And because you are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts. (Galatians 4:6)
Last time we took up the question, “Who Are the Sons of Abraham?” We concluded that the Sons of Abraham are those whose faith is in Jesus Christ, whether ethnic Jew or Gentile. Today we consider a key gift which the Holy Spirit gives to those who are sons of God by adoption. In considering this gift, we focus on one which is often sorely undervalued and under-recognized.
Since you are reading this, you very likely have this particular gift whether or not you have realized it. If you regularly read Scripture according to the Desert Streams daily reading plan ot otherwise, that is additional strong evidence that you possess this gift of the Spirit.
The following is an excerpt from a sermon by Martin Luther (1483-1546) addressing Galatians 4:6, quoted above:
“We ought to have no misgivings about whether the Holy Ghost dwells in us. We are ‘the temple of the Holy Ghost.’ (1 Cor. 3:16) When we have a love for the Word of God, and gladly hear, talk, write, and think of Christ, we are to know that this inclination toward Christ is the gift and work of the Holy Ghost. Where you come across contempt for the Word of God, there is the devil. We meet with such contempt for the Word of God mostly among the common people. They act as though the Word of God does not concern them. Wherever you find a love for the Word, [you can] thank God for the Holy Spirit who infuses this love into the hearts of men. We never come by this love naturally, neither can it be enforced by laws. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Source: Luther, Martin. "Galatians Four", Blue Letter Bible; 17 Aug 2012. Emphasis added.
Luther taught that a sure sign of someone’s renewal by the Holy Spirit is a profound love for God’s word. The reformer did not make this up out of thin air. We can observe this truth ourselves, as he did, and more importantly the Bible bears it out. Consider the following passages: Psalm 25:5, John 14:26, John 16:13, 1 John 2:27, Ephesians 6:17, John 8:31, 2 Peter 1:21, 1 John 2:14, 2 Timothy 3:16, John 14:21 & 23, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Romans 15:4, Isaiah 55:10-11, John 6:63, 2 John 6, and Romans 1:16.
Love for the word of God does not come “naturally” but by the Holy Spirit. I would add that all Christians, who by virtue of their conversion have the Holy Spirit, also have this gift whether they acknowledge it, use it, develop it, grow in it, or not.
I have heard a fair number of self-proclaiming Christians say things like, “I don’t read the Bible much – it’s boring and it’s just not my thing.” Or, more emphatically: “The last thing I need is Bible study!” The claim is sometimes made, “I don’t want to be bothered by reading and studying the Bible – but my heart is in the right place.”
Our “heart” is in the right place when when our mind is turned on to the things of God as revealed in the Scriptures, and when we love God’s word and seek to understand it.
How many times have you heard anyone say that one of the greatest and most desirable gifts of the Holy Spirit is a passionate love for God’s word, the Bible? If your experience is like mine, you have not heard it very often. How many lists of “the gifts” have you seen which leave out this particular gift? I think we would be hard pressed to find a list which includes it!
“How do we know if we are truly converted and if the Holy Spirit of Christ truly lives in us?”
There is probably a handful of reasonably good answers to the question, but the first answer we might offer is this: “You know the Holy Spirit is in you if you have a passionate love and desire to know and understand the word of God.”
So, what about us?
Have we subscribed somewhat to the notion that the study of God’s word is optional? Do we think it is on the menu but can simply be passed over if we do not happen to prefer it? Do we imagine that we can “try it” to see whether it is “for us?” If we have entertained such ideas, we should stop and ask ourselves if we also believe the Holy Spirit is only in “some Christians.”
I am not suggesting that every Christian should expect to become a Bible scholar, though to despise such scholarship is rather foolish. On the contrary, we should be drawn to such scholarship because it can assist and help us in our passionate quest for the word of God. I am suggesting that at some level every Christian, since he certainly has the Holy Spirit upon conversion, will find that he has also been converted from Biblical indifference or worse, to positive interest, eagerness and passion for Bible.
Then we can join the Psalmist in exclaiming:
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
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