"I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."
Gospel of John
What would you give to know all truth? Truth, however, is not something that we create, although I certainly believe that many try to create their own truth. What Jesus is trying to convey to His disciples in the Gospel of John is that the real truth is a gift from God, and it is the role of the Spirit to reveal to us what it is. It is what is called the gift of wisdom, not our own personal discovery based on our limited experiences or the knowledge we may attain through our own efforts. It is a gift, and the hallmark of God's truth is that it sets us free. It liberates us from doubts, illusions and fears. And, of course, it is this wisdom, this truth, that motivates Paul, Silas and Barnabas in their mission that we read about in the Book of Acts.
Paul and Silas were stripped, flogged and thrown into prison for their preaching. I think most of us would do anything to avoid that punishment and humiliation, but what do they do? We read: "Late that night, Paul and Silas were praying and singing God's praises while the other prisoners listened. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose".
Later in this letter, Paul and Silas escape from prison, and Paul is escorted to Athens where he again begins to proclaim there the truth about what has been revealed to him by the Spirit. He does this in order to bring those present to an awareness of God's truth revealed to him through Christ.
Those without faith would say that this man just does not learn his lesson. People of faith would say that Paul has been liberated from any doubt, illusions or fear about proclaiming the truth revealed to Him by the Spirit. Everything else falls to lessor importance - safety, security, family, personal pleasure, vacationing, popularity, etc.
I don't pretend to be as liberated as Saint Paul in respect to his freedom in conveying the truth, regardless of the cost, to all he meets. But I am challenged by his courage and giftedness to put Christ first, and then let all other things fall where they may. This is the challenge put forth to each of us.
We are all God's children, as Paul would proclaim. Since we are children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that God looks like gold, silver, stone or other objects that has been carved or designed by a person. Our freedom will not be found in those areas of life, however, most of us, to some degree, pursue those things to a greater degree than pursuing the truth of the Spirit. The truth of the Spirit will be revealed to us as we listen to that still quiet voice that speaks to us at the level of the heart. Then we must follow in that truth.
This is the voice of the Spirit, God's gift to us, speaking to us. Lord Jesus, fill us with your Spirit, and guide us in the way of your truth. Free us from ignorance and deception caused by sinful pride, rebellion and selfishness so that we may love you with all our strength, mind and will, and seek to please you in all things. Amen
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