We cannot approach the Bible in a cavalier manner without faith if we want to experience spiritual truth. Satan will do all that is in his power to prevent anyone from a personal understanding of the message of the Bible. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor.4:4).

If we want to see and experience the message of the Bible passage we are reading we must begin by prayerfully asking for the veil of unbelief to be removed and replaced with the spirit of faith. Psalm 119 contains 176 verses of prayers for such illumination and instruction. "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." (v.18) "Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart." (v.34) "May my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word. May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise." (vv.169, 170)

When we humbly seek the Lord sincerely he will answer us, for in the Bible 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 his intention is 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. That is why the language sometimes seems extreme. 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 troubadours, than just a nuts and bolts instruction manual.

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.

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. We are not entering into the reality of the human condition that it presents. "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)

Also, if we are merely reading the Bible and not acting on what the Spirit is saying to us through it we are reading it in the flesh. "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." (James 1:22-24) It would be like being in a marriage where there is honest communication between the husband and wife but neither will seek to change to please the other. Love acts to meet the needs of the other.

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 and a realistic understanding of his own need. 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.

The Rev. Ted Schroder is the pastor of an independent evangelical congregation on Amelia Island, Florida