Guided Into All Truth

John 16:12-13

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:12-13)

In His love for His disciples Jesus was giving them preparation and comfort for the upcoming events regarding Himself and the work they would perform in transmitting His teachings to the world for all time.  Even though they could not comprehend everything at that moment primarily because of their Jewish prejudices and presuppositions of a temporal Messiah and an earthly kingdom He was sending the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth.  We are the recipients of the teachings of those disciples as we read their writings.  Their teachings did not originate with them or even with the Holy Spirit for He would speak that which He heard.  Jesus was assuring them and us that the teachings of the disciples came from Him and are the truth.  This promise concerning all truth is tremendously important because there have been theologians, church councils, and so-called latter day prophets in all ages rise up and challenge this promise by claiming that the Holy Spirit continued to reveal truth after the apostles of Jesus Christ.  The Scriptures are crystal clear that the promise of Jesus was fulfilled and that the apostles did reveal all truth and that it was recorded for people of all ages until Jesus comes again.

John said that “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31).  Paul said, “If we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed (Gal. 1:6-10).  He also wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  We have been born again through the word of God and it is this word which by the gospel was preached by the apostles (I Pet. 1:23-25).  Holy men of God, moved by the Holy Spirit, delivered to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 1:1-4; 16-21).  The apostles are of God and those who know God hears the apostles and those who are not of God do not hear the apostles (I John 4:1-6).  Whoever goes beyond the teaching of the apostles does not have God and are not to be received into fellowship (2 Jon 9-11).

Jesus emphasized that we will be judged by His words and we have just seen that He gave His words to the apostles by the Holy Spirit:  “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak” (John 12:48-50).  The only way to determine what is true and what is false is by the authority of Jesus Christ as revealed by the apostles in the New Testament.

From Walking in Truth

“Daily Devotionals by Guy Roberson”