“These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me,” (John 14:24b).
Jesus, the creator of the universe through whom all things were made, without whom nothing was made that has been made, and to whom all authority in heaven and on earth had been given and before whom every knee will bow and every tongue will confess to God (John 1:1-3, Romans 14:11), were humble enough to acknowledge publicly that He was not using His own wisdom and words, but received everything from His Father. Who are we then to be proud in our hearts and pretend that what we share in wisdom comes from ourselves?
We have mentioned before the audacity of writers (and of anybody who receive something from the Lord to pass on) to take the credit and glory for something that was never theirs. Everything we have is from God and all we are is from Him. In an instant He can remove us from this earth. Why then do we allow people to exalt us and why do we exalt people in the Lord’s service? Why do we receive credit for anything we do without acknowledging the One actually behind it? As I write here I have no idea where these wonderful truths come from, except from the Lord. In no way have I created it or learned it in some book. It only comes from the Lord and I am never to take credit for it. So is it with talents, responsibilities, position of authority, or whatever we have received from the Lord. It is not ours – the glory belongs to Him. We also may never use it for self-satisfaction, to meet our own desires and needs for material goods, power and fame. Yes, we may live from the Gospel (1 Timothy 5:17-18, 1 Corinthians 9:4-14), but not abuse it for self-indulgence.
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you,” (John 14:25-26).
In this passage we find a number of important statements. In the first sentence Jesus referred to all the teaching and commands that He personally had given the disciples, but He then said it was not yet everything. The Holy Spirit, our Counselor, will teach us all things. What ‘all things’ is He referring to? Was it maybe the letters written by Paul and the Apostles, which were taken up in the Bible? Jesus was speaking to all the disciples and that included Paul and us.
The Word of God is the basis, the measuring line against which all truth is measured, but generations change all the time. Every generation has different circumstances, more modern living conditions and problems. Evil also become more modern and accessible. Stress for example was probably not known 2000 years ago as we know it today. The fast lifestyle of today was unheard of then. Through all the centuries the Holy Spirit taught God’s people whatever they needed to know in their time and circumstances to keep going on with the Kingdom work.
How does the Holy Spirit teach the disciples of the Lord? Through reminding them of the teachings of Jesus and making it applicable to everyday life of their time (John 14:26). For example in the earlier centuries people in their teenage years were not like teenagers today. They started to work in their early teens and married early. Through the decades life became more sophisticated and more education became necessary. Life for the teenager was therefore, in a matter of speaking, postponed. Christian young men and women thus became frustrated teenagers because they are not able to start life yet, not being able to yield to their bodies’ demands yet. Suddenly parents needed more revelation on how to handle this new challenge. Who is the teacher? The Holy Spirit and the people He has chosen to work through. (To be continued)
Lord, thank you for being my guide. To you belong all the glory!
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