¹³ “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

What a salve this truth must have been to the disciples’ confused minds! Jesus promised them a personal guide, mentor, instructor that would help them through not just the imminent events facing them, but also through everything they would ever experience. We take the time to delineate the specifics. First, this helper is the Holy Spirit. Normally, the gospel of John refers to Him simply as “the Spirit,” but in 14:26, He is called the Holy Spirit. This one, as Jesus taught them, would take over Jesus’ role of teacher in their lives.

Second, the Spirit is personal. In the Greek language, words themselves have gender, and the word “spirit” is a neuter word, which leads some to think the Holy Spirit is a “thing” and not a person, and thus argue against Trinitarian theology. However, the masculine pronoun “he” is used in reference to the Spirit, and that in the original language is definitely a personal pronoun. The Spirit is not a “thing” but a person, who is classically called the “third member of the Trinity.” So while the word “Trinity” is not used in the Bible, the concept is there. God exists in three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Note: although the original language in which the NT was written didn’t use capital letters at all, most modern translations capitalize the word “Spirit” when used in reference to the Holy Spirit).

Third, He is the Spirit “of truth” (see John 15:26), the exact opposite of Satan, the consummate purveyor of all that is false, “the father of lies” (John 8:44). His role in teaching believers is through enlightenment as we read the Word, through gifted teachers of the Word, and through our life experiences that we bring to the study of the Word.

Fourth, Jesus promises the disciples that the Spirit would guide them into all truth. And that truth was every bit as important as the truth that Jesus taught. All scripture, whether quotations of Jesus’ teachings as in the gospel accounts, or writings of the epistles, is inspired by the Spirit of truth. This promise is somewhat derivative for the rest of us believers, though no less authentic or less significant. We have access to the Spirit’s truth through the apostolic authority through their teaching. It was the apostles’ teaching that formed one of the four pillars on which the early church was built. And praise God, their teaching has been preserved for us today.

Lord, thank You for Your Spirit’s teaching of truth in my life today.