It is the office of the Holy Spirit to guide the child of God in all truth concerning the saving reality of Jesus Christ and the Father. He will not speak on His own authority – that is nothing is of His own invention; though He is God, the Holy Spirit only communicates what He has first heard. The Spirit speaks no new revelation, but only the details of revelation already made. Today we hear much in the church of the Holy Spirit speaking to people, often with words unsupported by Scripture. Such is from another spirit, a spirit that speaks of himself; not the Holy Spirit who does not speak of His own authority.
Our text teaches that the Spirit will also show us things to come, as He has done in John’s Revelation and in the epistles; however, this proclamation cannot be merely understood as apocalyptic but also in more general terms. Today, the Spirit continues give individual guidance to the believing community leading us into our future “in all truth.” He accomplishes this by placing Jesus before the eyes, hearts and minds of men – to make His Person and His work shine in all of their excellencies!
