In my early years as a Christian, I heard the following challenge during a bible discussion. "If the bible says that the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth, and you people claim to have the Holy Spirit, why is it that you can't ever agree on anything?"
Now this question, however critical in spirit, does point out a real problem, division and disagreement in the church. It also reflects the attitude of the lost world that looks for answers, but finds only hypocrisy in today's Christianity.
You hear people say things like: Well there are so many different bibles, how do you know which translation to believe. Or they say: It all depends on your interpretation, every church teaches something different, so how are you supposed to know who's right?
The scripture reference is this.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
Here we have a promise in the bible that tells us the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and show us things to come.
And yet here we have all these pastors, scholars, teachers and prophets all saying something different. What's wrong with this picture?
We hear talk of the simplicity of the gospel so why is the bible so hard to understand.
A clue to an answer is found here in first Corinthians.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Here God is telling us that man cannot know or learn the meaning of spiritual things i.e. the bible. That is natural man, on his own, cannot. The Holy Spirit knows these things and teaches them to the spiritual man.
So who is the natural man and who is the spiritual man? The natural man is one with out the Holy Spirit to guide him, who must rely on the teaching of man's wisdom. The spiritual man has the Holy Spirit to guide him and is taught by God himself.
To the ordinary person, the bible is long and boring. It's deliberately vague, confusing and open to multiple interpretations.
Some parts are plain and simple, others are seemingly meaningless and some are outright mind boggling. Yet in it, God is telling us some interesting things about how to approach his Word.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
I like to break this down and analyze it this way.
A. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. This inspiration is the Holy Spirit. The words spirit and inspiration are closely related. So we ask, given to whom?
Well first off, it's given by inspiration to the writer of the book, Moses, Jeremiah, Malachi, John or whomever. Secondly it's given by inspiration to the reader. That is, you and I are given insight into the meaning and application by God and not man's wisdom. [You can see here that even the plain and simple parts are open to multiple interpretations.]
B. All scripture is profitable [for various uses]. This tells me that the entire bible has some meaning, even the boring and confusing parts. But that we need to hear from the Spirit to understand that meaning.
Now this brings me back to our original question.
"If the bible says that the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth, and you people claim to have the Holy Spirit, why is it that you can't ever agree on anything?"
My first answer to this has always been that it takes time. Leading someone into the truth is a process. It won't happen all at once. In Isaiah 28 we read:
Isa 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
Here we are speaking about teaching knowledge and understanding doctrine and it is the Lord doing the teaching. First he says in effect, that you have to be past the baby stage where the word is likened to milk.
1Pe 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
The milk of the word is those plain and simple parts that are easy to understand and get you going on your way to knowing the Lord. The meat comes later with some maturity.
Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
And in Isaiah, God is telling us that it has to come a little at a time. That deeper knowledge of him and his word comes gradually. It is built up a little at a time, each revelation you get can be the foundation of a further revelation to come.
So what we're saying here is that the Spirit does not lead us into all truth all at once, but gradually. Now that's pretty clear but it still does not answer the question of why is it that you can't ever agree on anything?
We said earlier that scripture is given by inspiration to the reader [or listener]. This means that a certain understanding is granted by the Spirit of God to the conscientious student of his Word. Then when this student begins to teach others what he has learned, the Spirit is needed to allow the others to also understand. And here comes a problem.
What one person has learned line by line may not always be received by another. There are often attitudes and traditions and doctrines standing in the way of the one trying to share revelation knowledge.
Secondly what one person learns from the Spirit about the meaning of a portion of scripture may not line up with what another one has learned by the same Spirit because the Lord may reveal differing interpretations and applications of the same scripture. This is to say that not only are there differing interpretations of the same scripture according to 'man's wisdom' but there can often be differing correct interpretations of scripture given by God.
You may recall the famous parable of the blind men and the elephant. Each blind man examined the elephant by his senses of touch and smell and came away with a different report. The thing is that each one was correct in so far as they were able to tell. Yet they could never agree on what the elephant was! They had forgotten something. They forgot they were blind!
The church is in the same position. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. And we can never agree on anything because we have forgotten something.
If we look back at our original question:
"If the bible says that the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth, and you people claim to have the Holy Spirit, why is it that you can't ever agree on anything?"
We can recall that it refers to a certain scripture:
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
And in looking carefully at this verse there is an alternate explanation of why is it that you can't ever agree on anything. The verse says when he, the Spirit of truth, is come he will etc. This is your basic if, then statement. If and when the Spirit is come, then such and such will take place. For example: If the light is green you can go; this is a basic if, then statement. So if you can't go, then clearly the light is not green yet! Likewise if we can't ever agree on the truth, then the Spirit has not yet come! Now some might get upset at this conclusion but it should be obvious. And it's clearly obvious to an unbelieving world.
This is what the church has forgotten. This passage from first Corinthians talks about the same problem and uses terms like when, and now and then to indicate a before and after condition.
1Co 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
We have forgotten that we are still in the before stage of this transition. Everyone is claiming to have the Holy Spirit but show me the money!
We have forgotten that what Holy Spirit we have is only a partial fulfillment of the promise. In my article on the Feast of Tabernacles I discussed this partial fulfillment and gave four arguments to illustrate what I meant. I am going to repeat them here because of their importance. They are the analysis of fulfilled prophecy in Acts 2, the word picture of tongues of fire, the word study on baptism, illustrated by the pickle recipe, and the word study on earnest of the spirit.
Acts Chapter 2
In the second chapter of Acts, the Holy Spirit comes upon the assembled group of disciples.
Ac 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
This is generally regarded as the beginning of the church, the giving of the Spirit and the start of the New Covenant. This is partly true. It was a partial fulfillment for the building of the church, a partial fulfillment of the giving of the Holy Spirit, and a partial fulfillment of the New Covenant. These three ideas here are all roughly synonymous ways of looking at the same thing.
Verse 1 above says "they were all with one accord in one place." The idea here is unity of the brethren. So clearly, this is also partial fulfilling of Psalms 133, which speaks of the End time revival in terms of the anointing coming upon the head and body of Aaron. It typifies the proper assembly of the head and body of Christ, for Jesus is our High Priest and in him is our place of unity. There we see the blessing come. That blessing is the Spirit, the presence and glory of God, life eternal. It is dwelling in the secret place of the most high as in Psalms 91, who is the way, the truth and the life.
Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
In The Last Days
We said the giving of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 is a partial fulfillment. Peter in his sermon that day makes mention of the prophecy of Joel. He is telling the people that what they are experiencing that day is a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy.
Ac 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
This is a reference to Joel Chapter 2:28-29.
We know it's only a partial fulfillment because the rest of what Joel has to say there still awaits fulfillment in the last days. Look at verses 30-31.
Joel 30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
A Measure of the Spirit
The description of the coming of the Holy Spirit as cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them also indicates a partial fulfillment. It shows that each one received a measure of the Spirit. The had a small flame rest on them. The complete fulfillment will be intensely greater. It will be the Spirit without measure.
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
The Pickle Recipe
A good way to explain this comes from a word study on baptism, as we are looking at the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Some time back I copied the following definitions from the On Line Bible program. This definition of baptism came with a very interesting word study that illustrates what God is about to do in the Church. There are two words closely related to baptism; Bapto and Baptizo.
Baptizo {bap-tid'-zo}
1) to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk)
2) to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one's self, bathe
Bapto {bap'-to}
1) to dip, dip in, immerse
2) to dip into dye, to dye, color
Not to be confused with baptizo. The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped' (bapto) into boiling water and then 'baptised' (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change.
When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. E.g. Mark 16:16. 'He that believes and is baptised shall be saved'. Christ is saying that mere intellectual assent is not enough. There must be a union with him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle! Bible Study Magazine, James Montgomery Boice, May 1989.
The interesting idea here is that union with Christ is what He requires and when this is real, and not just a positive confession, there will come a real, permanent change in us. Like the vegetable is radically transformed, well so must we be transformed.
All the great moves of God in the past, including the book of Acts, have just been bapto's, temporary changes. The revivals of the past have had long term permanent effects of course but the awesome holiness, the irresistible power of the Lord has only lingered on for short periods.
Even this refreshing called the new wine or the river is just a bapto. A bapto is the ankle deep water of the river. The knee deep and waist deep, the chest deep water is still a bapto. At these levels, you can always get back out of the water. When it gets over your head, it's baptizo. See Ezekiel 47:1-5. When you can no longer go on your own way, it's baptizo. When you have to change from walking to swimming, never to go back it's baptizo. It's a permanent change. It's the kingdom of God come into your life and you entering into the kingdom. It's the manifesting of the sons of God.
Like the pickle is changed, we will take on the texture, the color, the taste and the aroma of the Lord God of Heaven. We will be like Him because we will see Him as He is. The world will forget what we were like before because they will see Jesus in us. That's what tabernacles is pointing us toward.
The Earnest of the Spirit
Another way to approach this is to look at what the scriptures say about the Giving of the Spirit.
In Ephesians, it tells about being sealed by the Holy Spirit using the word earnest.
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Second Corinthians also mentions the earnest of the Spirit.
2Co 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
2Co 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
So what exactly is an earnest anyway? Strong's lexicon gives this definition:
Earnest - a pledge, i.e. part of the purchase-money or property given in advance as security for the rest.
Microsoft Bookshelf [The American Heritage® Dictionary]] gives this definition.
Ear·nest (ūr¹nīst) noun
1. Money paid in advance as part payment to bind a contract or bargain.
2. A token of something to come; a promise or an assurance.
In other words, an earnest is a down payment. It's only part of the payment. And the early church receiving this partial payment in Acts 2 means that it was a partial fulfillment.
The word for earnest is translated pledge in the Old Testament.
Ge 38:18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
Easton's bible dictionary says this:
The Spirit is the earnest of the believer's destined inheritance (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14). The word thus rendered is the same as that rendered "pledge" in Gen. 38:17-20; "indeed, the Hebrew word has simply passed into the Greek and Latin languages, probably through commercial dealings with the Phoenicians, the great trading people of ancient days. Originally it meant no more than a pledge; but in common usage it came to denote that particular kind of pledge which is a part of the full price of an article paid in advance; and as it is joined with the figure of a seal when applied to the Spirit, it seems to be used by Paul in this specific sense." The Spirit's gracious presence and working in believers is a foretaste to them of the blessedness of heaven. God is graciously pleased to give not only pledges but foretastes of future blessedness.
Ephesians 1:14 describes the Holy Spirit as the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. As we are looking at the earnest meaning pledge or down payment, this tells us that the rest of the payment will come at the time of the redemption of the purchased possession. This is speaking of the redemption of the church by the full outpouring of the Spirit in the last days i.e. the End Times.
Ac 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood
The Promise of the Spirit of Truth
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
The Promised pouring out of the Spirit
Joe 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
The Promise of a New Covenant
Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
This tells us of a new covenant that the Lord intends to make with his people. He will write his law in our hearts. And we shall all know Him. This is part of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Here is another description from Jeremiah 32.
Jer 32:40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.
Here we see that this new covenant will make it so that his people will not depart from him. Ezekiel explains it this way:
Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
So here are three promises spoken of in the bible which we have tended to view separately.
The Promise of the Spirit of Truth; The Promised pouring out of the Spirit; and The Promise of a New Covenant
But actually these promises are all speaking about the same thing, just phrasing things differently.
With that in mind, let's approach this question from another direction. We spoke earlier of the natural man and spiritual man. The natural man cannot know the deeper things of God because they are spiritual things and the Spirit of God must reveal them to him. The spiritual man however has ability to know these things because the Spirit leads him into knowledge of the truth. So today's born again Christian, especially those with those who call themselves spirit filled consider themselves spiritual men, able to understand the word. Yet they can't ever agree! They have forgotten something! Isaiah 8 tells us that the word is a sealed book even to the Christian.
Isa 8:16 ¶ Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
The testimony or the law are synonyms for the word, and this tells us that it is a sealed book, even among the followers of the Lord.
Consider these verses which speak of a sealed book [the bible].
Isa 29:11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
Da 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Da 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
The book is sealed till the time of the end, and you can find it in revelation 5 depicted as the book with seven seals.
Re 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
So we are saying that the books, that is the books of the bible are sealed till the time of the end. And no wonder they are sealed! Since it requires the Spirit to understand the Bible, it requires the outpouring of the Spirit to unseal the books.
We know that in the end times, the spirit will be poured out and also that the book will be opened in that day. Let's make the obvious connection. We're talking about the same thing here, just using different wording. For now, we know in part and prophesy in part, because we have a part of the spirit. This image of the book in the right hand of him that sat on the throne, a book written within and on the backside, should tell us something similar. The only part of the book that can be read is the 'back side'; the rest is hidden. Likewise we can know only a small portion of the deeper meaning of the bible, without the full pouring out of the Spirit.
Now let's look at this from still another direction. Earlier, in speaking about the gift of the Spirit, we quoted from first Corinthians.
1 Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Now looking at the first two verses of that selection we read:
1 Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
Are we at a place where we can honestly say that God has revealed the things he has prepared for us that love him? Look at the final verse quoted above:
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Are we at a place where we can honestly say that we have the mind of Christ? If not then we must consider this passage of scripture to be unfulfilled. Even though all the verb tenses are past or present, it is written from a future viewpoint. The truths and attitudes expressed here can only come having already experienced the fulfillment of the promise. They apply to the end time church for whom the books are open and the understanding is granted.
Here is another passage which is written in the present tense yet actually speaks of a future occurrence, a promise yet unfulfilled.
Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Once again this brings me back to our original question.
"If the bible says that the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth, and you people claim to have the Holy Spirit, why is it that you can't ever agree on anything?"
Have we managed to answer this in any way? We can note that the easiest thing for a Christian to do is find the speck in his brother's eye. We can say that our claim to the Holy Spirit is a bit exaggerated. It's like the juvenile son of a rich man, who only gets a small allowance till he reaches maturity, yet boasts of having the entire fortune at his disposal. If this is the case, there is another claim we need to make, and another fact we need to own up to.
The inability to agree, and the great confusion that results from that is of the nature of Babylon. In fact Babylon means confusion. What we need to own up to is exactly what Daniel prayed when he was in Babylon.
Daniel 9:8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.