Through illumination, every believer is capable of understanding the Word of God. The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in enabling believers to grasp and apply God’s Word to their lives.

To illuminate means to have something brightened with light and made clear to the eyes. Simply put, illumination in the spiritual sense is “turning on the light.”

What is biblical illumination?

Biblical illumination can be defined as a special work of the Holy Spirit whereby He enlightens people so they can comprehend the written Word of God. It begins with the pre-salvation work of the Spirit of convicting and convincing unbelievers of the truth of the Gospel that they might trust in Christ. “And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News” (2 Timothy 1:10). Non-Christians can only experience the illuminating work of the Spirit in the matter of convicting and convincing them of the truth of the Gospel message.

Once convicted, everyone who receives Christ as their Saviour subsequently has the Holy Spirit indwelling them. The illuminating work of the Spirit is thus guaranteed to all believers. Romans 8:9 teaches, “You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)”

As believers, we must depend on Him to teach us new truths and to remind us of truths we may have forgotten. Paul wrote, “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance” (Ephesians 1:18). As to the extent of the Spirit’s illumination, it encompasses all Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation.

Why is biblical illumination important?

In order to understand Scripture, we need special enablement from God. The Bible, as the Word of God, is a spiritual book and is beyond man’s natural abilities to comprehend. “No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:11).

Adam’s fall into sin and his spiritual death rendered humanity incapable of comprehending the truth of Scripture. “But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Illumination must not be confused with revelation, inspiration, or interpretation. In revelation, God discloses His truth. Through inspiration, He sees that it is recorded without error for us. And by the illumination of His Spirit, He enables us to understand and apply it. For our part, we are to follow sound methods of interpretation according to the nature of Scripture.

How does illumination occur?

It is not by “direct revelation.” Revelation has ceased. The canon of Scripture is closed. The Holy Spirit will illuminate our understanding when we humbly combine prayer, reading, study, and meditation all with a view to obeying. (1 Corinthians 2:9–16)

The first step in understanding the Bible by the power of the Holy Spirit is to begin with humility. It begins with the renunciation of pride and having a real sense of how depraved and distorted our minds are, and how readily our hearts desire other things more than we desire God. If the Holy Spirit does not work in us, giving us the fruit of humility and teachability, we will either deny or distort the truth of Scripture.

Prayer for illumination is something we should do even as Paul prayed for the saints at Ephesus, asking “that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him” (Ephesians 1:18–19). Paul was not praying for new revelation, but for spiritual illumination of truth they already knew. And that is our need. Every time we open the Bible, we should ask God, “Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions" (Psalm 119:18).

Praying cannot replace reading the Bible. Praying may turn reading into seeing. If we don’t read, we will not see. The Holy Spirit is sent to glorify Jesus, and the glory of Jesus is portrayed in the Word.

Study employs all the proper tools for ascertaining the meaning of the text. Then meditation thinks about the facts of the text, putting them together into a harmonious whole and applying them to one’s own life. Don’t replace thinking with praying. Pray and think.

Why does the Spirit illuminate?

The reason the Holy Spirit illuminates the Scripture for us is not to focus on Himself, but to glorify Christ in our lives, and to teach us—teaching that brings spiritual health and wholeness. Illumination is not concerned merely with understanding facts but with using those facts to promote obedience and Christlikeness (Ephesians 3:16–19).

Ephesians 1:17–18 tells us that the Spirit gives wisdom and revelation concerning Jesus Christ and opens the eyes of understanding so we can know God’s purposes in our lives. We go from ignorance to understanding.

What hinders illumination?

Several things can hamper the Spirit’s work of illumination: carnality (1 Corinthians 3:1–3), indifference (cf. Hebrews 5:11–14 with 1 Peter 2:2), tradition and preconceived ideas (Mark 7:7–13), ignorance (Mark 12:24; Luke 24:25–32), and poor methods of Bible study or interpretation (contrast 2 Timothy 3:15).

Illumination and Bible teachers

If the Holy Spirit is given to illuminate believers, do we need Bible teachers? Some believe that 1 John suggests that we don’t: “But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie” (1 John 2:27).

However, this verse does not mean we do not need teachers. Otherwise, why would the Spirit give the gift of teaching? (Ephesians 4:11; Acts 13:1.) In the context, John was speaking of discerning truth from error. John wants us to understand that each believer is capable and responsible to study the Word for themselves because the Spirit Who inspired the Scriptures indwells every believer. The Spirit uses those whom He has given the gift of teaching in His work of illuminating the Word for others (Romans 12:7).

Here’s a practical way to think of illumination. In Genesis 1:2–3, we read, “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Light was not present until the Spirit of God hovered. When the Spirit of God hovers and the Word of God speaks, order comes out of chaos. That’s what happened in creation. The earth was “formless and empty” before the Spirit and the light came.

Does your life ever feel formless, empty, or chaotic? How does life move from chaos to order? This transformation happens when the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are invited in to your life. It’s not just about reading your Bible­—it’s about asking God to illumine what you read and submitting your heart to it. When you do this, God’s Spirit brings order out of chaos.

Through the Spirit’s work of illumination, God helps us understand and apply His Word so we are able to live in its light.