Post by ResLight on Mar 19, 2013 21:28:28 GMT -5
John 16:13-15 - Jesus speaks of the spirit of truth as revealing by means of God's Holy Spirit the truth to the divinely-appointed apostles. This does not refer to the God's Holy Spirit of itself, since Jesus already had God's Holy Spirit and so did the apostles. It is as the "spirit of truth" and "Comforter" that the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. (John 7:39) Jesus had to figuratively "receive" this spirit from his God and Father, that is, he received the authority to give this spirit to the apostles, through whom it was given to the church, thus revealing the faith once delivered to the saints.
The promise of the Holy Spirit as representing the Comforter, the spirit of truth, though it was ultimately to reach the whole Church through the ministration of the apostles, was specially given to them. (John 16:13-15.) This was given to the eleven on the night of the last Supper, after Judas had gone out (John 13:31); and when Paul, the twelfth, was ordained, it applied to him also with equal force, and was so fulfilled. The promise reads, "But the Comforter, which is the holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you;... and he will show you things to come."-- John 14:26; 16:13.
Thus we learn that the apostolic inspiration was to be threefold in its character, consisting (a) of a guidance into all truth concerning the divine purposes and plan; (b) of such refreshment of the memory as would enable them to recall and reproduce all of the Lord's personal teaching while he was with them; and (c) of special subsequent revelations of things to come --of the "many things" Jesus had to tell them, which they were not able to bear until after his death and resurrection and their receiving the holy spirit as the spirit of truth.--John 16:12.
The promise was, "That one will guide you into all truth" (or "teach you all things"--concerning the truth). Here we have the promise of just what we see evidenced in the writings of all the apostles; though they were plain and unlearned men, their scriptural exegesis is most remarkable. They were able to confound the wisdom of the wisest theologians, not only of their own time, but ever since. No eloquence of error can stand before the logic of their deductions from the law and the prophets and the teachings of Jesus. The Jewish rulers and elders and scribes marked this, and "took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus" -- that they had learned his doctrine and caught his spirit.--Acts 4:5,6,13.
One should note that a large proportion of the apostolic letters, particularly Paul's, consists of such logical arguments, based upon the inspired writings of the Old Testament and the teachings of Christ. And those who have partaken of the same spirit, by following the lines of argument they thus present, are led by them to the same truthful conclusions; so that our faith does not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (1 Cor. 2:1,4,5.) The apostolic writings of the NT clearly show that they were filled with a knowledge of the truth and with the spirit of the truth -- with a holy enthusiasm to declare the good tidings, which burns and glows upon every page, and which kindles in the hearts of all of God's people the same sacred flame.
Addiitonally, the promise is that the spirit would show them (and by implication the whole Church through them) things to come. Thus they were also to be serve prophecies from Jesus through the holy spirit (Hebrews 1:1,2) to the Church. Thus, special visions and revelations by the holy Spirit were granted to instruct the apostles concerning the things to come.
The promise of the Holy Spirit as representing the Comforter, the spirit of truth, though it was ultimately to reach the whole Church through the ministration of the apostles, was specially given to them. (John 16:13-15.) This was given to the eleven on the night of the last Supper, after Judas had gone out (John 13:31); and when Paul, the twelfth, was ordained, it applied to him also with equal force, and was so fulfilled. The promise reads, "But the Comforter, which is the holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you;... and he will show you things to come."-- John 14:26; 16:13.
Thus we learn that the apostolic inspiration was to be threefold in its character, consisting (a) of a guidance into all truth concerning the divine purposes and plan; (b) of such refreshment of the memory as would enable them to recall and reproduce all of the Lord's personal teaching while he was with them; and (c) of special subsequent revelations of things to come --of the "many things" Jesus had to tell them, which they were not able to bear until after his death and resurrection and their receiving the holy spirit as the spirit of truth.--John 16:12.
The promise was, "That one will guide you into all truth" (or "teach you all things"--concerning the truth). Here we have the promise of just what we see evidenced in the writings of all the apostles; though they were plain and unlearned men, their scriptural exegesis is most remarkable. They were able to confound the wisdom of the wisest theologians, not only of their own time, but ever since. No eloquence of error can stand before the logic of their deductions from the law and the prophets and the teachings of Jesus. The Jewish rulers and elders and scribes marked this, and "took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus" -- that they had learned his doctrine and caught his spirit.--Acts 4:5,6,13.
One should note that a large proportion of the apostolic letters, particularly Paul's, consists of such logical arguments, based upon the inspired writings of the Old Testament and the teachings of Christ. And those who have partaken of the same spirit, by following the lines of argument they thus present, are led by them to the same truthful conclusions; so that our faith does not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (1 Cor. 2:1,4,5.) The apostolic writings of the NT clearly show that they were filled with a knowledge of the truth and with the spirit of the truth -- with a holy enthusiasm to declare the good tidings, which burns and glows upon every page, and which kindles in the hearts of all of God's people the same sacred flame.
Addiitonally, the promise is that the spirit would show them (and by implication the whole Church through them) things to come. Thus they were also to be serve prophecies from Jesus through the holy spirit (Hebrews 1:1,2) to the Church. Thus, special visions and revelations by the holy Spirit were granted to instruct the apostles concerning the things to come.