The Holy Spirit


The promises concerning the mission of the Holy Spirit in John’s Gospel are not all to be confined to the apostles, nor to the first age or ages of the church (John 14:16-17, 20; Matt. 28:20).
Many things in these promises did apply particularly to the apostles and had their fulfilment on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). The apostles were commanded by Christ to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit before they engaged in their work (Acts 1:4). When fully empowered they were enabled to fulfil the tasks Christ called them to. But this promise (John 16:13) is not restricted to the apostolic office.
It is not an external guidance into all truth by the objective revelation of truth that is meant, for this kind of revelation is not granted to all believers, nor are believers to look for such revelations. And the revelation of truth by the preaching of the gospel is not what is meant, since this is common to all the world and not subject to any special promise.
So it is the internal teaching of the Holy Spirit, giving an understanding of the mind of God and of all revealed sacred truths, which is intended. It is the same as the promise, ‘They shall all be taught of God’ (John 6:45), for this is how we are taught of God, and in no other way. The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth by giving us that understanding of it which we ourselves are not able to arrive at (see Acts 8:31).
All spiritual, divine, supernatural truth is revealed in Scripture. To come to know and to rightly understand this truth in Scripture is the duty of all, according to the means which each enjoys and the duties which are required from them. To make this possible the Holy Spirit is promised to them.
Of ourselves, without his special assistance and guidance we cannot arrive at a true knowledge or a right understanding of the truth revealed in Scripture.

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