William Gladstone, three times Prime Minister of Great Britain once said, "If asked what is the remedy for the deeper sorrows of the human heart, what a man should chiefly look to in his progress as the power that is to sustain him under trials and enable him to confront his inevitable afflictions, I must point him to something which in a well-known hymn is called 'The old, old story,' told in an old, old Book, which is the greatest and best gift ever given to mankind."

What makes the Bible the greatest gift ever given to mankind? Because, through it, God reveals to us his heart and mind. The Bible is a letter written to us by the Spirit of God, revealing the nature of his relationship with us. It is a personal and private letter in which God makes known to us his plans for us.

In 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 St. Paul describes this message from the Spirit of God: "we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began...as it is written (Isaiah 64:4) 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him,' but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God."

God revealed to the prophets and apostles, by his Spirit, what is his intention for us. Through the written Scripture is communicated what God has prepared for those who love him. It is his marriage proposal to us, his courting of us, his opening of his heart to us. Only the Spirit of God can do that. No one else can fathom or disclose the extent and the depth of his love for us. When I read the Scripture I am being ushered into the inner sanctum of God. I am being introduced to the inner thoughts of God. I am being invited into the inner circle of God's confidants. When I read the Bible, the Spirit, in a unique way, is baring his soul, the soul of God the Son, my divine Friend, my Brother, my Savior, my Bridegroom, my Lover.

Lovers look forward to the arrival of mail. They may receive something from their beloved. Family members look forward to correspondence from loved ones. We find time to read our mail. The closer the relationship, the more desired the correspondence. Love letters are prized because they express intimacy of relationship, closeness of feeling, desire for understanding. They nurture unbroken fellowship and communion. If I knew I was going to receive such a letter I would make haste to get by myself to read it.

Love letters are read for the relationship they express. They are not read for grammar, or for journalistic accounts of events, or for style, or for detailed instructions. If you go to the Scriptures looking for an answer to every question you have ever asked, and expecting a cut and dried explanation to every problem you have had, you may be disappointed. Instead they convey the heart of the writer, the passion of the lover, the jealousy of the betrothed. The Bible is a relational book. It is meant to deepen and strengthen the bonds of affection between the Bridegroom and the Bride. It is more a love song, a ballad sung by troubadors, than just a nuts and bolts instruction manual.

The Bible conveys the deep things of God, what he has prepared for those who love him, what he has been preparing for you since time began. "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." (v.12)

Instead of arguments we get expressions of everlasting affection, and promises of undying faithfulness. God promises to be there for us. He pledges never to leave us. He showers us with all the blessings of the Gospel. This love letter, written by the Spirit, is a declaration of God's loving purpose. It is meant to dispel any anxiety about the meaning and purpose of our lives. It is meant to convey to us the good news that we have become inheritors of the kingdom of heaven, with all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that go along with it.

A letter that arrived in the mail informing you of the nature of an inheritance that has been freely left to you, would be treasured. Your heart would leap to know of your good fortune. You would read it, and re-read it, to make sure that it was true. If you received such a letter, your heart would be filled with such gratitude and joy that your life would be changed.

When you read the Bible, you are hearing words inspired by the Spirit. St. Paul, speaking for the apostles, wrote, "This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words." (v.13)

This does not mean that the human abilities of the biblical writers were unnecessary. They used their faculties to do the research needed to compose these words. We do not believe in divine dictation as Muslims do about the Koran. Nor do we mean that every sentence is God's word. The Bible includes many examples of error in order for them to be refuted, e.g. the recorded words of Satan, Job's friends, the Pharisees, etc. But the words of God's heart and mind, that are affirmed and repeated throughout the Scriptures, are to be received as the words taught by the Spirit.

We do not get side-tracked by passages that are difficult to understand. There are enough passages where the meaning is clear to satisfy us and encourage us. We don't get bogged down in controversy, but go on to the passages that affirm the love God has for us.

If I receive a letter from a very important person: someone of influence, authority, character, wisdom or fame, I would feel privileged to read it. I would savor every word, and my heart would be filled with joy when I recalled it. I would want to let others know about it. The Scriptures are letters written by the Spirit of God to each one of us personally. There is no more important person. Therefore, we should be excited and honored to be able to read it.

Why then, is it, that we do not always find reading the Scriptures meaningful? If all that I have said is true, why is the Bible a closed book to so many? St. Paul tells us it is because we are not reading with the eyes of the Spirit. We are not seeking the illumination of the Spirit to interpret it.

"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (v.14)

The Bible is not appreciated by everybody. Some people can read it and find it incomprehensible. To many, the Bible is just an ordinary book with black words on white paper. To appreciate its message the reader needs to have a loving relationship with the author. The Bible requires the illumination of the Spirit before it can be appreciated. It is like a sundial that on a cloudy day cannot be read. It has no message in and of itself. But when the sun breaks through it speaks to us. When we pray for the illumination of the Spirit, our inner heart is focused to receive the rays of light reflected from the pages of this book.

A man or woman who operates on a daily basis without any reference to the love of God in Christ, is a person to whom any conception that the Spirit of God wants to correspond with him about an intimate spiritual personal relationship, simply does not occur. He is not interested in love letters. He is a person who is preoccupied with the things of this life. He does not have time or interest for a sacred romance. He is practical, and material in his interests. He may acknowledge the existence of God but does not seek a closer relationship with God. He just doesn't see what all the fuss is about. He does not "accept the things that come from God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them." The Scriptures are a closed book to him. He does not welcome the things of the Spirit; he refuses them, he rejects them. He is not equipped to value them. In fact, they make him uneasy. To him, they are foolishness, like sentimental, romantic feelings to the hard of heart.

Christian believers may also find that reading the Bible does not bless them if they come to it without humbly seeking the illumination, the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When we do that the Spirit enters our lives and we see and understand more clearly. The Spirit of God equips us. The Spirit of God reveals Christ to us - we discover the mind of the author, and are in sympathy with him.

John Stott defends his high view of the Bible with a disclaimer. "We do not worship the Bible; we worship the Christ of the Bible. Here is a young man who is in love. He has a girlfriend who has captured his heart. As a result he carries a photograph of his beloved in his wallet because it reminds him of her when he is far away. Sometimes, when nobody is looking, he might even take the photograph out and give it a surreptitious kiss. But kissing the photograph is a poor substitute for the real thing. And so it is with the Bible. We love it only because we love him of whom it speaks."

The Bible is being offered to us as a gift by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, before whom we bow in awe and adoration. Through this gift he pledges his love to us in Christ. Like the African in the portrait, we do well to receive it on our knees, seeking to read it with humility and joy.

"Gracious God and most merciful Father, who has given us the rich and precious jewel of your holy Word: Assist us with your Spirit that it may be written in our hearts to our everlasting comfort, to reform us, to renew us according to your image, to build us up into the perfect building of your Christ, and to increase in us all heavenly virtues. Grant this, heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen."

Amelia Plantation Chapel,
Amelia Island, Florida.