"More to Come" John16:12-15
After all the things Jesus had revealed to His twelve disciples concerning Himself throughout His ministry, and now in the hours directly leading to His crucifixion on the cross, Jesus says in John 16:12: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”
This verse leads into the last of five passages in verses13-15, pertaining to the work of the Holy Spirit, the “Paraclete”. Look at the Word of God in John 16:13-15: “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. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”
NEW REVELATION
The promises by Jesus include the continuing presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of His Disciples, of Jesus’ continued ministry in the world through the Disciples, and also the implied promise of the New Testament writings by the Apostles and the Inspiration of the Scriptures by the Holy Spirit. It is not so easy to notice this from verse 13, but listen to the first part of the verse: “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…”
An important word is dropped from most all translations, including the KJV and NKJV. Remember that God’s Word is perfect as He gave it but mistakes can happen in copying and in translation. The little word “the” appears in the original in both the Textus Receptus and the later originals and describes the words “truth”. Verse 13a should read: “However, when He, the Spirit of (the) truth, has come, He will guide you into all (the) truth…”
Jesus claimed to be “the Truth” and the Spirit of Jesus would lead the disciples into all the implication of that truth embodied in the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit would bring this New Revelation embodied in the WORDS of the New Testament scriptures through the disciples, later called apostles. Paul explained it beautifully in 1 Corinthians 2:13: “These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
It would be the disciples who would carry the Gospel message to the early Church, and their teaching would be the very foundation of the Church as the Apostles, those who had been with Jesus, but not before the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. All that Jesus had taught them would be far more understandable after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and of course His ascension back to the Father.
HISTORICAL ACCURACY
The Words embodied in the New Testament would contain HISTORICAL accuracy concerning Jesus. Verse 13 says “He will guide you into all (the) truth,” meaning the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth concerning Jesus. We had seen this even clearer in John 14:26: “But the Helper, 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.”
The New Testament contains absolute historical accuracy concerning the life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension (which we could have commemorated pastThursday-40 days after Resurrection Sunday) of the Lord Jesus. Although the book of John was written some 50 years after Jesus’ ascension, the testimony of Matthew, Mark, and Luke as well as that of the early Church Fathers testify to its historical accuracy.
The fact that Christianity begins with historical revelation sets it apart from other religions, philosophies, and mythology. Christianity is grounded in determinative facts, not just a pattern of ideas to comprise a system of religion or thought. The Gospels provide historical accuracy and reveal Jesus’ life in different aspects. Matthew introduces Jesus as the King of God’s Kingdom or the “Kingdom of God”. Mark shows Jesus as the Son of God in His humanity and as the suffering servant, focusing on Jesus’ deeds. Luke writes as a meticulous historian and records Jesus’ relentless progression toward the cross that He might die for sinners. John records Jesus’ ministry and is the most theological of the Gospels, containing Jesus signs, His declarations of deity, and the necessity of believing in order to receive life.
The historical accuracy of Christianity cuts it off from any thoughts of it being an “evolutionary religion”. Christianity’s basis clearly represents the Almighty Sovereign Creator God working throughout history to redeem sinful man. The center of the story reveals God in the Flesh giving His life on the Cross as a vicarious atonement for man. At the Cross God is vividly depicted as a God who is both Just and Justifier, a God who is full of Perfect Judgment but also Loving and Gracious for those who BELIEVE in the SON. Any other teaching is heresy.
DOCTRINAL PURITY
The words of the New Testament would also contain doctrinal purity: “He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” (and in 14:26: He will teach you all things.) It is not only important that we have reliable and accurate “historical facts” but that those facts have meaning and importance for all of humanity today.
It is not enough to know and accept the historical fact that Jesus lived and that He died. Every human being lives and dies. The Bible, and particularly the New Testament epistles, teach that Jesus came to earth for a particular purpose, namely to die a substitutionary death for sin, saving those whom God destined to be His particular people, whom He would conform into His image.
The inspiration of the New Testament by the Holy Spirit would reveal the consistency and character of the God of the Old Testament. There is no “change” in the God of the New. He is not judgmental in the Old and becomes loving and gracious in the New. He is the same God throughout: in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The New Testament teaches the same doctrine (John 1, Col. 1, Heb. 1).
The Old promises God to be Savior and the New delivers through Jesus the Son, and teaches the exclusivity of Jesus as Savior and as Lord. The Old demonstrates the impossibility for man to save himself, and the New reveals the power of the Spirit of God and the Gospel of Jesus to provide forgiveness and to transform lives eternally by His grace. The Old promises judgment upon sin and the New promises judgment on all who remain in their sin of unbelief concerning the Grace of God in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and life.
The New Testament fulfills the Old Testament and continues God’s Revelation of Himself as well as the promise of the end of history as we know it and the everlasting rule of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, in the Kingdom of God.
It is important to note that all that the Spirit teaches is Christ-centered. As Jesus always brought glory to the Father, now, the Spirit, by His ministry brings glory to Jesus. The Spirit draws attention, not to himself but to Christ. He will glorify Christ. Again there is no tension between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but complete unity as the One true God.
The PROPHETIC Element
Again, verse 14 points to another characteristic of the Words which would bring new revelation: “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” The words that the Spirit would share with the disciples would include things to come: The WORDS would reveal the PROPHETIC element of scripture. Scattered throughout the New Testament we see this prophetic element (Matt. 24, Mark 13, Romans 11, 1 Corinthians 15, etc.), but particularly in the book of Revelation.
Much of the prophecy recorded by the Apostles would contain dual meanings, for instance some of the prophecy which Jesus spoke could refer to the fall of Jerusalem as well as the book of Revelation. Paul’s prophecy of the second coming of Christ surely gives believers the hope for life after the grave and seeing and serving our Savior.
All of the specifics of what will happen at the end of the age is not revealed to us, however, we can be assured that there will be an ending to sin and history as we know it, and in the meantime we can also be assured that God is still sovereignly at work in history, and providentially, individually and intimately at work to bring about His Kingdom and His Kingdom purposes.
The prophetic element does not only have to do with future events, but it mainly is concerning with the teaching of the Gospel and understanding the commands of God for our lives. “Prophecy” means “speaking out” or “speaking forth”. Some in the Church are certainly gifted to teach and preach, having been gifted to study and handle God’s Word properly, but all are to share the Gospel and disciple others, which is a great part of New Testament. The writings of the apostles recorded in scripture are the foundation and THE textbook for all of the teaching of the Church today; nothing is to be added and nothing taken away.
The single most important fact in all of this is that the Spirit will bring glory to the Lord Jesus. As you and I continue to read and study the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will continue to do the work in us which He began with the inspiration of the New Testament; He will lead you and me to see the Lord Jesus Christ and bring us to greater obedience and service to Him.
OUTLINE
I. The Holy Spirit would bring New Revelation embodied in WORDS.
II. The WORDS would carry HISTORICAL accuracy.
III. The WORDS would contain DOCTRINAL purity.
IV. The WORDS would reveal the PROPHETIC element of scripture.
