"The Spirit will not enlighten an unloving mind"

[David H.]

Taken from: Tozer Devotional | The Necessity of the Spirit's Illumination (cmalliance.org)

"Wisdom is a loving spirit," says the Wisdom of Solomon. "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way" (Psalm 25:9), says David, the father of Solomon, and these set forth a truth which the whole Bible joins to celebrate; namely, that love and wisdom are forever joined and that soundness of moral judgment is for the meek alone. The humble, loving heart intuits truth as the Scriptures reveal it and the Holy Spirit illuminates it. The Spirit will not enlighten an unloving mind; and without His enlightenment the mysteries of Christian truth must forever remain a stranger to us.

To the loving mind God gives the power of immediate apprehension, and to none other. The theologian who is only a theologian must work out the teachings of the Scriptures as a child works out a jigsaw puzzle, fitting piece to piece with painstaking labor till at last he has a body of doctrine bearing some resemblance to the Biblical revelation. The difficulty (and the source of confusion) is that certain pieces will fit anywhere and others nowhere, so they may be forced into place or tossed back in the box at the whim of the student. But where love and illumination are, the picture always comes out right. The Spirit says one thing to all loving hearts.

Verse
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.First Corinthains 2:14

Thought
Divine illumination is necessary to savingly understand God's self-disclosure because Satan is active in blinding the minds of humankind (2 Cor. 4:3-4). The Holy Spirit opens minds to understand spiritual truth (Acts 16:14).

Prayer
"Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth thou hast for me . . . Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine." That's my prayer, Lord!

 

[quietthinker]

"The Spirit will not enlighten an unloving mind"
I wonder what happened to Saul of Tarsus?

 

[Rita]

Surely that’s why he lost his sight after encountering the Lord and it was not sorted out for some days, I often wonder what Saul would have been contemplating and reflecting on as he lost what he had, realised that he had been so wrong and had to come to terms with his encounter with Jesus. He had murder in his heart before then, but that needed to be dealt with………..then, when the time was right, he could see x
There is a surely a difference between the Holy Spirit working in a persons life in drawing them to spiritual truth of the gospel , and enlightening a person to other truths.

 

[Rita]

I do like Tozer, he wrote some gems xx

 

[David H.]

"The Spirit will not enlighten an unloving mind"
I wonder what happened to Saul of Tarsus?

Surely that’s why he lost his sight after encountering the Lord and it was not sorted out for some days, I often wonder what Saul would have been contemplating and reflecting on as he lost what he had, realised that he had been so wrong and had to come to terms with his encounter with Jesus. He had murder in his heart before then, but that needed to be dealt with………..then, when the time was right, he could see x
There is a surely a difference between the Holy Spirit working in a persons life in drawing them to spiritual truth of the gospel , and enlightening a person to other truths.

I do like Tozer, he wrote some gems xx

This devotional is taken from His book "The Size of the Soul" This particular devotional is dated for January 18th. There is some really good stuff in this section of the devotional that all tie together. click on the link to scroll to the previous and the future days of this devotional to see what he is getting at.

The reason why I posted this is to counter certain Christians who think they are the source of truth and sit there and accuse the brethren who do not agree with them.

 

[quietthinker]

Observing my own journey over the last 50 years, in my own mind I have always been right at any given time. When I realised I was wrong I would change my mind and be right again. That process hasn't really stopped.
In my heart I want what is truth yet I have often found that what I considered truth was based on poor information or inadequate information or even an unwillingness to hear that which conflicted with how I saw.

Slowly I am learning that I'm not as clever or smart as I'd like to think I am and it gives me pause to listen more.
I have tried to whittle it down to basics from which I work.
I like what John Newton, the guy who coined the song 'Amazing Grace' said.....'there are two things I am certain of, that I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Saviour'