I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the 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 glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. (John 16:12-14 NIV)
Jesus spent around three years teaching his disciples about the kingdom of God. The gospel accounts record for us some of what he taught them. And they also record the struggle the disciples often had in understanding what Jesus was trying to teach them. And here, at the end of their time together, he said he had much more to teach them. But it was more than they could bear.
Our Guide to the Truth
But Jesus had a solution to that problem. When he left, he would be sending the Holy Spirit to them. And the Spirit of truth would guide them into all the truth. He would help them to understand what Jesus had been teaching them. He would also teach them other truths that Jesus wanted them to learn.
The importance of the Holy Spirit as a teacher was not limited to these first disciples. The Spirit of truth is our teacher as well. In 1 Corinthians 2:10-16, Paul tells us that much of our faith’s truths appear foolish without the Spirit of God in our lives. The Spirit is our essential guide in understanding those truths found in the pages of the Scripture. We can trust that he will never teach us something contrary to the Scripture. And he will always glorify Jesus in his teaching. So seek his guidance as you read God’s word. And listen for his quiet voice of instruction.
