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Guidance by the Spirit of Truth
Long ago the prophet
Jeremiah declared, O Lord, I know that
the way of men is not in himself: it is
not in man that walketh to direct his
steps. Jeremiah 10:23. Though man
thinks highly of himself, he still needs
guidance.
Our Lord was preeminently
a teacher a teacher come from God, as
Nicodemus addressed Him. (John 3:2.) Jesus,
Himself the Truth, was the teacher of truth. On
one occasion Jesus said, Ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:32.
However, Jesus was not to
be with His disciples long. He knew, moreover,
that they would be in need of guidance to the end
of time. Therefore, before the departure He spoke
about His successor, another
Comforter (John 14:16), the Spirit of
truth. One who would guide His followers
unto all truth (John 16:13). By
Christs own arrangement, every member of
His body, the church, may have the indwelling
presence of His Spirit. Through this great and
measureless gift, the prophecy of Isaiah finds
fulfillment: All thy children shall be
taught of the Lord. Isaiah 54:13.
Do these promises apply
to the unconverted? Will the worldling have the
Holy Spirit as an indwelling teacher? No, the
Holy Spirits work for the unconverted is to
convict them of sin and to lead them to accept
the righteousness of Jesus. Only those who have
had their sins pardoned through the merits of the
shed blood of Jesus can know the indwelling
presence of the Holy Spirit. A heart that has not
been cleansed of its sins cannot be host to the
Holy Guest. (John 14:17; Psalm 51:2,10.
Many both in and out of
the church think they know Jesus, because they
know so much about Him. However, without the Holy
Spirit no one can really know Jesus: No man
can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy
Ghost. 1 Corinthians 12:3. For instance, to
Peters confession, Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God, Christ
replied, Flesh and blood hath not revealed
it unto thee, but my Father which is in
heaven. Matthew 16:16,17. No man can
confess that Jesus is the Christ unless he
receives this knowledge as a supernatural
revelation. The eyes of our understanding must be
enlightened by the spirit of wisdom and
revelation. (Ephesians 1:17,18.)
In fact the entire Bible
reveals or unveils Jesus Christ, and the Bible
itself can be understood only as we welcome
the spirit of
revelation into
our hears. Only the Spirit can make Gods
Word clear and plain. God has promised, I
will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make
known my words unto you. Proverbs 1:23. By
His Spirit God makes His words known. Only the
Spirit of God can rightly interpret their true
meaning, because the Holy Spirit knows better
than anyone else what He meant when He inspired
the Bible writers to write.
Why cant the
unconverted understand the Bible? Because the
love of sin constitutes a mental block that
inhibits the grasping of spiritual truths.
Paul said, Which
things also we speak, not in the words which
mans wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy
Ghost teacheth: comparing spiritual things with
spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know the,
because they are spiritually discerned. 1
Corinthians 2:13,14.
Divine guidance calls for
obedience. In the very process of obeying, the
Holy Spirit purifies the soul. Peter remarked to
one group, Ye have purified your souls in
obeying the truth through the Spirit. 1
Peter 1:22. The very purpose of the Spirits
presence is sanctification
unto
obedience. (1 Peter 1:2.)
Memory Verse:
1
Peter 1: 10-12. Concerning this
salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace
that was to come to you, searched intently and
with greatest care, trying to find out the time
and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ
in them was pointing when he predicted the
sufferings of Christ and the glories that would
follow. It was revealed to them that they were
not serving themselves but you, when they spoke
of things that have been told you by those who
have preached the gospel to you by the Holy
Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look
into these things.
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