How Has God’s Spirit Interacted with Man in the Bible?

So often we look at the sacred Scriptures merely as the owner’s manual for our faith-life in Christ. The Bible is rarely regularly read from cover to cover. Instead, only the proverbial “quick-start” pages are often consulted. Then, once our faith-life is deemed off the ground and running, the Scriptures are neatly tucked away in a drawer along with those “warranties of faith” (baptismal and confirmation certificates, etc.), only to be pulled out when the pastor comes or when we need some help troubleshooting our faith-life.
Even though the Scriptures could be thought of as an owner’s manual for the faith-life in a certain sense, the metaphor can be far more damaging than helpful. Not unlike an owner’s manual, we certainly may have gotten ourselves into jams by not using the Bible properly. Because we thought we knew it all already, we somehow concluded that it did not apply to us, or we failed to regularly refresh ourselves with its content. However, the fundamental problem with such a metaphor for Scripture is that it gives us the mistaken impression that the Bible is merely information and unfortunately at best information that largely requires our obedience. Once we think that the Bible has no real intrinsic Spirit-filled power, it’s all the easier to consign it to the bottomless pit of the owner’s manual drawer.
But Martin Luther (1483–1546) recognized that God’s Word was something far more than mere guidelines for Christian living. When he was teaching young men how to be pastors, he drew their attention to the opening verses of Genesis 1 [Martin Luther, Luther’s Works (St. Louis and Philadelphia: Concordia Publishing House and Fortress Publishing House, 1958–), 1:21–22]. Here Luther pointed out that when God the Father speaks through His Spirit-filled Word, that Word creates, i.e., it brings something out of nothing.
God’s Word is far more than sacred information; it actually does what the trice-holy God says it does. So when God says that you are declared righteous, you actually are righteous! When He calls you a new creation, you really are a new creation! When He showers you with the gifts of the Spirit, you actually possess those gifts, which empower your new faith-life in Christ. God said through His prophet Isaiah, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10–11).
God’s Spirit-filled Word accomplishes His purposes in us in manifold ways. One helpful overview is provided by the Lutheran theologian, pastor, and spiritual writer Johann Gerhard (1582–1637). He explains that the Scripture provides a “true and salutary recognition of Him [God]” (Matthew 11:27, John 1:18, Psalm 36:9), “instruction for those who err” (Psalm 119:105), “the conversion of sinners” (Acts 20:20–21, Acts 26:17–20), “the kindling and strengthening of faith” (Romans 10:17, 2 Corinthians 4:6), “spiritual rebirth” (1 Corinthians 4:15, James 1:18, 1 Peter 1:23), “the salutatory invocation of God” (Romans 10:14), “food for our soul” (Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4, Amos 8:11), “comfort for the afflicted” (Psalm 23:4, Psalm 94:19, Psalm 119:50), “guidance for pilgrims” (Psalm 32:8, Psalm 119:105), “strengthening for those in warfare” (2 Corinthians 10:4, Ephesians 6:17), and “the crowning and glorification of those who conquer” (John 6:68; Acts 13:26, Romans 1:16, Philippians 2:16) [Johann Gerhard, Theological Commonplaces, trans. Richard Dinda (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006–), Locus I, Par. 366].
Yet all that being said, St. Paul could not have summarized the Spirit-filled Word’s interaction with man more succinctly and powerfully than with these words: “For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:4-6). Amen.
Timothy R. Schmeling is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Sebastian, Florida.