What role does the Holy Spirit play in relation to the authorship of the Bible? The Holy Spirit is the one who transmitted the Word of God to the apostles and inspired writers. God the Father is the Author (John 12:48–50). The Word was given to Christ, who taught it to the apostles (John 17:8, 14, 18). Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to them to “teach [them] all things and bring to [their] remembrance all things that [Jesus] said to [them]” (John 14:25–26), and He would “guide [them] into all truth” (John 16:12–13). The apostles were immersed in the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). They spoke and wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16). The word “inspiration” means “breathed out,” indicating that the words of the Scriptures were breathed out by the Holy Spirit. The very words written by the inspired writers came to them through the Holy Spirit.

There are some people in the religious world who claim that non-Christians cannot grasp God’s Word without assistance from the Holy Spirit. However, the Holy Spirit does not operate directly upon men today, either separate from or in conjunction with the written Word of God. Saving faith and spiritual growth are possible solely through the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Sanctification or spiritual growth in the avenue of holiness comes about by the Word of God (John 17:17). Passages such as 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16–17; and 2 Peter 1:3–11 all show us that the written Word is sufficient in and of itself to provide all the spiritual guidance needed to be a faithful Christian.

Those who insist that we must have assistance from the Holy Spirit to understand the Word of God answer the question, “Can we grasp God’s Word apart from the Spirit?” in several ways.

First, they answer, “Yes,” in that an unbeliever can understand the basic content of the Scriptures. I agree with this answer—and more so, I believe the unbeliever can make the proper application of God’s Word without such divine assistance.

Second, they answer, “Yes, but only to a degree,” in that the unbeliever’s preunderstanding of the Bible affects their ability to comprehend it. I agree with this but do not limit it to unbelievers. Those who claim to be believers can also have a preunderstanding that is wrong—such as taking the promises of the Holy Spirit given only to the apostles and applying them generally to all Christians—which prevents them from a precise understanding.

Third, they answer, “No,” in that the unbeliever can understand the Bible’s basic message but will reject it. That is not entirely true, because the Scriptures themselves are entirely sufficient to produce faith in the unbeliever (Romans 10:17). For instance in the Parable of the Sower, the same seed is cast onto four types of soil. The seed that “fell by the wayside” was devoured by birds before it could germinate. (Luke 8:5) The seed that “fell on  rock” (Luke 8:6) and the seed that “fell among thorns” (Luke 8:7) each produced a plant that later withered or was choked out. The seed that “fell on good ground” produced abundantly. In explaining the parable, Jesus said that the seed represents the Word of God. (Luke 8:11). The soils represent the hearts of those who hear the Word. The heart described as the “wayside” reject the Word out of hand. The next two types of hearts are obedient until temptation or the cares of the world turn them away from God. The hearts described as the “good ground” are those who become faithful and productive Christians. The proponents of the false concept that the Holy Spirit directly aids in our understanding of the Scriptures use 1 Corinthians 2:14 to support their  idea that a “natural man” cannot understand “the things of the Spirit of God.” They misunderstand the “natural man” to be an unbeliever. Paul is actually using the phrase in reference to a man absent of inspiration. The “natural man” is the one who would try to discern God’s will without inspiration. Today, we can understand the Word of God because the Scriptures were given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the writers, and we can have the same understanding through the written Word that they gained through inspiration (Ephesians 3:3–5).