Bible League: Living His Word But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true--it is not a lie.Preachers and teachers of the word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ are sent out by God into the world. They proclaim the truth to those who have not heard the message. By God's grace the Holy Spirit is given to some who hear the message and the Spirit enables them to believe that the message is true. Those who believe that it is true call upon the name of the LORD and are saved (Romans 10:13-15). The Holy Spirit's work in those who accept the message is not a one-time event. Rather, the Holy Spirit remains with them and lives within them permanently. As a result, they have the permanent ability to recognize what is true and not true when it comes to the word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. They do not need to be taught this. If any anti-Christian false prophets come their way, they have the ability to recognize that the message they preach is wrong. However, the Apostle John is not saying that no Christian will ever need a teacher again. Since teaching is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:6-8), that interpretation doesn't make much sense. What he is saying is that the Holy Spirit within us helps us to recognize what is true and not true when it comes to the word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. We don't need another person, like a teacher, to take on this responsibility for us. Spirit-filled Christians that we are, we are capable of doing it for ourselves. Although Godly teachers and preachers can help us develop and deepen our understanding of the truth and can help us develop and deepen our faith in the truth, we don't need them to help us recognize truth. We don't need to frantically search for reliable people to tell us what is true and what is not every time there is a question. Given the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, we have what we need to keep from being fooled by the false prophets of the world. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 145-147 Psalm 145 -- I will exalt you, my God, the King. I will praise your name forever and ever. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 146 -- Praise the Lord, my soul. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 147 -- It is good to sing praises to our God NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 1 Corinthians 11:1-15 1 Corinthians 11 -- Reverence in Worship; The Lord's Supper NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.” Insight Like other Jews, the disciples chafed under their Roman rulers. They wanted Jesus to free Israel from Roman power and then become their king. Jesus replied that God the Father sets the timetable for all events—worldwide, national, and personal. Challenge If you want changes that God isn't making immediately, don't become impatient. Instead, trust God's timetable. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Isaiah 51:5 On mine arm shall they trust.In seasons of severe trial, the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust to, and is therefore compelled to cast himself on his God alone. When his vessel is on its beam-ends, and no human deliverance can avail, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence and care of God. Happy storm that wrecks a man on such a rock as this! O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone! There is no getting at our God sometimes because of the multitude of our friends; but when a man is so poor, so friendless, so helpless that he has nowhere else to turn, he flies into his Father's arms, and is blessedly clasped therein! When he is burdened with troubles so pressing and so peculiar, that he cannot tell them to any but his God, he may be thankful for them; for he will learn more of his Lord then than at any other time. Oh, tempest-tossed believer, it is a happy trouble that drives thee to thy Father! Now that thou hast only thy God to trust to, see that thou puttest thy full confidence in him. Dishonor not thy Lord and Master by unworthy doubts and fears; but be strong in faith, giving glory to God. Show the world that thy God is worth ten thousand worlds to thee. Show rich men how rich thou art in thy poverty when the Lord God is thy helper. Show the strong man how strong thou art in thy weakness when underneath thee are the everlasting arms. Now is the time for feats of faith and valiant exploits. Be strong and very courageous, and the Lord thy God shall certainly, as surely as he built the heavens and the earth, glorify himself in thy weakness, and magnify his might in the midst of thy distress. The grandeur of the arch of heaven would be spoiled if the sky were supported by a single visible column, and your faith would lose its glory if it rested on anything discernible by the carnal eye. May the Holy Spirit give you to rest in Jesus this closing day of the month. Daily Light on the Daily Path Romans 5:16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. Isaiah 43:25,26 "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins. • "Put Me in remembrance, let us argue our case together; State your cause, that you may be proved right. Isaiah 44:22 "I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you." John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Romans 5:15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 1 Corinthians 6:11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |