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In the perilous times in which we live, may we all be alive to the dangers, and
receiving the love of the truth, uphold it `in season, and out of season'.
No.6.
The Spirit of the Truth.
pp. 151 - 155
The expression `the Spirit of truth' (literally: the Spirit of the truth), occurs four times
in the N.T., all of them in John's writings. Three are in the Gospel of John, and the
fourth in his first epistle. In the latter reference (I John 4: 6) is contrasted "the Spirit of
truth, and the spirit of error": ". . . . . . of the truth . . . . . of the error". In Eph. 2: 2 the
identity of "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" is revealed as
`the prince of the power of the air'. Later in the same epistle reference is made to `the
wile of the error' (Eph. 4: 14, where the last phrase would better be rendered `with a
view to the wile of the error'), and the wile of the error is shown in chapter 6: 11 to be
`the wiles of the devil'. Thus far in our studies on this subject we have been concerned
with the activities of `the prince of the power of the air', `the spirit of error' and the
author of the Lie. In this article we wish to consider the Spirit of the Truth.
Turning to the first reference to the Spirit of the truth in John's Gospel (14: 16, 17),
we read:
"And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may
abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; Whom the world cannot receive,
because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with
you, and shall be in you."
The Spirit of the Truth is revealed as `another Comforter'. The word `other' (allos)
has the significance of "another of the same kind (denoting numerical distinction). The
second of two where there may be more" (Appendix 124, Companion Bible). It is clear
this `other' Comforter is identified with a `former' Comforter, inasmuch as `ye know
Him; for He dwelleth with you'. "With" (Gk. para) signifying `beside'. The `other'
Comforter is none other than the Lord Himself.
The world is not able to receive the `other' Comforter because it has not received
Christ. We might paraphrase part of verse 17 in this way: "the world is not able to
comprehend Him, because it does not see (`seeth' assumes actual presence) Him, neither
comes to know Him". The apostles had received Christ, and would therefore be able to
receive His Spirit, the Spirit of the Truth, when He came. After Pentecost the converse
was true:
"Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His" (Rom. 8: 9).
The apostles having loved Christ were able to receive His Spirit; now no man can
love Christ without having received His Spirit, and Christ is the Truth (John 14: 6). To