Spirit Illumination
The Holy Spirit is necessary for serious-minded and thoughtful living, and without Him, our understanding of truth is futile and dangerous.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the necessity of serious thought combined with the illumination of the Holy Spirit in understanding truth. He critiques both extremes of intellectualism and anti-intellectualism within evangelical circles, asserting that both are misguided. Tozer argues that while human intellect has limitations, it is essential for grasping divine revelation, which is often given to those of superior intellect. However, he warns that thinking without the Holy Spirit's guidance can lead to confusion and error, as the fallen intellect cannot navigate truth alone. Ultimately, he calls for a reliance on the Holy Spirit to enlighten our understanding and guide our thoughts.
Text
Hard, serious thought and the illumination of the Holy Spirit. 6. Then we must think. Human thought has its limitations, but where there is no thinking there is not likely to be any large deposit of truth in the mind. Evangelicals at the moment appear to be divided into two camps--those who trust the human intellect to the point of sheer rationalism, and those who are shy of everything intellectual and are convinced that thinking is a waste of the Christian's time. Surely both are wrong.
Self-conscious intellectualism is offensive to man and, I am convinced, to God also, but it is significant that every major revelation in the Scriptures was made to a man of superior intellect.
It would be easy to marshal an imposing list of Biblical quotations exhorting us to think, but a more convincing argument is the whole drift of the Bible itself. The Scriptures simply take for granted that the saints of the Most High will be serious-minded, thoughtful persons. They never leave the impression that it is sinful to think. 7. But thinking apart from the inward illumination of the Holy Spirit is not only futile, it is likely to be dangerous as well.
The human intellect is fallen and can no more find its way through the broad expanse of truth, half-truth and downright error than a ship can find its way over the ocean alone. God has given us the Holy Spirit to illuminate our minds. He is eyes and understanding to us. We dare not try to get on without Him.
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Thought
- The Role of the Holy Spirit in Illumination
- The Relationship Between Thought and Illumination
- Thinking without the Holy Spirit is futile and dangerous
- The Holy Spirit is necessary for serious-minded and thoughtful living
Key Quotes
“The human intellect is fallen and can no more find its way through the broad expanse of truth, half-truth and downright error than a ship can find its way over the ocean alone.” — A.W. Tozer
“God has given us the Holy Spirit to illuminate our minds.” — A.W. Tozer
“The Scriptures simply take for granted that the saints of the Most High will be serious-minded, thoughtful persons.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must seek the illumination of the Holy Spirit in our thinking and understanding of truth.
- We must not rely solely on our human intellect, but rather seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
- Serious-minded and thoughtful living is essential for a deep understanding of God's truth.