The Spirit Guides Us into All Truth

 
We live in a time of GREAT DECEPTION and it is imperative to be anchored in the TRUTH. Lives and souls and eternities are at stake.

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth." - John 16:13

Jesus said it is the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. In my 27 years as a Christian, I have never been to a church or ministry that taught the full meaning of this verse or how to implement it in practical terms. Yet it is fundamental to walking with God. This is an enormous failing of the modern church. For the most part, what I know I learned directly from the Spirit as He opened my eyes to the truth in the Scriptures.

Let me ask a question that may challenge your core beliefs. Did Jesus say it is the Bible that leads us into all truth? No, He didn't. He said it is the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Bible is the inspired word of God and we need its truths to grow our faith. But we only discern the meaning and application of the Scriptures by hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit always comes first, even before the words in the Bible. That's what Jesus said. 

That's what the Apostle John said too:

"As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him." - 1 John 2:27

The anointing is the Holy Spirit, who abides in us and teaches us about all things. We don't need anyone to teach us if we are born again and have the Holy Spirit.

The prophet Jeremiah said it too, as he looked to the future and wrote about the new covenant God would make with his people:
 
"'But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,' declares the Lord, 'I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, "Know the Lord," for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,' declares the Lord, 'for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.'"- Jeremiah 31:33-34

So, do pastors or ministers lead you into all truth? No. How about really smart geniuses with PhDs in theology from brand-name seminaries? No, absolutely not. How about churches and denominations? No. Does having the "perfect" Bible translation or the best scriptural analysis tools lead us into all truth? No and no.

The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth. 

The Apostle Paul said the wisdom of God is a mystery. It is hidden, not of this world, and revealed only by the Spirit:

"We speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory." - 1 Corinthian 2:7

"For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God." - 1 Corinthians 2:10

How do we hear the voice of the Spirit? Jesus put it simply:

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." - John 10:27-28    

If we are born of God, in our heart of hearts we know the voice of our Shepherd and follow him. The recognition comes naturally if we are reborn supernaturally.

Hate, discord, confusion, fear and doubt are not God's voice. They are the enemy speaking.

God's voice is peaceful and pure, gentle and bears good fruit:

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." - James 3:17-18

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23

Learning to hear God's voice comes with faith and practice. Do we trust him to speak?