The Sherlock Holmes of The Bible

We Believers can also know God’s Word and plans through what the Spirit searches out for us. Not only is the Spirit the Revealer, but He is also the Investigator of truth. His investigative skills are infinitely more exquisite than the fictional Sherlock Holmes! That is correct; the Spirit of Grace is a researcher, who often conducts systematic investigations into the deep mysteries of God to disclose them to us. Paul emphasized this point in 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 saying,

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. ¹¹ For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Paul clearly says, “The Spirit searcheth all things.” The word “searcheth” means to search into, examine closely, explore, and investigate (Zodhiates, 1993) according to The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament.  The Spirit is the Researcher who delights in exploring the infinite depths of His own divine mind and Word, and then revealing these valuable insights to God’s people. It is not that He requires additional information; His aim is to determine what truth or insight is appropriate for us to be exposed to. The Spirit helps believers “examine closely” and “search diligently” the Scriptures to discover truths we had not been aware of heretofore. He discloses truths largely according to the individual’s maturity, and capacity to comprehend them (Deut. 29:29). Not all Bible teaching is appropriate for every Believer. Some insights are more fitting for new converts, while others are better suited to maturing Christians. 
           We as Believers never would have discovered the mysteries of God or the benefits of Christ’s death without the Holy Spirit revealing this to us. Nevertheless, we can know and experience truth because it has been freely given to us Christians by God through His Word. Believers have a wealth of spiritual resources because the Spirit lives within us! One cannot know what is going on within another’s personality, but the human spirit within knows. Neither can we know “the deep things of God” unless somehow we can enter into God’s personality. This is humanly impossible, but by His Spirit, God has entered into each Believer’s personality. This positions Him to communicate quite richly into our awareness incredible truths and principles about our Lord, our salvation, and the goodness of God toward us. 

Through the Holy Spirit, each convert becomes a participant in the very life of God. The Spirit of God gives glimpses of God’s plans to his people. Only the Spirit can reveal to Believers God’s profound nature and wonderful plan, especially that previously hidden mystery—salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit even shows “the deep things of God” to Christians. Precious insights that communicate comfort, joy, peace, conviction, reverence, awe, and faith into our never dying souls. Sometimes what He introduces us to is so stirring that all we can do is look upward towards our heavenly Father while tears of joy race down our cheeks. There are characteristics of Almighty God that, upon our being exposed to them, deepen our appreciation and stimulate intensely heartfelt worship. His grace and mercy graduate from mere words in our Christian vocabulary to penetrating awareness of who God really is. We are made sober, striped entirely, filled to overflowing, and stabilized in our innermost person. I can personally testify that some biblical teachings fascinated my little brain so much that all I could do was chuckle to myself upon discovering them. First Corinthians 2:10, demonstrates how “the deep things of God” are another description of “the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1Cor. 2:9). God desires for you and me, His children, to know today all the blessings of His grace that He has planned for each of us.

Clearly, the Holy Spirit’s assistance with understanding God’s plans is available to every Christian according to 1 Corinthians 2:12-16. Paul points out three important ministries of the Holy Spirit of God. First of all, the Spirit indwells genuine Believers (2:12).  Notice the phrase, “Now we have received . . . the spirit which is of God.”  The very moment we trusted Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God entered our body and made it His temple (1 Cor. 6:19-20).  Christians have not received the “spirit of the world” because we have been called out of this world and no longer belong to it (John 17:14, 16). We are not under the authority of Satan and his world system. The “spirit of the world” refers to the wisdom of Satan and his demons; his is the “wisdom of this world” (1 Cor. 1:20; 2:6; 3:19), manifested in human efforts and philosophies. Therefore, we Believers do not depend on worldly wisdom because the Spirit we have received is not of this world. Instead, we Believers have received the Spirit who is from God (Gal 3:5). The Spirit can enable Christians to grasp what God has “freely given to us.”  The salvation, accomplished through Jesus’ death, could only be understood as the Holy Spirit revealed it. God’s Spirit dwells within Christians to execute this teaching ministry.
So when we take the time to be the Spirit's understudies, we afford ourselves a tremendous growth opportunity. We can know God and His incredible plans with brilliant clarity and extraordinary depth. While it is good to consult with study helps, study Bibles, sermon CDs and DVDs, the best Bible teacher, investigator, explorer, and revealer is the Holy Spirit of God. Make it your habit to not only study the Word regularly, but to invite the Spirit of grace to teach and instruct you as you read and study. Not every Bible study session will prove to be a stunning experience, but a consistent study life under Professor Holy Spirit will take us quite far into the heart and mind of God our Father. God wants you and me to know Him deeply. He knows He is the absolute best knowledge we could ever attain. Anything we need to know about God, the Sherlock Holmes of the Bible can teach us.