First, we discuss the indispensability of allowing the Holy Spirit to lead Bible study, because life can only come from the triune God. Second, it clarifies the relationship between life and miracles, showing that a spiritual life conformed to Jesus’ image always bears miracles. However, the presence of miracles in life does not necessarily indicate true life. This subtopics refers previous discussions. Third, it briefly introduces a practical method for having life accessible to everyone, drawing from earlier detailed discussions. It is estimated that you will need at least five years of such Bible reading to broadly store Bible’s words in your heart. Then, God has absolute sovereignty to decide when to begin leading you in Bible study through the Holy Spirit. Finally, five different examples of the Holy Spirit leading Bible study are presented. It is hoped that after reading this, you will not only recognize that this is not merely practical but also be willing to invest time in this method, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead your Bible study. Please note: This article is based on the Sunday (11/16/25) topicwise Bible study. Unless otherwise specified, verses refer to those in NASB95. Past articles referenced can be found on our website, ‘https://a-christian-voice.com/,’ under ‘On spiritual understanding about life.’
1. Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead Bible study is indispensable
We must emphasize that the Lord Jesus is present with us today through the indwelling Holy Spirit, because life can only come from the triune God. We must “allow the Holy Spirit to lead Bible study” in order to have life. (Note 1) Otherwise, we will face the fate described in the Book of Matthew: “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:22-23) If those people found that doing things in Jesus’ name had no effect, do you think they would continue doing so? In other words, God allows such things to happen, but the Bible clearly states, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” (Matthew 7:21) Clearly, God is all-knowing. These people merely sought worldly fame through Jesus’ name, not truly obeying the will of my heavenly Father.
This is like the early church in Corinth: “…you are not lacking in any gift, …” (1 Corinthians 1:7). We know that at that time they “… are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:3-4). They eventually repented, as the Bible says, “For though I (Paul) caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:8-10) This is what is meant by, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Therefore, when the Book of Revelation speaks of the final judgment at the great white throne, Christians must have works of faith. (Note 2)
2. The relationship between life and miracles
Christians are to be conformed to the image of Jesus. Scripture makes this clear: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed (G4832) to the image (G1504) of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.”(Romans 8:29) (Note 3) The original text does not explicitly state a passive voice here, but the word appears twice. The translation renders it as passive, as seen in another verses: “…the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Philippians 3:21) This is passive, not something we can actively do. Therefore, Paul says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) Without the Holy Spirit, we will find, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.” (Romans 7:18) But through the Holy Spirit, we come to know, “…there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” (Romans 8:1-2) We have already stated that the Lord Jesus is present with us today through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Therefore, how can we not “allow the Holy Spirit to lead our Bible study” in order to understand God’s will as revealed in Scripture?
We are to be conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus, to obtain Himself, not merely His gifts. Gifts are incidental, as Scripture states, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. …for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:7-12) A spiritual life being conformed to Jesus’ image inevitably bears miracles. Yet the presence of miracles in life does not necessarily signify the presence of life itself. (Note 4) This concept must be crystal clear: Is casting out demons and performing many miracles in Jesus’ name not a miracle? Yet Jesus “…will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:23)
If one truly believes the Bible is divinely inspired, reading it correctly reveals its profound logical consistency—demonstrating that the Triune God is not ambiguous. Because God is infinite while humans are finite, I can only confirm from my own experience that this is indeed the case. When I sense contradictions or inconsistencies in interpretation, the Holy Spirit opens my eyes, and I no longer perceive them that way—realizing I had misread. Without this faith, relying solely on logical deduction leads to agnosticism, leaving one uncertain whether God exists.
The Bible makes it clear: to have life, one must allow the Holy Spirit to lead Bible study. For God is not a deity who commands every action; Scripture explicitly states He grants us freedom to decide certain matters. Therefore, “allowing the Holy Spirit to lead Bible study” does not mean repeating everything the Holy Spirit says verbatim. If that were the case, there would be no room for error. In reality, corrections are sometimes necessary—mistakes made within that freedom of choice. When correction is needed, the Holy Spirit may speak directly to our minds or use others’ words to reveal truth. This is why all seven churches in the Book of Revelation are told to have ears to hear.
This applies to everyone. Even though the Bible is divinely inspired, it was written by human beings. Therefore, God corrects or adds information in His own way. A biblical example of this can be found in last Sunday’s (3/9/25) sharing, “1167 Crucified, resurrected and appeared, erroneous verses – Mark(15)16–(16)20,” we examined some biblical examples of this.
3. A practical method for having life that anyone can follow
We previously discussed this method in detail in “250823 1 A method for having life by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead Bible study.” Here, we will briefly introduce this method, adding some insights not fully realized at that time.
This method is simple yet absolutely effective because it is a biblical promise (Note 5). I have personally practiced it, so anyone genuinely willing can do the same—for from beginning to end, it is entrusted to God’s hands. The method begins by reading from the first page of the Book of Matthew in the New Testament, proceeding sequentially through to the final page of the Book of Revelation. Then, continue from the first page of the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament, proceeding sequentially through to the final page of the Book of Malachi. This completes one cycle. Subsequent cycles follow the same pattern. Since it is cyclical, one may begin with the Old Testament and proceed to the New Testament.
The purpose of reading in this manner is to store Bible’s words in your heart. Therefore, it is alright if you do not understand everything; simply read through it. This is preferable to forcing interpretations (distorting Scripture) (Note 6). If you are willing to spend about an hour each day reading through the Bible, you can read through it approximately three times a year. Like me, you can start with fifteen minutes and gradually increase to about an hour. One crucial point to emphasize: when we willingly engage in this kind of Bible reading, Satan’s agents will not leave us alone. The closer we draw to God, the more temptations we will face (Note 7). Moreover, you may discover that listening alone is insufficient; unless one cannot read, an ordinary people must read. This is because listening and reading activate different mechanisms within us. Having gone through a period of relying solely on listening, I know it doesn’t work.
Imprinting Scripture in your heart is crucial. If the Holy Spirit leads us through Scripture’s words, but we lack awareness of those passages within us, we won’t comprehend them even when heard—rendering it futile. You might think this is impossible, but I did it while working. My estimate is that you’ll likely need at least five years to achieve this. Compare this to Paul: after seeing the great light, he immediately began preaching, resulting in “but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.” (Acts 9:25) He himself declared, “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:11-12) Some say he spent about three years in the wilderness of Arabia to receive revelation, but there is no explicit biblical basis for this. My experience tells me three years is truly insufficient, so my estimate is that you will likely need at least five years to do this.
Then, God has absolute sovereignty in deciding when to begin leading you in Bible study through the Holy Spirit. Once you sense that the words of Scripture are broadly established in your heart, you may ask God to lead you in Bible study through the Holy Spirit. Due to my unique circumstances, it took about more than ten years before the Holy Spirit began leading my Bible study. You likely won’t need that long. Speaking of which, after the Holy Spirit began leading my study, I recalled that around the tenth year, I had already stored the Bible’s words to heart broadly. I remember telling my wife then that I couldn’t truly understand the Bible—I could only discern whether others’ words were found within it. Looking back now, I should have said then that, if God permitted it, I could discern whether others’ words were in the Bible. Of course, this was only a general, overall understanding, because sometimes I would get the chapter wrong, and some things were impossible to remember. For instance, if someone randomly asked me whether a particular name appeared in the family genealogy, I usually couldn’t answer. Given the considerable time that had passed, I inevitably encouraged myself with the idea that slow and steady work yields fine results. I thought of Moses, who was shaped in the wilderness for forty years before God called him—we certainly wouldn’t take that long.
4. Examples of the Holy Spirit leading Bible study
All Christians begin as unbelievers, progressing to initial faith, then “…from faith to faith; …” (Romans 1:17). Looking back, we realize God was already at work in us before we became Christians—He is a God of grace and mercy.
Jesus understood people’s need to see signs, so He told the royal official, “…Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” (John 4:48) Yet He knew miracles (signs) were meant to testify to His grace, just as Paul and Barnabas did. Scripture records, “Therefore they spent a long time there (in Iconium) speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.” (Acts 14:3) We note that “But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”” (Acts 4:19-20) Though I know that I have not yet been conformed to the image of the Lord, sometimes I cannot help but speak, hoping that some may see the necessity of allowing the Holy Spirit to lead Bible study, unhindered by the old self, so that we may read Scripture correctly. The example we have chosen begins from this very point.
If I recall correctly, this session began with this scripture told me in mind: “And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:14) I suddenly realized that this refers to apostles personally chosen by the Lamb. Thus, I recognize that Paul was chosen by Jesus Himself in the great light after His resurrection (cf. Acts 22:1-16), while Matthias was chosen by lot according to human decision (cf. Acts 1:21-26). Therefore, it is clear that Paul’s name is among them.
The second example is in this scripture: “In the beginning God created the heavens (H8064, plural) and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) I used to think this referred to the heavens as seen from Earth. An inner voice told me this was wrong, but I couldn’t pinpoint where the error lay. Suddenly, I realized that the next verse addresses earthly matters: “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) It turns out that the “heavens” here refers to the sky surrounding each individual planet.
The third example came from someone else’s explanation, concerning these two verses: “And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.” (Genesis 6:19) and “You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female.” (Genesis 7:2) At that time, someone posed a question I had always wondered about: How many clean animals actually boarded the ark? Was it one pair? Or seven pairs? If I recall correctly, another person responded that the former referred to the species (see Genesis 7:13-16), while the latter referred to the number, because “also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth.” (Genesis 7:3) This was for the purpose of preserving offspring. Finally, this verse confirmed the thought in my mind: “Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.” (Genesis 8:20) If only one male and one female of each clean animal had boarded the ark, they would have become extinct. Therefore, seven males and seven females of each clean animal entered the ark.
Up to this point, all examples are like ordinary testimonies—they cannot be shown to others. How could one possibly reveal a thought (or a strange dream or vision) to someone? It is impossible. The only thing that can be revealed to others is what was previously stated in “1123 Correction: God reveals His existence through objective facts that are visible to others.” Since it was stated in the thought that only God is absolutely objective, I finally realized this was correct. Therefore, I recently added this correction at the beginning: “Correction: Only the triune God is absolutely objective. This assumes the medical system is flawless, making it an objective fact. While generally true, exceptions exist where doctors may commit fraud under specific circumstances.”
I was unaware of this whole event until my thoughts revealed it. Essentially, the medical system recorded that I had taken two types of blood pressure medication, yet I was not taking any such drugs at that time, and my blood pressure remained consistently stable within acceptable ranges. At that time, approximately twelve people viewed this record.
Understand that everything has a beginning and an end—a window period. For an individual, the longest window period is salvation, spanning from birth until death. During this window period, I wasn’t taking medication, yet my blood pressure remained consistently stable within acceptable limits. Now I still take no medication. My blood pressure occasionally spikes, but it quickly returns to the same acceptable range. This indicates the window period has ended. Out of respect for God, though the record remains, after the window period passed, I no longer display it to others. As for why my blood pressure occasionally rises, my observation is that it relates to my eyes gradually continuing to improve. The previous issues with my eyes are documented in “2. A corresponding testimony and the work of Holy Spirit” under “1038 Walking on the sea with a testimony, and healing a born blind.” They are now much better than before and continue to improve gradually.
Finally, let us discuss the biblical basis for women preaching. I chose this topic because it recently came to mind, and when I couldn’t think of what to say, my thoughts reminded me of the relevant scripture. Now, let us first look at this passage: “Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying (G4395) disgraces his head. But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved.” (1 Corinthians 11:4-5) The Bible makes it clear: “but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her for a covering.” (1 Corinthians 11:15) Therefore, there is no need for an additional covering. It is evident that in the salvation of the New Testament, men and women are fundamentally equal. I say fundamentally because the Bible does not mention female elders, so we should likewise follow this principle.
Didn’t Paul say? “Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy (G4395, verb).” (1 Corinthians 14:1) Then why did he tell the Corinthian church, “The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, …” (1 Corinthians 14:34) Especially since he specifically emphasized, “If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.” (1 Corinthians 14:37-38) Clearly, this came from the Lord, showing that Paul could discern spirits. Therefore, when he says, “and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.” (1 Corinthians 12:10), he possesses all these gifts. For if he had not truly experienced them, truly knew it, he would not have spoken thus; otherwise, he would be lying and acknowledging Satan as his father (cf. John 8:44). As we mentioned before, the Corinthian church at that time was still carnal and in disarray. No wonder Paul, from God’s perspective, forbade women from speaking—this was directed at the women of the Corinthian church.
Then why did Paul also say, “But I do not allow a woman to teach (G1321), or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.” (1 Timothy 2:12)? Note that a different Greek word is used here, referring to a different kind of teaching, though the Chinese Union Version uses the same translation. This verse uses the word “I,” indicating it reflects Paul’s personal opinion, not a command from the Lord. We see, “They (Paul and Silas) passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them.”(Acts 16:6-7) Therefore, Scripture clearly states that Paul was not infallible like God. Do not worship men, nor worship angels. Scripture plainly declares, “But he (the angel) said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.”” (Revelation 22:9) Know this: “…One is your Leader, that is, Christ.” (Matthew 23:10)
Didn’t Paul say? “Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy (G4395, verb).” (1 Corinthians 14:1) He also said, “And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets (G4395), third teachers (G1320), then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.” (1 Corinthians 12:28) Teachers are listed below prophets. We also see, “Now this man (Philip) had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses.” (Acts 21:9) In fact, the Old Testament contains an example of women teaching: “Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.” (Judges 4:4) Moreover, “Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, …” (Judges 5:1) What is this if not teaching? From the principle that “what God tells us through Bible is consistent,” we can also understand that women are permitted to preach. Especially since, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” (1 Corinthians 12:11) It is God who decides, not Paul.
Notes
Note 1: Regarding how the Lord Jesus is with us today through the indwelling Holy Spirit, it is because of this promise: “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18-20) We now have the indwelling Holy Spirit: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, …” (1 Corinthians 6:19) The triune God refers to God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Lord Jesus is with us today through the indwelling Holy Spirit. As for life, it can only come from God. Paul wrote clearly, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)
Note 2: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.” (Revelation 20:11-13)
Note 3: Here both foreknowledge and predestination are mentioned, thus foreknowledge and predestination are two sides of the same coin, like a coin having two sides but being one coin. Some say there is only foreknowledge, others say only predestination—both are wrong, for they contradict what Scripture teaches. If one truly believes the Bible is divinely inspired, one will “not discount the Bible’s words.”
Note 4: Jesus performed many miracles while on earth. We are being conformed to His image, filled with the life of the Holy Spirit—how could miracles not accompany us? Stephen was a man full of the Holy Spirit, as the Scripture says, “…Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, …” (Acts 6:5). Moreover, we know that “And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.” (Acts 6:8) He was conformed to the image of Jesus even in life, as the scripture says, “They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:59-60) This is essentially the same as the two phrases spoken by Jesus on the cross. These two phrases are: “And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.” (Luke 23:46) and “But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” …” (Luke 23:34). No wonder in the record of New Testament, he alone received the unique honor of Jesus welcoming him to stand at God’s right hand (cf. Acts 7:55-56).
Note 5: To the church in Laodicea in the Book of Revelation, who shut Jesus outside the door, He still promised, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20) He does not merely sit at the table but also works, for otherwise there would be no promise: “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, …” (Revelation 3:21) What we must do is genuinely open the door of our hearts. Note that this promise does not specify a time; God has absolute sovereignty and will choose the best moment to fulfill it.
Note 6: This refers to Peter’s statement: “…our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort (G4761), as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:15-16) This word G4761 appears only once. The purpose of reading Scripture in this way is to store its words in our hearts. Therefore, it is acceptable not to understand everything; simply read through it. This is preferable to distorting Scripture, for even if distortion can be corrected, it requires considerable time.
Note 7: As servants of the Lord Jesus, let us first observe how Satan treated the Lord. After Jesus’ baptism, during His forty days of temptation by the devil (Satan), “When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:13) This was only a temporary departure. Later, it is said in Scripture, “…One (Jesus) who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) Scripture clearly states, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.” (Matthew 10:24) How could we not face increasing temptations as we draw nearer to God? Yet God will preserve us in temptation. Scripture plainly states, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
aChristianVoice 一個基督徒的聲音 