John 16: 5 - 15
The person whom God has touched and transformed with his marvellous grace craves a knowledge of Jesus Christ who has brought us to reconciliation with the Father. There is a hunger, an inner yearning, for intimacy with Christ and an understanding of him. It is a passion that cannot be quenched, a desire that cannot be quashed.
The attraction of Jesus kindles the aspiration to know him deeply. The fact of our salvation forces us to search out the full truth concerning Jesus.
This knowledge is by no means something we can gain ourselves – not by reason, nor by our own intellectual acumen and cleverness. Knowledge of Christ is a divine donation through God-given dependence on his word and the teaching of the Holy Spirit. God grants a humble disposition, an enquiring and teachable spirit, a tendency to listen carefully and trust entirely as the Spirit of God opens up the Scriptures to our understanding and sheds his light upon their saving truth.
The risen Lord Jesus hands us over, once atonement has been made, to the caring and comprehensive ministry of the Holy Spirit.
“I will send him to you” avers Jesus, “and his role is to explain me to you. He will be my interpreter and your guide”. He will vindicate Jesus before a hostile world and reveal his glory to hearts in which he takes up his home. The assignment of the Spirit is to apprise us of the deep things of Jesus, disclosed from Jesus’ own person, and accomplishment, as our Rescuer and Redeemer.
The secrets of the heart of Jesus are conveyed to us in the closest possible relationship with his Spirit, taking, Jesus says, “What is mine and making it known to you” (v14).
The Spirit is the Agent who expounds Jesus to us in his divine splendour, his human suffering, and his personal power and majesty. The Spirit is the One who relays divine truth to our minds. “He will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (v13).
Our glorious God is Three in One. The Father, Son, and Spirit are in perfect harmony in nature, will, and action.
The Son imparts the knowledge of the Father and especially his saving purpose. The Spirit discloses the Son who carries out God’s purpose. He instructs and advises us as to all Jesus is and has achieved and, as life goes on, he increases the knowledge and comprehension he has given.
Sent by the Father and the Son the Spirit cannot lie or mislead. He has inspired Scripture as our guide and touchstone and he brings our mind into alignment with the word. He is the utterly safe source of the truth about the Lord Jesus – his divinity, dignity, self-abasement, and saving death for our sakes. The Spirit accuses the world for its enmity towards Jesus, its rejection of him, and its persistent unbelief.
The Spirit extols the righteousness of Jesus in adhering to the Father’s will and providing a righteousness that covers us, enabling us to come to God without guilt and fear of condemnation.
The Spirit forewarns of judgment according to our assessment of Jesus and our acceptance or non-acceptance of him, - a judgment rendered by Jesus himself. Such is the honour and glory of Jesus that our fate is in his hands, to recognize us as his, or to confirm our refusal of him, and the prince of evil will be cast away by him and all those allied with him (vv8-11).
The Spirit pronounces the supremacy of Christ and describes the salvation he has wrought for us. Inside us, the Holy Spirit gives us inside precious information of Jesus and includes us within him. He, Jesus, dwells in us and we in him, and all his greatness and grandeur as Saviour and Judge is spelt out to us in the most intimate and moving way. Our hearts melt and our souls are strengthened.
What is essential to Jesus, who he really is, and what he has surely done, and continues to do is divulged to us in the most convincing and endearing way. “That is why”, says our Saviour, “I said the Spirit will take from mine and make it known to you” (v15).
The Holy Spirit presents Jesus to us, shines revealing light upon him, as we reflect upon what Scripture says of him from Genesis to John’s Revelation.
Our minds enter into Jesus, our faith grasps him, our understanding is given discernment and insight, and Jesus becomes all-glorious, all-gracious, all-righteousness. Our recognition of him leads to adoration, adoration strengthens trust, trust twins us to him – we become like him, and live his life of holiness and goodness, insofar as he enables and we obey, to the wellbeing of others in witness and good works.
The Holy Spirit makes Christ our dearest possession just as he possesses us dearly. Our connection to him is real, as the given Spirit, the Gift, testifies to our hearts. The contact is close, brushing against us, and is personal, warm, vital, and at times, when we can bear it, electrifying. We are too brittle to feel the full force of the Holy Spirit’s blazing truth and beautiful love. Everything here is a foretaste of our foretold full communion with God. Ecstasies must be limited to curb our greed for gratifying experience alone and whet our appetite for the full enjoyment of God waiting to overwhelm us. We are still saints in the making and the divine sculptor’s chisel must still chip away until our form is perfect.
We are led by the living God through the choice of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the loving accompaniment and advice of the Spirit of truth. It is a dear privilege beyond estimation, and a pledge of paradise with God the Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and all his angels and saints forever.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all for ever and ever. This is bliss begun for us now and to attain to full bloom in heaven. Our blessings and joys will multiply beyond measure in our society with the Holy Trinity for ever and ever. There is much merriment ahead.
RJS
The person whom God has touched and transformed with his marvellous grace craves a knowledge of Jesus Christ who has brought us to reconciliation with the Father. There is a hunger, an inner yearning, for intimacy with Christ and an understanding of him. It is a passion that cannot be quenched, a desire that cannot be quashed.
The attraction of Jesus kindles the aspiration to know him deeply. The fact of our salvation forces us to search out the full truth concerning Jesus.
This knowledge is by no means something we can gain ourselves – not by reason, nor by our own intellectual acumen and cleverness. Knowledge of Christ is a divine donation through God-given dependence on his word and the teaching of the Holy Spirit. God grants a humble disposition, an enquiring and teachable spirit, a tendency to listen carefully and trust entirely as the Spirit of God opens up the Scriptures to our understanding and sheds his light upon their saving truth.
The risen Lord Jesus hands us over, once atonement has been made, to the caring and comprehensive ministry of the Holy Spirit.
“I will send him to you” avers Jesus, “and his role is to explain me to you. He will be my interpreter and your guide”. He will vindicate Jesus before a hostile world and reveal his glory to hearts in which he takes up his home. The assignment of the Spirit is to apprise us of the deep things of Jesus, disclosed from Jesus’ own person, and accomplishment, as our Rescuer and Redeemer.
The secrets of the heart of Jesus are conveyed to us in the closest possible relationship with his Spirit, taking, Jesus says, “What is mine and making it known to you” (v14).
The Spirit is the Agent who expounds Jesus to us in his divine splendour, his human suffering, and his personal power and majesty. The Spirit is the One who relays divine truth to our minds. “He will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (v13).
Our glorious God is Three in One. The Father, Son, and Spirit are in perfect harmony in nature, will, and action.
The Son imparts the knowledge of the Father and especially his saving purpose. The Spirit discloses the Son who carries out God’s purpose. He instructs and advises us as to all Jesus is and has achieved and, as life goes on, he increases the knowledge and comprehension he has given.
Sent by the Father and the Son the Spirit cannot lie or mislead. He has inspired Scripture as our guide and touchstone and he brings our mind into alignment with the word. He is the utterly safe source of the truth about the Lord Jesus – his divinity, dignity, self-abasement, and saving death for our sakes. The Spirit accuses the world for its enmity towards Jesus, its rejection of him, and its persistent unbelief.
The Spirit extols the righteousness of Jesus in adhering to the Father’s will and providing a righteousness that covers us, enabling us to come to God without guilt and fear of condemnation.
The Spirit forewarns of judgment according to our assessment of Jesus and our acceptance or non-acceptance of him, - a judgment rendered by Jesus himself. Such is the honour and glory of Jesus that our fate is in his hands, to recognize us as his, or to confirm our refusal of him, and the prince of evil will be cast away by him and all those allied with him (vv8-11).
The Spirit pronounces the supremacy of Christ and describes the salvation he has wrought for us. Inside us, the Holy Spirit gives us inside precious information of Jesus and includes us within him. He, Jesus, dwells in us and we in him, and all his greatness and grandeur as Saviour and Judge is spelt out to us in the most intimate and moving way. Our hearts melt and our souls are strengthened.
What is essential to Jesus, who he really is, and what he has surely done, and continues to do is divulged to us in the most convincing and endearing way. “That is why”, says our Saviour, “I said the Spirit will take from mine and make it known to you” (v15).
The Holy Spirit presents Jesus to us, shines revealing light upon him, as we reflect upon what Scripture says of him from Genesis to John’s Revelation.
Our minds enter into Jesus, our faith grasps him, our understanding is given discernment and insight, and Jesus becomes all-glorious, all-gracious, all-righteousness. Our recognition of him leads to adoration, adoration strengthens trust, trust twins us to him – we become like him, and live his life of holiness and goodness, insofar as he enables and we obey, to the wellbeing of others in witness and good works.
The Holy Spirit makes Christ our dearest possession just as he possesses us dearly. Our connection to him is real, as the given Spirit, the Gift, testifies to our hearts. The contact is close, brushing against us, and is personal, warm, vital, and at times, when we can bear it, electrifying. We are too brittle to feel the full force of the Holy Spirit’s blazing truth and beautiful love. Everything here is a foretaste of our foretold full communion with God. Ecstasies must be limited to curb our greed for gratifying experience alone and whet our appetite for the full enjoyment of God waiting to overwhelm us. We are still saints in the making and the divine sculptor’s chisel must still chip away until our form is perfect.
We are led by the living God through the choice of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the loving accompaniment and advice of the Spirit of truth. It is a dear privilege beyond estimation, and a pledge of paradise with God the Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and all his angels and saints forever.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all for ever and ever. This is bliss begun for us now and to attain to full bloom in heaven. Our blessings and joys will multiply beyond measure in our society with the Holy Trinity for ever and ever. There is much merriment ahead.
RJS
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