The Great Mentor

John 16:12–15

Jesus describes the Holy Spirit in John 16:12-15 as our guide to truth, a messenger sent directly from God. This tells us that our relationship with God is personal, and it’s not just about believing in Him but truly listening to Him. The main points we can learn from these verses are that God gives us truth, He shows us this truth, and most importantly, He unveils the truth about His Son, Jesus.

1. God gives us truth

Christianity isn’t about us searching for truth, but about God trying to reveal Himself to us. The Holy Spirit’s power to change us and God’s revelations are key in our Christian journey. It encourages us to stay humble and open to the truth God shares. If we only chase our own ideas of truth, we forget that God is a person who can show us His truth.

2. God gives us the truth

God’s teachings are specific, not just general ideas, and this challenges the idea that truth keeps changing. This emphasizes the authority of Jesus and the teachings of the apostles in the New Testament. We need to be careful not to twist the Bible or accept claims of new revelations. The Protestant belief in the completeness of Scripture protects us from such distortions. Basically, all truth comes from God, and the revelations in the Bible are unique and enough.

3. God gives us the truth about his Son

God shows us the most important truth about His Son, Jesus, not all the truth in the world. The Bible’s goal is to help us build a personal relationship with God, to fall in love with Jesus and His greatness, not just to give us information. If we reject the Bible’s authority, we limit our ability to have this relationship. But if we accept it, we gain strength and hope from the truth about Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and future judgment.