THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
“He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
“All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”
John 16:12-15 (NKJV)

• Prior to Jesus’ departure from the earth, He wanted to tell His disciples a number of things, but He knew they would not be able to understand what He would have told them.

At the time He was talking to them in the above passage, John 16:12-15, their spirit, inward man, was not regenerated; thus they would not have been able to understand Him if He told them what He had in mind (2 Corinthians 4:16; John 4:23,24).
“But the Helper [Comforter], the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
John 14:26 (NKJV)

• When Jesus left, that is, when He ascended to heaven, and the Holy Spirit came–He brought clarity to what Jesus had taught the disciples.

Holy Spirit expatiated it and opened their understanding to know, fully understand, why Jesus came and what He did for us (Ephesians 1:17,18; 3:17-19).

“how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,
by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),
which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been REVEALED by THE SPIRIT to His Holy apostles and prophets.”
Ephesians 3:3-5 (NKJV)

• Thomas’ statement before the crucifixion of Christ, and Peter’s action after His resurrection, gave credence to the fact that the disciples did not fully understand why Jesus’ came.
“Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
John 14:5 (NKJV)

“Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing”
John 21:3 (NKJV)

• God has revealed his plan to the church through His Spirit, the Holy Spirit–by the hand of His apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:3-5; 1 Corinthians 2:7-14).

Anyone who disagrees with the teachings of the apostles, that is, the epistles written to the church; disagrees with the Lord Jesus Christ.
One school of thought says they want to follow Jesus’ teaching, that the epistles, the writings of the apostles, are erroneous, thus they cannot follow their teachings.
The church of Christ is built on the foundation of the apostles’ and the prophets’ teachings.

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
HAVING BEEN BUILT ON THE FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS, JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF BEING THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE.”
Ephesians 2:19,20 (NKJV)

• Another school of thought believes that the Bible as a whole is erroneous, thus they want to follow the Spirit.

You cannot follow the Holy Spirit without following the Bible, because the Holy Spirit inspired the written Word, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:20,21).

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction [training, discipline] in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16,17 (NKJV)

• The Bible should come first, then the Spirit.

Whatever you heard from the Spirit should be in line with the Bible–the reason being that, there are many voices which are not of God. Devil is a counterfeiter (John 10:4,5).
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
1 John 4:1 (NKJV)

“Test all things; hold fast what is good.”
1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NKJV)

• You will not fail in Jesus’ name.
Peace!