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What is the Role of the Holy Spirit in Interpreting the Bible?
Can a non-Christian grasp the content of the Bible? Yes and no.
Yes, if we mean the text can be understood by employing a sound approach to literature—to the basic grammar, context, and content of a passage.
But an unbeliever cannot fully appreciate and take to heart the truth of the Bible. God’s Spirit helps Christians discern the spiritual realities of the text and then apply them to their lives (see 1 Cor. 2:14).
Scott Duvall and Daniel Hays offer helpful insight here:
When it comes to biblical interpretation, having the Holy Spirit does not mean that the Spirit is all we need, since he will not make biblical interpretation automatic. He expects us to use our minds, valid interpretive methods, and good study helps. The Spirit does not create new meaning or provide new information, but he does enable us to accept the Bible as God’s Word and grasp its meaning. The Spirit will not change the Bible to suit our purposes or match our circumstances, but he will work in our lives as interpreters. He restores us to our senses and helps us grow up spiritually so we can hear his voice in the Scriptures more clearly.
In light of that, the critical question we all need to answer is this–what are we giving the Holy Spirit to work with, in how carefully we read the Bible?
Quick Read: Is it Ok to ask hard questions of the Bible?
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