Spirit of Truth

Who Is The Spirit of Truth?

JOHN 16 COMMENTARY ◄
John 16:8-12 Convict the World of Sin

John 16:13-15 Spirit of Truth

JOHN 16:13 13 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

Who is "the Spirit of truth"?
See the prior explanation for the Spirit of truth.

What will the Spirit of truth tell the disciples?
What He hears from Jesus: "He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak... He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13-14 below).

What will Jesus tell the Spirit of truth?
What He hears from God the Father: "All things that the Father has are Mine" (John 16:15 below). Therefore, there is complete unity and consistency in the message from God the Father, God the Son, and the Spirit of truth - i.e., God the Holy Spirit.

JOHN 16:14-15 14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

Whom will the Holy Spirit glorify?
He will glorify Jesus: "He will glorify Me" (John 16:14).

Will Jesus glorify the Holy Spirit?
No, Jesus glorifies the Father, and the Father glories Jesus, but neither the Father nor Jesus nor the Holy Spirit glorifies the Holy Spirit. This is important to bear in mind when we encounter people who attribute supernatural things to the Holy Spirit. In those situations, ask if those things glorify Jesus or someone else. If someone else, it may be a spirit, but it isn't the Holy Spirit.

Until when did the Holy Spirit speak the "many things" (John 16:12) that Jesus wanted to tell the apostles?
Until the end of the first century AD, when Revelation, the last book of the Bible was written and closed with a stern warning: "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book" (Revelation 22:18-19).

Does the Holy Spirit still speak today?
Yes, but far less frequently than people claim. Whenever someone claims to have heard from the Holy Spirit, what they claim to have heard must be tested against the Bible. If it contradicts, "adds to" or "takes away from" the Bible, it isn't from the Holy Spirit.