How do you know the difference between a spirit of error and the Spirit of truth?

-
Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...
Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.… He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13, 14).

The function of the Holy Spirit in the Church is described as that of guiding, or literally, of “leading the way.” The Spirit does not use external weapons to drive, but He leads by exerting His influence upon the regenerated consciousness of the child of God and enlarging in his or her mind those themes that Christ taught during His earthly ministry. In doing this, He guides men into all the truth, that is, the whole body of redemptive revelation. We must remember that the Holy Spirit never stresses one point of doctrine at the expense of all the others. He leads into all the truth.
As He leads us in truth, Christ is glorified. The Spirit causes the virtues of Christ to be proclaimed, showing forth His power, holiness, love, mercy, and other glories, causing these attributes to become manifest before all peoples. When the Word is preached, the Spirit enlightens us to see the glory and excellency of Christ.
Take note that it is the Spirit who leads us into all truth concerning redemptive revelation. We do not find the truth of Christ in worldly philosophies and the inventions of men. These can offer no hope, no peace, no salvation. Only the Spirit, who alone leads us in truth, can give these things.
And notice also that the work of the Spirit is never separated from the Word of Christ. The Spirit speaks what He hears from the Father and the Son. This means that the Spirit never revealed anything that was contrary or in addition to the sufficient Word of Christ. In the days of the apostles, He amplified the teaching of Christ, but He never revealed anything contrary to it. The Spirit of truth reveals Christ, who is the truth. These two members of the Trinity cannot be separated or set in opposition against each other.
The lessons we can draw from this are significant. If anyone claims to be teaching as the Spirit has “led” him, yet his teaching is contrary to the revealed Word of God and the redemptive revelation of Christ, then his teaching is false. And anyone who claims to receive revelation from the Spirit that does not conform to the Scriptures is also a false teacher. Of such we must beware. We must “test the spirits.” The Spirit will always be true to the Scriptures and will glorify no other but Christ Jesus.
Read 1 John 4:1–6. How do you know the difference between a spirit of error and the Spirit of truth? What is essential to the truth (v. 2)? Confessing Christ means holding to all His teaching as it is revealed in His Word (John 17:17). Read this verse and the passage for today several times. Memorize 1 John 4:2–3.

Related articles

Popular posts from this blog

Speaking in tongues for today - Charles Stanley

-
Image
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. … But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. … And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. … Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way - 1 Corinthians 12:4, 7, 28, 30—31 The Lord Jesus Christ had come and gone. The church—newly birthed—was in a transition time. The new covenant was seen as a threat to the Jewish leaders; therefore, there was persecution for those who had chosen to follow Christ. The new religion, in its infant stages, had no Bible, few leaders, and absolutely no support from the government. Astounding that it survived, isn’t it?  How in the world did it survive with so little going for it? Power. Not just a force, but mighty, visible power. This new church
Read more

What is the glory (kabod) of God?

-
Image
2 CORINTHIANS 4:17 "This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." Scripture places a high value on God 's glory, and it is not hard to figure out why. Since the inherent glory of the Lord is something that He will not share with others (Isa. 42:8), we know that His glory is something that He prizes highly; indeed, He prizes it more highly than anything else. We should, therefore, set the glory of God as the goal and overarching emphasis of our lives. Whatever we lose for the sake of making the Lord's glory known will be worth it when we see the dazzling light and beauty of; the divine glory (28:5; Rev. 21:23). Glory has to do with light and beauty, but those aspects do not sum up what the Bible means when it speaks of the glory of God. Interestingly, the Hebrew word kabod , which is translated into English as "glory," has the root meaning of "weight" or "heaviness."
Read more

The Holy Spirit causes us to cry out: Abba, Father

-
Image
Pentecostés. Óleo sobre lienzo, 275 × 127 cm. Madrid, Museo del Prado. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) To bring out the same truth in another way, Paul says God sent Jesus (as a Man) to live under the Law in order “to redeem those under law, that we [Jews and Gentiles ] might receive the full rights [adoption] of sons” ( Galatians 4:5).  By “full rights” or “adoption” he means entering into the privileges and responsibilities of sonship. He uses it also of the sonship of Israel (Romans 9:4). Galatians 4:1, 2 indicate that the son and heir of a wealthy family in Paul’s day would be treated as a slave until he became of age.  Then he would receive the adoption, that is, all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities that belonged to an adult member of that family. Adoption was also used in the modern sense, so that Gentiles who were not sons of Abraham became true heirs, true sons of God , by faith.  Jesus died, not just to save us from the fires of hell, but to make it p
Read more