “law” is parallel to the “standard of teaching.” Although most translators and commentators interpret this as a reference to “the Spirit,” it immediately follows the apostle’s affirmation of serving “the law of God with my mind,” in opposition to “my flesh” (7:25). In the previous chapter, “spirit” (7:6) is synonymous with “inner being” (7:22) and “mind” or “will” (7:22-25), whereby one is able to “determine,” “wish,” or “desire” (7:15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21). In chap. 8 the same contrast continues between “flesh” and “spirit,” with particular reference to walking/living “according to flesh” and walking/living “according to spirit” (vv. 1-17). The use of φρονέω (“set the mind”) in v. 5 and φρόνημα (“‘mind”) in vv. 6-7 further points to one’s inner spirit.

“Spirit” or “spirit”?

The term πνεῦμα (“S/spirit”) occurs nineteen times in chap. 8, in contrast to only four times before and seven times after this chapter. The Holy Spirit does not seem to be the focal point until perhaps v. 9b, which reads: “since [the] Spirit of God [πνεῦμα θεοῦ] dwells in you.” However, the accompanying references to having “[the] spirit of Christ” [πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ] (v. 9c) and “if Christ [is] in you” (v. 10a), followed by the contrast between “body” that is dead because of sin and “spirit” that is life because of righteousness, raise additional questions. Are the allusions to “Spirit of God” and “spirit of Christ” to be understood separately or interchangeably? Are they to be viewed in the sense of the mind, will or disposition of God and Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 2:16; Phil 2:5)? Is Christ to be understood as indwelling the Christian representatively through God’s Spirit (cf. 1 John 3:24)?

Our Cooperation with God

“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3-4, ESV).

Near the end of the previous chapter, Paul asked: “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (7:24). The answer is implied by his immediate response: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:25). Here the question is explicitly answered: “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do” (cf. 6:19; 7:5, 18, 25), accomplished “By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin.” Jesus was never guilty of sin, but he did become a flesh-and-blood human being, susceptible to temptation, to conquer sin’s stranglehold on the rest of humanity.⁵ Thus, “he condemned sin in the flesh” (cf. v. 37).

This enables “the righteous requirement of the law” to be “fulfilled in us” (cf. 3:31; 7:12), as long as we “walk not according to the flesh …” (cf. 7:5). Conversely, walking according to πνεῦμα is part of the extended “flesh-spirit” dichotomy (7:5–8:18), which seems more likely to be in reference to the renewed “spirit” (cf. 1:9; 8:16; 12:11) of the redeemed rather than the more popular rendering “the Spirit.” Parallel to the “heart” (2:29), “inner being” (7:22), and “mind” (7:22-25), we walk according to our renewed spirit, “in newness of life” (6:4), “properly” (13:13), and “in love” (14:15). 

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:5-8, ESV).

Here Paul employs the verbal φρονέω (v. 5)⁶ and cognate noun φρόνημα (vv. 6, 7, 27),⁷ yet there is no single word in the English language that exactly corresponds to or captures the full sense of the Greek. Nor is there consistency in any standard Bible translation in how the verb form is rendered in English.⁸ The corresponding noun φρήν (1 Cor. 14:20) refers to the diaphragm or inward parts surrounding the heart; metaphorically the inner self that regulates external behavior. The fundamental idea is “a pattern of judgment that involves thinking, feeling, and acting.”⁹ It describes “a state of mind, an inward disposition. It signifies sympathetic interests and concern, reflecting the action of the ‘heart’ as well as the ‘head’.”¹⁰ When Paul speaks here of the “mind,” it intrinsically involves thinking-feeling-doing activity.¹¹

The apostle continues to contrast πνεῦμα (“spirit”) and σάρξ (“flesh”) as two mutually exclusive ways of living or distinct lifestyles (v. 4), distinguished as per the following: (a) different mindsets: fleshly-minded vs. spiritually-minded (v. 5); (b) the end result of the respective mentalities: death vs. life (v. 6a); (c) opposing relationships with God: enmity vs. peace (vv. 6b-7a); and (d) diverse responses to God’s law: implicit rebellion vs. submission (v. 7b).¹² Notwithstanding the obvious contrast between the outward and inward components of humans (2:28-29), the biblical concept of “flesh” does not exclude an internal pattern of thinking (8:5-8; Col. 2:18), nor is “spirit” divorced from an external mode of behavior (8:4; Gal. 5:16, 25). 

Those “in the flesh,” driven by “sinful passions” (cf. 7:5), have developed a corrupt disposition “hostile to God” that can neither “submit to God’s law” nor “please God” (cf. 1:18–23). This is descriptive of the “natural” [ψυχικός] person (1 Cor. 2:14), who is earthly-minded, cannot understand with this mindset spiritual things, and considers them foolish (cf. 1 Cor. 1:18-25).¹³ It is also comparable to “those who are perishing,” blinded to the gospel (2 Cor. 4:3) because of prejudices and predispositions that render them incapable of receptivity, unwilling to understand and obey, leading to spiritual demise (cf. 1 Cor. 1:18, 23; 2:14; 2 Cor. 3:14-15). They have allowed themselves to fall into “the snare of the devil, having been captured by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:26; cf. 2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Tim. 3:7; 6:9).

The Indwelling Spirit of God and Spirit of Christ

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Rom. 8:9, ESV).

In contrast to those “in the flesh,” the sanctified ones in Rome (1:7), as baptized believers with God’s indwelling Spirit (5:5; 6:3-4a), having been set free “in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (8:1-2), are now walking “in newness of life” (6:4b), living “according to spirit” (8:4), and “serve in newness of spirit” (7:6). They are among the spiritual [πνευματικός] ones (1 Cor. 2:15), open to God, discerning spiritual truths, and rightly judged only by God’s standard rather than man’s.¹⁴

When qualifiers like “holy” or “of God” are added to πνεῦμα, the reference is clearly to “the Spirit of God” (8:9, 14; 15:19), i.e., “the Holy Spirit” (5:5; 9:1; 14:17; 15:13, 16). However, as the wording changes to “the Spirit of Christ,” instead of being equivalent to the aforementioned Holy Spirit (as most commentators assume), “Christ’s spirit” [πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ]¹⁵ seems more likely to be in view. In fact, the flow of thought easily becomes “Christ in you” in the following verse. No doubt God’s Spirit is part of Paul’s focus in the ensuing discussion (8:14, 16, 26-27), but note also further contrasts with “body” and “flesh” (8:10, 11, 12, 13, 23; cf. 7:5–8:13) and the distinction between “a spirit of slavery” and “a spirit of adoption” (8:15). Moreover, the emphasis on Christ continues (8:11, 17, 29, 32, 34, 35, 37, 39), including the concepts of being “joint heirs with Christ” (8:17, 32) and “conformed to the image of [God’s] Son” (8:29). The Christian’s renewed spirit, in the image of God’s Son, seems to be the sense of having the “spirit of Christ” and thus “Christ in you.”

“But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom. 8:10-11, ESV).

While Paul’s “in Christ” theme is predominant in his writings, here he conversely speaks of Christ “in you.”¹⁶ The contrast is between the σῶμα (“body”) that is dead because of sin and the πνεῦμα (“spirit”) that is life because of righteousness. If “Christ is in you,” the old sinful self (“in the flesh”) is replaced “by a new focus of personality, Christ himself,” displaying “more and more the character of Christ,” so “the objective for believers going on in the Christian life is that they become like Jesus.”¹⁷ Surely this is the significance of having “the spirit of Christ” (v. 9).¹⁸ As the emphasis on Christ continues (vv. 11, 17, 29, 32, 34, 35, 37, 39), the divine purpose for believers is affirmed: “to be conformed to the image of his Son” (v. 29).¹⁹

Because of the ambiguity of Paul’s use of the term πνεῦμα (“spirit”), at times there seems to be a merging of allusions regarding the Spirit of God, the spirit of Christ, and the renewed spirit of the Christian. Seeing that the believer’s renewed spirit is sealed with God’s Spirit and molded into the spirit of Christ, the ambiguity may be intentional to avoid pedantic dissecting and narrowing of what God is doing in our lives. Note the simultaneous intercession of the Spirit and of Christ before God’s throne on behalf of his children (vv. 26-27, 34). 

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ The Byzantine Majority Text has the added, “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (NKJV), also affirmed in v. 4.

     ² Despite one’s individual (“I”) struggles portrayed in the previous chapter (7:14-25), in God’s family no one is ever really alone. Note the heavy concentration in this chapter of words attached to the συν- (“with”) prefix: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit …” (v. 16); we are “heirs with Christ … we suffer with him” (v. 17); “the whole creation groans with and agonizes with …” (v. 22); “the Spirit helps with our weakness …” (v. 26); “all things work together with …” (v. 28); “how will he not also with him freely give us all things?” (v. 32).

     ³ Eph. 1:3; cf. also 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 1:7, 11; Col. 1:14; 2:10; 2 Tim. 2:10; et al.

     ⁴ Cf. Rom. 1:6-7; 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 1:2; 12:12-27; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:16; 3:6; 4:4, 12, 16; 5:23, 30; Col. 1:18, 24. 

     ⁵ See K. L. Moore, “Jesus Christ: the Son of Man,” Moore Perspective (25 Jan. 2017), <Link>.

     ⁶ Elsewhere in Romans eight other times in 11:20; 12:3, 16; 14:6; 15:5. Its heaviest concentration is in Philippians.

     ⁷ These are the only occurrences of this noun in the NT.

     ⁸ For example, in Phil. 1:7, as Paul expresses heartfelt gratitude for the saints in Philippi, English translators have rendered his words, “just as it is right for me to think this of you all …” (NKJV), and “It is right for me to feel this way about you all …” (ESV). The challenge is finding an English equivalent for the present infinitive φρονεῖν. While expressing something current and ongoing, the word “think” misses the emotional aspect, the word “feel” leaves out the cognitive component, and neither conveys the behavioral overtones.

     ⁹ J. W. Thompson and B. W. Longenecker, Philippians and Philemon 30.

     ¹⁰ I.-Jin Loh and E. A. Nida, A Translator’s Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Philippians 54.

     ¹¹ See K. L. Moore, “Lost in Translation: A Closer Look at the NT Greek Term PHRONÉŌ,” Moore Perspective (15 April 2020), <Link>.

     ¹² Adapted from J. A. Fitzmyer, Romans 488-89.

     ¹³ Cf. Matt. 5:8; 16:23; Mark 6:52; John 8:43-47; 2 Cor. 4:3-4; Phil. 3:19. 

     ¹⁴ Cf. 1 Cor. 4:3; 11:32; Gal. 6:1. 

     ¹⁵ Besides here, the same terminology is used in 2 Cor. 3:17, and “the spirit of his Son” in Gal. 4:6. Outside of Paul, cf. Acts 16:7 (although note the textual variant as per the BMT omitting Ἰησοῦ); Heb. 9:14; and 1 Pet. 1:11. 

     ¹⁶ See also Gal. 1:16; 2:20; 4:19; 2 Cor. 13:5; Eph. 3:17; Col. 1:27. In contrast to the Romans, the “senseless Galatians” needed to heed the apostle’s rebukes and directives “until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19).

     ¹⁷ J. D. G. Dunn, Theology of Galatians 119-20.

     ¹⁸ See also 1 Cor. 2:16; Gal. 4:6; Phil. 1:19; 2:5; 2 Cor. 3:17; Heb. 9:14; cf. Acts 16:7; 1 Pet. 1:11.

     ¹⁹ When we are baptized into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4), we “put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27), i.e., we take on Christ’s character, virtues, and intentions (cf. BAGD 264; A. Oepke, TDNT 2:319).

Related Posts: No Law, No Transgression (Rom 4:15), Baptism: Death, Burial, Resurrection (Rom 6:1-4), Struggle with Sin (Rom 7:15-25), Adopted into God's Family (Rom 8:12-18)

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Why did Jesus breathe on his disciples? (John 20:22)

When Jesus arose from the dead, he appeared to his remaining apostles, one of whom recorded the following:

Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:19-23, NKJV).

The apostles were not to receive the Holy Spirit until the Lord was glorified (John 7:39), and he was not glorified until after he had ascended into heaven (John 16:7; 17:1-5). The apostles were instructed to wait in Jerusalem for about ten days after Christ’s ascension in order to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:1-12; 2:1-4). 

When Jesus breathed on the apostles in John 20:22, he did not say, “You have received …” [perfect indicative] or “You are receiving …” [present indicative], but rather, “Receive [aorist imperative] the Holy Spirit.” This statement instructs the apostles to be receptive to the Spirit when he comes, but it does not specify when he came. Why, then, did Jesus breathe on them? John did not see fit to explain it, but there are at least a couple of plausible explanations. 

Before breathing on these men, Jesus showed them his pierced hands and side (John 20:20). Luke’s account (24:36-49) reveals that when Jesus appeared to the apostles (to give the Great Commission) and said “Peace to you,” they were frightened, thinking he was “a spirit.” Jesus then showed them his crucifixion wounds to prove he was alive and in the flesh. John not only mentions the Lord showing his wounds but adds that he also breathed on them (20:19-23), perhaps to verify that he was really alive.

Since “breath” in the Bible corresponds to life (cf. Gen. 2:7; Mark 15:37), it may be that Jesus was also illustrating the life-giving nature of the apostles’ mission. In the previous verse the Lord had given them a commission, and in the subsequent verse he identified forgiveness of sins as part of their work. The gospel began to be preached, resulting in sins forgiven, and the Great Commission was launched when the Holy Spirit was received by the apostles on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-41). 

Mark and Luke’s record of the crucifixion state that Jesus “breathed his last” (Mark 15:37, 39; Luke 23:46), a common idiom for physical death. Both Matthew and John describe the Lord’s death as, “he gave up his spirit” (Matt. 27:50; John 19:30). Perhaps John wanted to emphasize to his readers that Jesus’ last breath on the cross was not his final breath. There was more to come by the sending of God’s Spirit and beyond.

--Kevin L. Moore

Related Posts:

 

Image credit: Rembrandt’s The Incredulity of St. Thomas, <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_-_The_Incredulity_of_St_Thomas_-_WGA19095.jpg>.

The Holy Spirit’s Role in Biblical Understanding

Grant Osborne, like many evangelical interpreters, claims that biblical interpretation is “a spiritual act, depending on the leading of the Holy Spirit,” although Osborne also concedes, “God does not miraculously reveal the meaning of passages whenever they are read” (The Hermeneutical Spiral 21, 24). D. A. Carson sensibly observes, “When two equally godly interpreters emerge with mutually incompatible interpretations of a text, it must be obvious even to the most spiritual … that they cannot both be right” (Exegetical Fallacies 16).

Interpreting the Spirit’s Word

The most commonly cited passages that seem to support this idea of the Holy Spirit’s direct guidance are John 16:13 (perhaps also 14:26; 15:26) and 1 Cor. 2:6-16. If popular inferences are correct, then the production and utilization of Bible-study tools, the learning and application of exegetical methods, and having classes on biblical interpretation, all seem superfluous. Nevertheless, exegesis is still necessary to determine whether or not these passages are being interpreted properly. Otherwise, why appeal to them at all or engage in any kind of Bible study? If, in the exegetical process, it is determined that these texts have been misconstrued and misappropriated, the importance of sound exegesis is clearly demonstrated. 

J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays place much emphasis on “context” in their Grasping God’s Word textbook, yet they curiously cite John 16:12-14 and 1 Cor. 2:14 as proof-texts for present-day Holy Spirit “illumination” (226-28) with no regard for the original context of either passage. While they offer a lot of their own opinions without any real basis in scripture, they do concede that since the Spirit has inspired scripture, “we should not expect him to contradict himself when he illuminates it…. The Spirit does not add new meaning to the biblical text…” (225). Irrespective of how one understands the Holy Spirit’s role, no passage of scripture means today what it has never meant.

In John 16:13a Jesus is reported as saying, “but when that one, the Spirit of truth, shall come, he will guide you into all truth…”¹ Contextually, to whom is Jesus speaking and issuing this promise? Chaps. 13–16 of John’s Gospel comprise one and the same context, where the Lord is speaking directly to his chosen apostles who were to carry on his work after his departure. This is not a universal pronouncement for all believers of all time (note 17:6, 20), and the specific promise to these particular individuals was in fact fulfilled (Acts 1:1-8; 2:1-14; 4:33; etc.). Subjectively and arbitrarily attributing things to God’s Spirit for which he is not responsible (e.g. “The Spirit told to me …”) is presumptuous and dangerous. “But I say to you, every careless word that people will speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment” (Matt. 12:36).

The 1 Cor. 2:6-16 passage is also part of a broader context that determines its meaning and application. By reading the first four chapters of the epistle as a contextual unit, a clear distinction and contrast is seen between “you”—the spiritually immature, carnally-minded Corinthian audience— and “us”—the spiritually mature spokesmen of God who received the divine message through the revelation of God’s Spirit in the early development of the church. To stretch the applicability of this passage to all believers (including the misguided Corinthians!) is to ignore the context and the entirety of Paul’s argument, thereby twisting and misapplying it. 

The Understandability of the Spirit’s Message

The Holy Spirit, as the agency of divine revelation and inspiration,² is responsible for the collection of sacred writings we call the Bible, whose message is living, powerful, and intelligible.³ Paul acknowledges the understandability of God’s written revelation, expressing confidence in his readers in examining and thereby comprehending what the Spirit has conveyed through inspired penmen (Eph. 3:1-5; 5:17). 

Since God wants everyone to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:3-4), surely he has ensured this knowledge is attainable. Jesus promised that those genuinely wanting to follow him can and will know the truth (John 8:31-32). Not only has the Lord provided a revelation of his will that can be understood, he has given a revelation of his will that all can understand alike (see 1 Cor. 1:10; Phil. 1:27). That there are currently so many conflicting interpretations of the Bible and so much religious division is not God’s fault. The problem is the many ways in which the word of God has been misused, misinterpreted, and misapplied. 

In rebuking the Sadducees, Jesus said: “Are you not in error because of this, not knowing the scriptures or the power of God?” (Mark 12:24). Peter warns his readers, “our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom having been given to him, wrote to you, as also in all [his] letters, speaking in them concerning these things, among which some things are difficult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable distort, as also the rest of scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Pet. 3:15b-16).

Divine Help

While we should intentionally avoid mishandling the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15), at the same time we do not want to dismiss any divine assistance that is available. To help maintain the necessary commitment and mental focus that leads to understanding God’s word, it is important to couple Bible study with prayer, asking and searching for wisdom from above (Prov. 2:2-5; Matt. 7:7-8; 13:14-15; Jas. 1:5). By studying the scriptures with a humble, prayerful spirit, it is much harder to be misled by improper thoughts and personal biases. However God chooses to answer our prayers, we can be assured it is according to his perfect will (Matt. 6:10; 1 John 3:22; 5:14-15).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.

     ² Acts 1:16; 1 Cor. 2:10-13; Eph. 3:5; 6:17; Heb. 3:7; 10:15-16; 2 Pet. 1:16-21; Rev. 2:1, 7, 8, 11, etc. Biblical revelation is the means through which God has imparted facts and truths previously unknown, while biblical inspiration is the means through which God has ensured this information has been conveyed (orally and in writing) without error.

     ³ See, e.g., 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:23. 

Works Cited:

D. A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies. 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996).

J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible. 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012).

Grant R. Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Rev. ed. (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2006).

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Related articles: Wayne Jackson, Holy Spirit "Illumination"

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