Perquisite to Understand Scripture 1A

Needs To Be Spiritual

In John 6:63, Jesus declares, “The words which I have spoken to you are spirit.” The scriptures are not mere ink on paper; they are spiritual utterances. As Jesus taught in John 4:24, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit.” These words reveal that man cannot truly connect with God through human faculties alone—our mind, emotions, and will are insufficient. Only through the spirit can we encounter God, for His essence is spirit. Thus, we must engage our regenerated spirit, the part of us made alive by God, to fully grasp divine truths. Note that our relationship with God transcends intellectualism; it requires spiritual sensitivity, for God seeks true worshipers who engage with Him in spirit.

The Bible, therefore, is not a mere book of information or historical fact. Its essence is spiritual, and only those with a regenerated spirit—those transformed by God—can truly understand it. Without this spiritual rebirth, reading the Bible becomes a purely intellectual exercise that misses its life-giving nature. As Colossians 2:23 warns against "self-imposed worship," engaging with God without the spirit is fruitless.

“A regenerated spirit is the key to unlocking the mysteries of God's Word.”

Without it, the Bible will remain a closed book, but with it, the Word becomes alive and active within us.

We see this further illustrated in John 3:6, “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” A person can only begin to understand the Bible upon receiving new life in Christ. Before regeneration, the Bible seems like a historical or literary text. After being born of the Spirit, the Bible becomes a daily source of nourishment and revelation. The spirit within us resonates with the Spirit in God's Word, drawing us deeper into His truth.

“Regeneration is the gateway to understanding divine wisdom, transforming the Bible into a living and active guide for life.”

Despite a man’s intelligence or education, without the Spirit, he is unable to comprehend the spiritual depths of Scripture. The Bible cannot be understood through talent, research, or intellect. The Pharisees, highly learned, failed to understand the Messiah when He stood before them. In contrast, the uneducated fisherman Peter declared Jesus as the Son of God, not by human insight but through revelation from the Spirit.

“God’s wisdom defies human logic, and only a heart made alive in Christ can grasp the fullness of His Word. It is the regenerated spirit that illuminates the Scriptures to us, while the fleshly mind remains blind.”

Jesus also says in John 6:55, "My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink." This statement bewildered many who heard it, but those with spiritual insight understood that Jesus referred to the necessity of deriving life from Him. A regenerated spirit recognizes that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross sustains us spiritually. His flesh and blood symbolize the sustaining power of His life.

“Without Christ, we have no true life. His sacrifice is our daily sustenance, nourishing our spirit.”

In John 6:63, Jesus contrasts the realms of the flesh and the spirit, saying, “The flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” The realm of the flesh offers no life or lasting benefit, but the realm of the spirit is where true life is found. 

“Life comes not from the physical world or our achievements but from the spiritual truths revealed through Christ’s Word.”

 Therefore, we must live in the realm of the spirit, allowing God’s Word to transform and enliven us.

Ultimately, no amount of theological debate or philosophical inquiry can uncover God’s depths. Job rightly asks, “Can you find out the depths of God?” (Job 11:7). The answer is no, for God cannot be known through intellectual striving. Those who try to find God through analysis will inevitably fail because God transcends human understanding. Only through a regenerated spirit can we truly know Him. 

“True knowledge of God comes through relationship, not reason.”

It is through the spirit that we touch God and experience His reality, beyond what our minds can conceive.

Just as electricity requires conductive materials to flow, so does spiritual truth require a regenerated spirit to be understood. No matter how many efforts are made with "wood, bamboo, and cloth"—symbolic of human efforts—without the right spiritual connection, God’s truth will remain elusive. Only the regenerated spirit, like the copper wire in the analogy, can conduct the power of God's Word into our lives.

“Human effort is inadequate in spiritual matters.”  

Only when we are spiritually connected to God through regeneration can we experience His truth.

In conclusion, a man must use his regenerated spirit to study the Bible and encounter God. When one approaches the Word with the flesh—relying on human intellect, emotions, or will—the Bible remains a mere book. But when approached in the spirit, the words of Scripture come alive as spirit and life.

“Only through a regenerated spirit can we truly engage with God’s Word. Thus, to experience the fullness of the Bible and to know God intimately, one must be born of the Spirit.”

 

#Discp. Samuel Ojo✍