Before We Had a Bible, We Had the Holy Spirit

I believe in being in the Word. Completely.

I believe in studying Scripture, examining its historical context, understanding what the original authors intended, and allowing God's truth to shape how we think, believe, and live.

I study Scripture daily because I want to know God more deeply. I want to understand Yeshua's teachings, His purpose, and what His death and resurrection accomplished for us.

And the more I study, the more I'm drawn to a question that deserves serious consideration.

How did the earliest believers live in Christ before there was a completed New Testament, personal Bibles, daily devotionals, Bible reading plans, or the countless resources available to us today?

They had the teachings of the apostles. They had the Scriptures of Israel. They gathered, prayed, worshiped, learned, and encouraged one another.

And they had something extraordinary.

The Holy Spirit dwelling within them. The very same Spirit who dwells within us today.

Understanding that reality should affect how we approach Scripture, how we understand our identity in Christ, and how we live every single day.

God Promised Something Extraordinary

Hundreds of years before Yeshua's birth, God spoke through Jeremiah about a coming covenant.

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people." Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV)

Consider what God promised. His instruction would be placed within His people and written upon their hearts.

Under the covenant established at Sinai, God's commandments were given to Israel, including those written on stone tablets. Israel was instructed to learn, remember, teach, and obey God's law.

Jeremiah describes a coming covenant in which God's instruction would become internal to His people. Hebrews 8:6–13 explicitly identifies this promise with the New Covenant mediated by Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel 36:26–27 adds another dimension:

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules." Ezekiel 36:26–27 (ESV)

Read those words carefully. God promises a new heart, His Spirit within His people, and His work within them so they walk according to His ways.

For those who belong to Christ, the indwelling Spirit is a present reality. We are living under the covenant God promised. The question is how deeply we believe what He has already accomplished and how faithfully we live according to that truth.

The Earliest Believers Had No Completed New Testament

Think about the believers who gathered in Jerusalem after Pentecost.

Acts 2 records Peter preaching the resurrection of Yeshua and calling people to repent and be baptized. About three thousand people received his message that day.

Acts 2:42 tells us they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayers.

These believers had no completed New Testament. Paul had not yet written his letters. The four Gospels had not yet been composed in the form we know today. The writings that would eventually form the New Testament emerged over the following decades.

They did have the Jewish Scriptures, which the apostles used to explain Yeshua as the promised Messiah. They listened to the apostles who had witnessed His ministry, death, and resurrection. They gathered in community, learned, prayed, shared their possessions, and cared for one another.

And according to Acts 2:38, they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Their life in Christ began through faith in the risen Messiah, accompanied by the gift of the Spirit.

We have extraordinary access to Scripture today. But the first Christians experienced the reality of the New Covenant before the New Testament existed as a completed collection. The same Spirit promised through the prophets was now dwelling within God's people.

What Does It Mean to Be in the Word?

John 1:1 declares:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1 (ESV)

And John 1:14 says:

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." John 1:14 (ESV)

John identifies Yeshua as the eternal Word, the Logos (Greek: λόγος), who became flesh. That declaration is foundational to understanding who Christ is.

Scripture uses the expression "word of God" in different ways, including God's spoken message, His revealed instruction, and the proclamation of the Gospel. John's identification of Jesus as the Word made flesh is a specific declaration about His divine identity.

Yeshua told His disciples in John 15:4:

"Abide in me, and I in you." John 15:4 (ESV)

He went on to describe the fruit produced by those who remain in Him. This is the life we have been brought into through Christ.

Peter makes an extraordinary statement in 2 Peter 1:3:

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence." 2 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

All things that pertain to life and godliness. Granted to us. Think about the implications of those words. Peter is describing what God's divine power has already provided.

The passage goes on to call believers to actively cultivate faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love (2 Peter 1:5–8). God has provided. We are called to respond.

Faith means taking God at His word and acting accordingly. I don't have to spend my life trying to earn what He has already granted. I can live from what He has given, trusting His Spirit and responding in obedience.

Psalm 1 and the Life That Bears Fruit

Psalm 1 describes a person whose delight is in the law of the LORD, who meditates upon it day and night, and whose life resembles a tree planted beside streams of water. The tree yields fruit in season. Its leaf does not wither.

The word translated "law" is Torah (Hebrew: תּוֹרָה), referring to instruction or teaching, particularly God's revealed instruction to Israel. The word translated "meditates" comes from hagah (Hebrew: הָגָה), which can mean to ponder, murmur, recite, or reflect.

The ancient Israelites generally did not own personal copies of Scripture. God's instruction was communicated through families, priests, teachers, public readings, and communal life. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 called Israel to keep God's words upon their hearts and teach them throughout everyday life.

Psalm 1 describes someone who delights in God's instruction and continually allows it to shape the direction of life. And the result is a picture of stability and fruitfulness.

Now consider what Yeshua says in John 15:5:

"Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5 (ESV)

Psalm 1 and John 15 were spoken within different covenant settings. Yet both describe a fruitful life grounded in relationship with God and responsiveness to His instruction.

Then Paul writes in Galatians 5:22–23 about the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

I have the audacity to believe that, because the Holy Spirit dwells within me, these qualities are already available to me through Him. Now I have the responsibility to align my thinking and conduct with that truth daily, through faith.

I have love available when someone tests my patience. I have access to the Spirit's peace when circumstances threaten to overwhelm me. I can choose kindness, exercise self-control, and act faithfully because God's Spirit is at work within me.

Galatians 5:25 says:

"If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:25 (ESV)

We have life by the Spirit. We are called to walk accordingly.

What the Bereans Teach Us About Scripture

Acts 17:11 describes the Bereans examining the Scriptures daily to determine whether Paul's teaching about Jesus was true. They received the message eagerly and investigated its accuracy.

The Greek word anakrinō (Greek: ἀνακρίνω), translated "examining," describes careful investigation or evaluation. Their practice reminds us that Scripture deserves serious attention. It also reminds us that we should be willing to examine the interpretations we receive.

The Bereans were investigating Paul's claims about the Messiah through the Scriptures available to them. Acts 17:12 tells us that many believed. Their investigation brought them face to face with the claims of Jesus Christ.

That is a worthy example for believers today. We should read, study, question, examine, and seek understanding. We should welcome correction when Scripture reveals that something we've believed needs to be reconsidered. And we should approach that process with humility, recognizing that none of us has exhausted the depths of God's revelation.

The Spirit of God Dwells in Us

Romans 8:11:

"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." Romans 8:11 (ESV)

Paul connects the Spirit's indwelling presence with the promise of resurrection life. In the same chapter, he speaks of believers walking according to the Spirit, putting to death the deeds of the body, and living as children of God.

Romans 8:14:

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Romans 8:14 (ESV)

Consider what that means for your identity. You have been reconciled to the Father. You have received the Spirit of adoption. You have been called to walk according to the Spirit.

These are realities Paul describes as belonging to those who are in Christ. I believe these things are true of me right now. Even on difficult days. Even when my emotions tell me something different. Even when circumstances seem completely inconsistent with what God has promised.

My circumstances do not determine whether His Spirit dwells within me. My faith rests on what Christ has accomplished. And that faith should influence how I respond to the circumstances I face.

The Purpose of Studying Scripture

Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16–17 that Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, correction, reproof, and training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be equipped for every good work.

Scripture teaches us. It corrects us. It reveals the character and purposes of God. It helps us recognize error and grow in understanding. It equips us for the work God calls us to do.

Jesus also said something in John 5:39–40 that deserves our attention. He spoke to people who searched the Scriptures diligently, believing that in them they had eternal life. Yet they refused to come to Him, the One to whom those Scriptures testified.

The passage challenges me to examine the relationship between what I know and how I respond to Christ. I can study a passage repeatedly and still need to grow in understanding its meaning. I can memorize Jesus' words about loving my neighbor and still need to exercise the love His Spirit produces. I can explain Paul's teaching about the Holy Spirit and still fail to act in faith upon what I believe.

This is why studying Scripture must continually shape our faith and conduct. James 1:22 calls us to be doers of the word. Jesus says in John 14:23 that those who love Him will keep His word. The New Testament calls believers to receive God's truth and live according to it.

Living in the Reality of the New Covenant

One of the things that continues to capture my attention is how much of the New Testament concerns what God has already accomplished through Yeshua.

Paul speaks about believers being made alive with Christ in Ephesians 2:4–6. He describes believers as new creations in 2 Corinthians 5:17. He writes about the Spirit dwelling within us in Romans 8. He speaks of Christ living in him in Galatians 2:20.

And he expresses his deepest desire in Philippians 3:10:

"That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death." Philippians 3:10 (ESV)

Paul wanted to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. And Peter declares that God's divine power has already granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness. These truths belong together. Knowing Christ more deeply should strengthen our understanding of what we have received through Him and how we are called to live.

Faith acts upon what God has revealed. I believe I am a new creation in Christ. I believe the Holy Spirit dwells within me. I believe I have received everything pertaining to life and godliness through God's divine power. And I believe I am responsible for responding to these truths in faith every single day.

What If We're Living Beneath What We've Already Received?

How many believers are living with far less confidence, freedom, love, and spiritual maturity than the New Testament describes because they haven't fully believed what Christ has accomplished?

We can become so accustomed to our religious routines that we begin measuring our spiritual lives by how faithfully we perform them. We read. We attend. We memorize. We participate. All worthwhile practices. But what happens when those practices become the basis of our confidence before God?

What happens when we become more conscious of our failures than of our identity in Christ? What happens when we spend years asking God to give us what Scripture says He has already provided?

We may find ourselves living with a mindset shaped by inadequacy, fear, and constant striving, even while confessing that we have received the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:15: we have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" Second Peter 1:3: His divine power has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness. Ephesians 1:3: God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

These are declarations worth believing. And believing them should have consequences.

Our habits deserve examination. Our assumptions deserve examination. Even the religious practices we've followed for decades deserve examination. Are they helping us understand and live in what Christ has accomplished? Are we becoming more loving, merciful, faithful, courageous, and generous? Are we responding to the Holy Spirit in faith?

Paul warned about this kind of misplaced confidence in Philippians 3:4–9. He catalogued his religious credentials and accomplishments, then placed his confidence entirely in the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. We have been called to live by faith. And faith calls for action.

Bring What You Have. Trust Him With the Rest.

The account of the five loaves and two fish in John 6:1–13 keeps coming back to me.

A large crowd needed food. The disciples saw the size of the problem and recognized how inadequate their resources appeared. Andrew pointed out a boy who had five barley loaves and two fish. Then he asked:

"But what are they for so many?" John 6:9 (ESV)

That question sounds familiar. How often do we look at our circumstances, limitations, abilities, and resources and decide that what we have isn't enough?

Jesus took what was available, gave thanks, and distributed the food. The crowd ate, and twelve baskets of fragments remained. The miracle was accomplished by Jesus. The boy's small provision became part of what Jesus used.

We may look at ourselves and see limitations. We may see weakness, uncertainty, past failures, or circumstances that seem impossible. Yet Scripture tells those who belong to Christ that His Spirit dwells within them and that His divine power has granted them everything pertaining to life and godliness.

So what are you going to do with that truth?

Will you continue thinking as though you are spiritually empty, waiting for God to make you capable of living the life He has already given? Will you continue measuring your faith by religious habits while neglecting the love, courage, obedience, and generosity those habits should help cultivate?

Or will you begin acting upon what God has declared?

Love when love is required. Give when generosity is needed. Stand firm when circumstances become difficult. Walk in faith when fear tells you to retreat.

We have the Holy Spirit. We have been given life in Christ. We have received everything pertaining to life and godliness through His divine power.

Bring what you have, even when it seems as small as five loaves and two fish. Trust Him with the rest.

Where in your life have you been acting as though God's Spirit is not already at work in you?