“The Need for Illumination”

A friend of mind and I  were discussing this subject two days ago.

Little did I know it would be my devotional reading yesterday.

It’s a must read!!!

by A.W. Tozer (who I love and respect).

Special Devotion: “The Need for Illumination”

Note: My (Jim) added comments are in green brackets [  ]

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. – I Corinthians 2:14

The doctrine of the inability of the human mind and the need for divine illumination is so fully developed in the New Testament that it is nothing short of astonishing that we should have gone so far astray about the whole thing…everywhere among conservatives we find persons who are Bible-taught but not Spirit-taught [I see this among some Reformed, Calvinist brothers]. They conceived truth to be something that they can grasp with the mind. If a man holds to the fundamentals of the Christian faith, he is thought to possess divine truth. But it does not follow. There is no truth apart from the Spirit. [ head knowledge can block the spirit from teaching us, if were not careful] The most brilliant intellect may be imbecilic when confronted with the mysteries of God. [Wow - I think I know a few like this] For a man to understand revealed truth requires an act of God equal to the original of act which inspired the text… [AMEN!]

Conservative Christians in this day are stumbling over this truth. We need to reexamine the whole thing. We need to learn that truth consists not in correct doctrine but in correct doctrine plus the inward enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. [How many are doing this today - it can be a trap with those skilled in teaching and speaking] We must declare again the mystery of wisdom from above. A re-preachment of this vital truth could result in a fresh breath from God upon a stale and suffocating orthodoxy. – By A. W. Tozer The Pursuit of Man, 76-77,84.

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