For most of us, the good things in life are what make it worth living. This is why Jesus went to the cross—so that we could experience everything good that God promised us in His Word. However, if we’re struggling to get the manifestations of those promises, it may be because we’ve misinterpreted what we read. Jesus’ death and resurrection made it possible for the Holy Spirit to come and help us in this area.

The Holy Spirit, also called the Spirit of Grace, gives us the correct interpretation of God’s Word so that we can rightly divide the word of truth. If it was left up to us, we would never catch the true meaning of what God is saying to us. Without the Spirit bypassing man’s wisdom to teach us spiritual things, we would take what we read completely out of context. Holy Communion is one example.

We take communion to remember Jesus’ body that was broken for us and His blood that He shed for us, for the forgiveness of our sins. Religious thinking about this significant act says that, because we’ve sinned in the past, we’re participating in communion unworthily and God will punish us. This is human reasoning, not God’s. The truth is that the Scriptures are not of any private interpretation; the Bible was not written by the will of man but by holy men of God who were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Misunderstanding this makes communion scary, not joyful. Communion is actually a reason to celebrate, not to wallow in sin-consciousness; we do this to remember our forgiveness, not our sins. We can forgive others, and ourselves, because God through Christ has forgiven us.

Neither should we believe we’re responsible for our own salvation. The apostles told the Philippians to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, but this means to work out, not work for, our salvation. We can’t earn it through our self-effort; Jesus living in us is responsible for the salvation we’ve already received. We no longer have to live as if Jesus never went to the cross; there is now therefore no condemnation when we’re in Him.

Prayer:

God, without the biblical wisdom Your Spirit gives us, we’d never understand Your Word. You teach us how to properly apply what You say so we can lay hold of everything You want us to have in life. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

2 Timothy 2:15

1 Corinthians 2:13

Luke 22:19, 20

1 Corinthians 11:24, 25, 27-30

2 Peter 1:20, 21

Ephesians 4:32, NLT

Philippians 2:12

Romans 8:1