The Spirit of Truth.
Zion's Advocate, May 1902, Vol. 41, No. 5.
It is recorded in John xiv. 16 that Jesus promised his disciples another comforter. He had told them he was going to leave them, but had assured them that he would not leave them comfortless. They did not then know the manner of his departure, and he knew that their hearts, which were already sad at the thought of his going, would be much sadder when they should see how he was to pass out of the world. Also he knew he was leaving them in the midst of their enemies.His disciples were unlearned, and the learning of the world was opposed to them. They were poor, and the wealth of the world was arrayed against them. They had no influence with the legislative or judicial bodies, and these powers had no love for the doctrine their Master had established and authorized them to preach. They were in the world as sheep among wolves. What a failure it would have been if the Lord had left the salvation of his people and the establishment of his spiritual kingdom to human agencies.
At the time the promise to which we refer was made, a vast multitude of Jews were gathering at Jerusalem to observe the feast of the Passover. The Roman ruler was in his seat to hear and decide the cases that might be brought to him. The Scribes and Pharisees were plotting the murder of the innocent Lamb of God. Judas, the false disciple, was seeking the coveted reward for the betrayal of the Holy One he had been pretending to follow. The eleven true disciples were with their beloved Shepherd, eagerly listening to the sweet words that flowed from his guileless lips, little dreaming of the tragical scene that was so soon to take place. What an evening that was! The dark cloud of Sinai, with its flashes of fiery indignation, was gathering, the fury of which was to be spent on the innocent Son of God! The mighty sword of divine justice was being drawn to smite the Shepherd with a blow the most severe that had ever been struck. What sheer nonsense to say this dreadful transaction was only to give sinners a chance to be saved!
The presence of Jesus had been the comfort and support of his disciples. They knew he was the Christ, for God had revealed this to them. What had they to fear while he was with them? They had seen him cast out devils, still the tempest, heal the sick and raise the dead. Multitudes had been fed by him, when only a few small loaves and fishes were at hand. But best of all they had been drawn to him by the Father, they had experienced his love in their hearts. After his departure they would greatly need another companion, another comforter. One less than he would not suffice. It was not necessary for him to utter a verbal petition, for his presence in heaven is a continual prayer in behalf of all for whom he died, which is always effectual.
The comforter promised, the Holy Ghost, is called the "Spirit of truth." The mere truth, as proclaimed by the ministers of the gospel, has always been opposed and rejected by the world, and it always will be. The natural man (the one who is not born again) does not receive the things of the Spirit and cannot know them. "The carnal mind is enmity against God." Such are said to love darkness (error) rather than light (truth), because their deeds are evil. There can be no better proof that a doctrine is false than that it is understood and believed by unregenerated persons. Arminian preachers call upon sinners to believe, when they preach the very doctrine those sinners already believe! If to believe is to change one's belief, then such sinners would have to believe the Old Baptist doctrine to comply with this requirement. The truth may be cast off and trampled under foot, and those who do this may turn, swine-like, and rend those who publish it. But the Spirit of truth cannot be thus successfully resisted. Saul of Tarsus despised the truth and resisted it even when he heard the dying martyr, Stephen, proclaiming it. He cast it from him and continued to persecute the church of Christ with greater zeal than ever. But when the Spirit of truth came upon him and entered into him, all his armor was taken away and he was powerless to resist.
The total depravity of the sinner may be preached as the Bible teaches it, but the dead sinner cannot believe it to be a true description of his own case. He thinks there is some good about him, and all the preachers in the world could not make him realize that there is no soundness in him. But when he is convicted of sin by the Spirit of truth he then sees himself as the Bible describes him. The world cannot accept the truth that salvation is not by works of righteousness done by the sinner when that truth is preached to them. They believe salvation to be conditional on their part. They think God is unjust if he has mercy on whom he will have mercy and hardens whom he wills. The truth preached will not convince them of the truth. The Bible says they "call evil good, and good evil; put darkness for light, and light for darkness; put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." Evil, darkness and bitter here represent error or falsehood. When the truth is preached to them, then, they regard it as evil, darkness and bitterness. This shows that something more than the truth is needed to convince them. The Spirit of truth is needed. When that Spirit enters the heart of a sinner, the sinner not only feels that he cannot save himself, but he wonders how God can save such a sinner as he is. He then sees that God has a perfect right to have mercy on whomsoever he will even though he should be left to suffer all the consequences of his sins.
The prophet declares, and the Saviour repeats it, that all God's children shall be taught of him. His children are all pupils in the school of christian experience, and the Spirit of truth is the teacher, and the lessons taught are spiritual lessons which cannot be learned under any other teacher. The Saviour says the world cannot receive this Spirit, and assigns two reasons. The first reason is, "It seeth him not;" the second is, "Neither knoweth him." If an offer of this Spirit could be made to the world, as Arminians claim, the world would not receive the offer because it could not. The world wants something that can be seen. The greater the display of earthly grandeur the more is the world attracted. "The kingdom of heaven cometh not with observation." For this reason that kingdom is not desired by the world. Why, the King himself is despised and rejected of men! Fashionable preachers, while claiming to be his servants, represent him as having made the same provision for the salvation of those who are finally lost as for those who are saved. They thus hinge the salvation of sinners upon something done by them, and reject the Saviour while they pretend to preach his gospel.
It is said in Revelation that "all the world wondered after the beast; and they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?" The religious orders that have sprung up since the apostolic day have been established in opposition to the church of Christ, and will always be opposed to it. This is necessarily so, for every new party, religious or political, is organized in opposition to the older party. An effort is made by all these new, opposing orders to win the world. To this end thousands of dollars are spent annually in making a worldly display, while their service and doctrine is such as the world can understand and receive.
As the fact that the world falls in with Arminianism is proof of its falsity, so the fact that the world rejects the doctrine of sovereign, electing grace, is proof of its truthfulness. Those who teach that an offer of salvation is made to all, must be preaching a true or a false doctrine for them to accept. They say the world can receive the doctrine they preach, and this we cannot dispute for we see them receiving it. But Jesus said the world could not receive what he taught, and Paul wrote that they could not know the things that he taught. The Spirit that dwelt in Christ in all its fullness, that was given to Paul by measure, was the Spirit of truth. The spirit that actuates those who preach what the world receives is the spirit of error.
J. R. D.
Copyright c. 2005. All rights reserved. The Primitive Baptist Library.
