In His first reference to the Holy Spirit as the divine Paraclete, Jesus indicated the Spirit would be with His followers forever to help them when they felt inadequate and alone in their work as disciples.
In the second reference to the Paraclete in John 14:25–26, Jesus promised the Father would send His Spirit as the divine Teacher who would instruct His disciples concerning all Jesus had taught them during His earthly ministry (v. 26).
The Spirit’s teaching would embrace all they needed to know to fulfill the commission He would announce to them just before His ascension. That commission envisioned His followers witnessing to the gospel in all the world. Specifically, Jesus indicated the Spirit’s instruction would have the character of reminding them of “everything I have said to you” (v. 26).
‘Spirit of Truth’
Later, in His time of preparing them for the teaching work that would be theirs after His departure, Jesus indicated the Spirit would go beyond what He had personally taught them, saying in 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.”
Jesus specifically promised His disciples the Holy Spirit would perform two related or complementary assignments: teach them “all things” and remind them of everything. These two promises are needed by all His followers. Christians in subsequent generations would not need new truth from the Spirit but would need constant recollection of revealed truth given from the Father through the Son, Who dared to claim, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). We need the Spirit’s work of teaching us what we need to know and reminding us of what we already know.
Christians in every generation have the need for what is implied in Acts 1:1 and promised in John 16:12. The opening verse of Acts refers to “all that Jesus began both to do and teach,” implying there would be more. John 16:12 is to the point when Jesus said to the disciples, “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.”
In short, we may say the Spirit of Truth seeks to guide believers into all truth, granting us understanding or enlightenment to receive all God wants us to know, practice and pass on.
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