The Holy Spirit Uses God’s Word to Make Us More Like Christ

Section 7: Salvation – Part 2

Week 2: Sanctification

Day 4: The Holy Spirit Uses God’s Word to Make Us More Like Christ

John 15:5-8, 17:15-17; 2 Tim. 3:16

We said yesterday that the sanctification process starts with the Holy Spirit renewing our minds. That still leaves us with the question: how does the Holy Spirit accomplish that?

The Matrix is an interesting movie from the late 90s. The premise of the movie is that the world around us isn’t real. It is an artificial reality called the Matrix. Every human being has a port implanted in their head at birth that connects them to the Matrix. Some, however, have found a way to disconnect from it, yet they frequently go back in to free others. Computer generated agents are always waiting to try to stop them, and the agents know how to use various aspects of the Matrix to their advantage. In an effort to negate the agents’ power, the humans have discovered an interesting way to use their implanted ports.  Whenever they’re in a tight spot, one of the team members outside the Matrix uses the port to download a computer program containing whatever skill might be required. Someone needs to know how to fly a helicopter? Just download the instructions, and suddenly the person becomes a highly proficient pilot. Your team is in hand-to-hand combat with a group of agents. No problem. Download some martial art skills and your team instantly turns into a bunch of ninjas. 

Wouldn’t it be nice if the Holy Spirit used a similar process on us? He wants us to be like Christ? No problem. He just downloads the WWJD app directly into our brain and BAM!… we automatically do whatever Jesus would do in any given situation. That would be a much easier process.

Perhaps. But we aren’t computers, and neither is the Holy Spirit. As we noted in the section on the Holy Spirit, because he is a person, the Holy Spirit works in our lives in much more personal ways. Top on the list is teaching us to understand the Bible. Why? Because to become like Christ we first need to think like him. And the Bible is the place where our thoughts come into contact with his thoughts. If we want to have the mind of Christ, we need the Holy Spirit to open our minds to God’s word.

Challenge:

Read Psalm 119:105-108.

Reflection Questions:

How is God’s Word described? What interaction do you see between God, us and His word in the Psalm?  What is God’s part in the process?