I have been mulling over a few verses this week and this one is on my mind today:
John 16:3 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come".
It is remarkable and profound that the Holy Spirit, part of the Triunity, the Godhead is promised by Jesus to us, His followers. Just as the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at His baptism and empowered His ministry, so He comes upon us at our conversion where we are baptized into the Spirit (1 Cor 12:13). There is a branch of theology dedicated to just the Holy Spirit but this blog post is about one word from the text: All.
How much is all? I always took it to mean all Biblical, all theological, all doctrinal truth which of course is in view. However, upon reflecting on various topics in this ever-confusing whirl wind of a world with information, disinformation, deception, distortion, statistics, data, and science - both that branch which submits to the scientific method and the rest which we merely must "trust the science" just because someone has a lab coat or a platform and pontificates to us peons the wonders we cannot see or validate. We cannot test it, cannot observe or replicate it, nobody can peer review it. We must take it on faith and dare not critique it - whether human history, creation, chemistry, medicine, or astrology. But faith in who? Faith in what?
All means all in this text and cannot be narrowly defined to only mean exclusively Biblical truth. I submit it includes everything and that All is All! Similarly, James who writes if we lack wisdom, we should ask God for it and He will distribute to us liberally in James 1:5. Wisdom for what? About what? All. All is all.
I may be alone here, but I have not fully even yet grasped that the Holy Spiri indwells us and is there as our tutor, teaching and revealing to us ALL TRUTH if we are teachable and if we knock and are humble.
How about truth about the creation of the world, animals, sun, moon and stars?
How about truth about the history of mankind, the powers that be, current events and if / how they align or not to Scripture.
How about truth concerning health, wellness, disease and recovery?
How about truth pertaining to the End Times? To the changing of the seasons in terms of God's prophetic timeline? What if we took our eschatology (end times theology) to the Spirit to teach us Daniel, Revelation, and others? Consider what Jesus taught recorded in Luke 21: 28-31
"Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near."
Jesus teaches we may recognize signs and seasons. How important that is in our time. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to teach us and may we ask in boldness, in faith, in humility, willing to obey and to take action.
I am still pondering these things, but am going to expand my range of what I ask the Holy Spirit to teach me, to guide me. I realize I must begin with ensuring I am filled with Him on one hand and not grieving Him. Then, I will be positioned to fully hear if I quiet my foolish mind. We are leaving much off the table Church, trusting-often blindly sources that are not God nor even Godly. Let us ask the Great I Am instead!
What are your thoughts?
God bless,
Keith
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