1 Cor. 9:27 π 1 Cor. 14:20 π 2 Pet. 1:21; 2nd
In writing under Divine guidance, three factors are required:
- A spirit indwelt by, and moved by the Holy Spirit. ( 2 Pet. 1:21; top )
- An alert and renewed mind, acute in active power of apprehension and intelligent thinking. (See 1 Cor. 14:20; top )
- A body under the complete control of the spirit and volition of the man. (See 1 Cor. 9:27; top )
In writing or speaking under the control of evil spirits, a man is not truly "spiritual," for his spirit is not in use; what appears "spiritual" being the work of supernatural powers manifesting their spirit power on, and through, the passive mind of the man, apart from his spirit. But in writing under the guidance of God; since it is not given by dictation, as to an automaton, but by the movement of the Holy Spirit in the man's spirit; the man must be truly spiritual, the source being in the spirit, and not in the mind, as it is when men write the products of their own thoughts. The Scriptures bear the marks of their having been written in this way. "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." ( 2 Pet. 1:21; top ) They spake from God, but as men they received and uttered, or wrote the truth given in the spirit, but transmitted through the full use of their divinely enlightened faculties.
Paul's writings all show the fulfillment of the three requirements mentioned; of his spirit being open to the movement of the Holy Spirit, his mind in full use, and his body an obedient instrument under the control of the spirit; his letters also revealing the capacity of the renewed mind for apprehending the deep things of God.
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