Читать книгу Why God Gave His Spirit - Kenneth Psy.D. Dobbin - Страница 5

Before anything can be said about the Spirit of Truth we must understand that everything on earth was created by God and owned by God outright. Since God created the heavens and the earth, the foundational truths he used to establish his creation is what he considers to be true. And since mankind is a part of the creation he is also subject to the foundational truths God established. It is only reasonable to consider the truth God established will be the truth we will be judged by. From God's viewpoint, truth is a absolute principle that is eternal and will not change. Ultimately, truth constitutes the reality we live in and the actually of our present life. God is eternal and what is true for our lives today will be true in the ages to come and since God's word has been proven to be true we can place our trust in him.

It’s well known in the Christian community that the Spirit of Truth is an interchangeable name for the Counselor and Holy Spirit. Like every name used of God, the name Spirit of Truth is a description of the character of God. Truth describes the nature of God, as he is known for keeping his word and rewarding our faith by fulfilling his word.

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19

The difference is that man has exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator himself (Romans 1:25). Man needs the Spirit of Truth, for the truth of life is found in its creator and our faith. In the near future, God will judge the world and on that day the truth will be revealed. God has given us the opportunity to learn and adopt his truth, but judgment day will also reveal whether mankind is willing to live by the truth that agrees with God and his plans.

The bible tells us that the world cannot accept the Spirit of Truth as they neither see nor know him. On the other hand the bible says we will know him and he will be in us. Its sad to know that the majority of people in this world have no set purpose for knowing the truth the way or the life found in Jesus Christ. The majority of people have been deceived for they would live by the truth if they only knew it. Paul said.

They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.2 Thessalonians 2:10

Jesus said there is a reason why men do not know the spirit of truth.

He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." John 8:47

Those who refuse the knowledge of God do not belong to him or do they have the desire to know God. Those who live according to the sinful nature are hostile to God and not submit to God's law (see Ezekiel 36: 27) . Jesus also said.

"He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn — and I would heal them." John 12:40

Those who belong to Christ have demonstrated their love and acceptance of God’s law and love for them. To them Jesus said.

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:15-17

Love and obedience goes hand in hand with knowing Jesus Christ. Love is a compelling reason for doing whatever God asks of you and because you demonstrated your love through obedience God gives you the Spirit of Truth so you may know him better. When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will demonstrate God's love by guiding you into all truth, speaking only what he hears. In this way you will hear what the father told Jesus to say and confirm the words of Christ.

The Spirit of Truth has a dual purpose in that he wants man to come to the knowledge of God and by the same token he wants to know every one of his children. He comes to guide us into the truth so he may bring glory to Christ by revealing truths pertinent to the decisions we need to make. In this manner you will know the truth that sets you free and be able to make informed decisions.

If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:31-32

The Spirit of Truth will always be present in your life and all the more when you have strayed from the truth. Your heavenly counselor will always give you the opportunity to deal with the sin that has captured you and made you its slave. The Spirit's task is to bring you up in the admonition and discipline of the Lord so you may live free of sin. In this capacity, the Spirit of Truth is working in you to demonstrate the very nature of God through your life. Your cooperation with the Spirit of truth will make becoming more Christlike possible.

For the most part, we as Christians want reliable information to live a godly life. Our father in heaven depends on us listening to the Spirit of Truth for sound advice. When we listen for his voice, we will hear advice that is appropriate for the occasion. That information may come from other Christians that have been through a similar trial. However, we must also learn to distinguish the Spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood.

We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. 1 John 4:6

Not every Christian is a valid source of advice and their answers may reflect the way of the world in their advice. The priority of Christians is to listen to the words of God, but even if your source is trusted person, the advice you receive must conform to the word of God. It’s not unusual that the advice of fellow Christians will agree with the thoughts going through your mind. This is a good sign that you have heard from the Spirit of Truth.

Determining the truth is a full time job as we live in a world where deceit in not only prevalent but the way of life. Many of us know that a materialistic world is based on possessing things you can live without. However, truth is one commodity that you absolutely need to live.

Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor. Ecclesiastes 7:12

The Spirit of Truth is a resource that preserves your life. Our preservation is not the sum total of knowledge, but the knowledge of knowing the living God and what he would recommend is at the top of the list. In this respect it’s not what you know, but whom you know.

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3

The main function of the Spirit of Truth is to guide you into all truth and in doing so he sheds light on the words of Christ. He reveals some of the hidden truths and shows its relevance to our needs and objectives. He gathers the principles of God like a puzzle and connects the pieces in an orderly fashion. The Spirit of Truth makes God’s principles understandable to our human mind.

When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all 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. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. John 16:13-14

In the opening paragraph I spoke of God’s sovereignty over the earth and the people who live on the face of he earth. God has a plan for the men and women of the earth and the plan of his plan is about to move into another age. When this part of his plan reaches its climax God will bring the earth and all life on it to an end. At that time, God will judge its occupants. there are many truths in the world, but the truth you have based your life upon won’t make a difference because God’s truth will have supremacy.

We learn in the Christian arena that God does not want anyone to perish. Therefore, it reasonable to understand that God gives the Spirit of Truth to every human being that wants the gift of life and calls upon him. The main objective is to offer life to those who willing to abide by his plan. Those who accept his plan the Spirit of Truth makes every effort to insure that they will succeed. The Counselor, Spirit of truth or the Holy Spirit is one gift that will help you to have the abundant life and to know that God loves them.