Is it a Book or God’s Word?

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105

The Word of God can be a “lamp unto our feet”, in other words, to guide our daily steps. Plus, the Word can give us direction and purpose, hence “light unto my path”.

However, there is a key factor in this verse that makes it all possible – the Holy Spirit of God. For a lamp to burn, you need oil. Throughout Scripture, oil is a picture of the Holy Spirit. So, without the oil in the lamp, there would be no light. The same is true concerning the Bible. Without the Holy Spirit, a person would never fully understand God’s Word, and never understand their purpose, or the direction their life may be heading.

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” John 16:13

The Holy Spirit is all through this Bible, because He is part of the Godhead; therefore, He is also the author of it. You may ask, “If the Holy Spirit is in the Bible, then why do I struggle to understand it?”

To understand the Author, like the lamp, we must be indwelled and filled with the Holy Spirit. That indwelling only occurs when salvation has happened in an individual’s life. And salvation only comes one way – through Jesus Christ. Once we have confessed we are a sinner, called upon Christ to forgive us for our sinful condition, and ask Him to be our Saviour, then the Holy Spirit indwells us.

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19

Unless you are a born-again believer, the Bible will only be a book to you and not The Word of God to you, that can change your life for all eternity…if you let it.