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12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” ~ John 16:12-15
The Lord Jesus continues to teach His disciples so close to being crucified. In v.12, He said to them, "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear." After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus sent His Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and He, the Holy Spirit, would then take over the responsibility to teach every believer until the Lord Jesus returns at the Rapture.
Of course, this teaching would result in the canonization of the New Testament. This is why the Lord Jesus says in v.13, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." The Holy Spirit played a crucial role in God giving us the 66 books of the Bible, and He teaches us as we study it.
The Lord Jesus wanted to tell His disciples more than what He had told them to this point, but He knew the disciples were not ready for more. They were distracted by their distraught condition. As a result, the Spirit will teach them what He wants to tell them, when they're able to hear it. This is one of the many roles of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, to lead us in the truth, to teach us the meaning of His word.
The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, not the believer. Billy Graham once said, “It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict, God's job to judge and my job to love.” The Holy Spirit does not convict the believer of sin, because the sin of the believer has been absorbed by the Lord Jesus. In fact, in Psalm 103:12, we are informed that "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."
Nowhere does the New Testament link conviction of the sin of the believer with the Holy Spirit. The conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit is for the world, not believers. The Spirit leads believers to see the truth, but it has nothing to do with conviction/judgement and guilt. God sees the believer through the lens of His perfect Son who has shared His standing before God with the believer.
According to v.13, the Holy Spirit will not speak on His own initiative. Instead, He speaks what He "hears" and then He speaks. The Lord Jesus ends v.13 with "he will tell you what is yet to come." From the standpoint of eternity, everything in time happens in the instantaneous now. Therefore God knows the outcome already, and He has not made anyone make one decision. Since He knows all that is yet to come, He can say, "he will tell you what is yet to come."
As explained in v.14, the truth that the Holy Spirit hears and teaches has as its purpose the glorification of Christ. The Spirit leads us into "all" the truth by showing us all of who Jesus is to the believer. As a rule of thumb, I always measure a local church by how much the Lord Jesus is lifted up. If the Holy Spirit is more prominent, then beware for the Holy Spirit lives to point all to the Son.
In v.15 the Lord Jesus says, "All that belongs to the Father is mine," speaking of how He is uniquely related to the Father. When the Holy Spirit glorifies the Lord Jesus, He shows the Lord Jesus to be uniquely related to the Father. He shows Him to be the Father's beloved Son, and the only way to the Father.
What follows, once again, are the words the Holy Spirit hears and reveals to the believer. In v.14, the Spirit's purpose is to glorify the Lord Jesus. In v.15, the Spirit's purpose is to demonstrate the Lord Jesus' unique relationship with the Father. The Spirit glorifies the Lord Jesus by showing Him to be uniquely related to the Father, to be the only way to the Father.
Thus the Spirit leads the believer. When we think of the Spirit's leading us, or when we ask for his leading, it often concerns circumstantial leading. We speak of the Spirit's leading us to particular people, places or conclusions. And certainly this kind of leading is within the sphere of the Spirit's ministry. He reveals to us the Lord Jesus. He leads us into a deeper and more intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus. We ask for guidance, and the Spirit shows us the Lord Jesus. This is the most important guidance we can receive. The Holy Spirit leads us right into the depths of deeper fellowship with the Lord Jesus.
Even in the context of His circumstantial leading, when the Holy Spirit leads us to people, places or conclusions, He leads us to the Lord Jesus. When we face difficult decisions and pray for guidance, he leads us to deeper fellowship with the Lord Jesus. And, when we see how the Spirit has led us circumstantially, we rejoice not so much over the circumstance but for the chance to see, once again, that God is faithful through His Son.
Having the Holy Spirit within is a tremendous advantage for the believer. As we testify to the world about the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit convicts them of their guilt and offers the gift of redemption, taking the pressure off us to be persuasive, eloquent and convincing. In fact, I have never led anyone to faith in the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit does that.
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