The Spirit Guides and Shows
In the world there are multiple thousands of dedicated men and women, teachers at all levels, who devote themselves to guiding their pupils in the arts of reading, writing, and arithmetic; in the sciences of algebra, geometry, physics, grammar, and a host of others.
Just so the Holy Spirit devotes Himself to the uplifting and transformation of every member of the sinful human race who will cooperate in his own regeneration. Jesus told that proud Pharisee, Nicodemus, that he must be "born again" of the Spirit—or there was no future for him as far as eternity was concerned (John 3:3, 5). To convert such men as Nicodemus is a work in which the Spirit delights. Whether it was an Old Testament Moses, a New Testament Saul, a Spurgeon, a Moody, or you, the Spirit will transform, guide in service, and usher into the eternal kingdom.
Knowing the apostles' need of direction, Christ, just before His departure, promised: "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: . . . he will shew you things to come" (John 16:13).
The matter of a "guide" is not a new or strange thing in our experience. I was at Montreal, Canada, visiting Expo 67, and in some of the buildings a guide would indoctrinate you into an understanding of that particular country, or manufacturing process, or whatever. More often this was done by still or moving pictures.
The Straight and Narrow Path
The Holy Spirit is such a guide, but dealing with better, more important, and eternal verities. "Having brought conviction of sin, and presented before the mind the standard of righteousness, the Holy Spirit withdraws the affections from the things of this earth and fills the soul with a desire for holiness. 'He will guide you into all truth,' . . . the Saviour declared. If men are willing to be molded, there will be brought about a sanctification of the whole being. The Spirit will take the things of God and stamp them on the soul. By His power the way of life will be made so plain that none need err therein."—The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 52, 53.
Speaking directly to His followers, Jesus declared: "He will guide you into all truth." However, He meant men today, as well as Peter, James, and John. And if we will be perfectly frank with ourselves, we will acknowledge that we desperately need just that kind of guidance. It is with us as it was with the young king Solomon—we know not how to go out or how to come in. The Spirit keeps our feet on that straight and narrow path that leads to heaven.
The Spirit will guide into "all truth." The wise man admonishes to "buy the truth, and sell it not" (Prov. 23:23). Truth is precious, as those living in this world of lies and deceit have found out. The Word of God is declared to be the truth. Jesus said of Himself, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."
"The law is the truth" (Ps. 119:142). The Spirit will of a certainty lead men into obedience to God's law, the Ten Commandments. The law of God is "holy, just, and good," therefore, it must follow that the man who obeys the divine precepts will be molded into the same image. "Let no man deceive you," says Inspiration: "he that doeth righteousness is righteous" (1 John 3:7).
Lost Interests
The Spirit will guide the sinner away from the world, his sin, and the service of Satan. The paths of righteousness, in this world, will become familiar to his feet.
Righteousness means simply, "rightdoing." The man led by the Spirit will become an obedient, God-fearing saint, having lost interest in the flesh and its lusts. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14).
"This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." The sinner, the profligate, who has formerly done despite to the law of God, is led by the Spirit into the new-birth experience, and has come to love God's will and ways. Old things of disobedience, old lusts of the flesh, old pleasures of sin, are passed away, and by the process of regeneration all things have become new. He is now a "new creature" in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). Now his song is, "0 how I love thy law! it is my meditation all the day" (Ps. 119:97).
Law and Spirit
The law of God, the Word of God, and the Spirit of God work together to accomplish the salvation of sinful men. The law of God detects the sinner's sins, and reveals him to himself as God sees him. The Spirit convicts him of the abhorrent evil of his sinful course and character. It leads him to Jesus, the sin bearer. Jesus pardons him and establishes his citizenship in the kingdom of grace. The erstwhile sinner, now filled with the Spirit, is well started on his way to heaven. The Spirit, if he will be submissive, will direct his way and lead him in the path in which he ought to go.
"He Will Shew You Things to Come"
No man knows the future. It is as dark as the inside of a glove. You cannot tell what will happen while you are yet reading this page. Only to God is the future an unclasped book. And the Spirit knowing the mind of God, knows what will take place.
Virtually every man has curiosity concerning the future, but only God knows. It resides in the hollow of His wonderful hand. "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deut. 29:29).
This is an age of the increase of knowledge. The Spirit forecast that, in Daniel's day, as a sign of the last days of this earth. God quickens the minds of men by the enlightening, invigorating, and stimulating power of the Holy Spirit. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:9, 10).
The Spirit in His coming and work does not exalt Himself, but does as Jesus said He would do: "He shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." Unlike Satan, His teachings do not originate with Himself. Evil had its source in the devil: "When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44). The Spirit is the representative of the Father and Son, and what He hears from them, that He speaks.
There is something unworldly about prophecy. Proceeding from the divine throne by the mediumship of the third person of the Godhead, it rolls back the curtain, enlightens the future, inspires faith in the promises of God.
The Height of Folly
The Holy Spirit having inspired the word of prophecy will, under no circumstances, alter or abolish what He has written. God cannot lie. His very throne is at stake in the fulfilled accuracy of His prophetic word. It is the height of folly for men to turn away from the instructions of the Bible and rely upon the Spirit alone for guidance. There is another spirit, the spirit of Satan, whose purpose it is to counterfeit and deceive. Though Adam and Eve were warned in advance, Satan succeeded in deceiving them and brought the entire human race into the bondage of sin.
One work of the Spirit is to remove man's dullness of perception and give him an insight into God's great sacrificial plan for his salvation. The Spirit will bear witness to the purpose of Jesus' visit to this earth, to His spotless life, His righteous character, His atoning sacrifice, His resurrection, His ascension, His present intercessory ministry, and His coming again in glory for His saints.
Normally the sinner's heart is as devoid of spiritual illumination as Egypt's midnight. However, when the Spirit shows the salvation obtained by Jesus Christ, it is as the sun lighting the morning landscape.
The Spirit reveals the reason for the sacrifice of Calvary. He inspires love, gratitude, and appreciation to the Father and to the Man of the cross. "We love him, because he first loved us," and "gave himself for us."
The highest, most far-reaching purpose of man, determined for eternity, then, is to submit to the direction of the Holy Spirit, whose purpose also is man's salvation.
