“Well, Jesus is gone now. He protected and taught us while he dwelled in flesh with us, but now he has ascended to the Father, and all of a sudden we feel really alone. It’s just us now, and so much is still so unclear. How can we know anything for certain anymore?” I imagine this is what the disciples thought in their first days without Jesus. In fact, it’s probably a relatable sentiment. What assurance do we have that the faith we’ve been taught is still true? Hopefully though, when the disciples asked this, they remembered the clear answer Jesus had given them: the Spirit of truth.
Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit, sent from him and the Father, would guide the disciples in all truth. Now, this doesn’t mean he will give the answers to what job to pursue or who to marry or what to cook for dinner tonight. Those are secondary. Rather, he guides us to have deeper understanding of the truth of who God is, and what he has done for us, and how much Christ loves us, and what promises he has made for our future, and what his kingdom vision is like, and what it would look like to live obedient kingdom lives now—all the things that we need for wisdom of how to walk in the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, here and now.
But here’s what’s interesting: the Spirit is the messenger of truth not only for us, but for the rest of the world as well! In this case, though, the truth comes in the form of conviction—causing heavy but crucial matters to weigh on the heart of anyone who is open to it. According to Jesus, the Spirit brings conviction about sin, righteousness, and judgment, three things that are far bigger deals than we would normally be led to believe. Most of the world close their hearts off and don’t listen to the Spirit’s stirrings. But those of us that do listen are aware in our souls that we bear more guilt for wickedness than we’d like to admit (sin), that there is something perfectly great beyond ourselves that we should be striving for (righteousness), and that the direction we choose has eternal impact and value (judgment). Let’s make sure we’re listening to the conviction in our souls—and pray for others to do the same.
But as daunting as this may sound, Jesus gives one other reminder: that this is for our good. We have the Spirit of God with us; we live in the best age of human history thus far. We truly are not alone; we have God himself with us, guiding us in all truth. Listen to the Spirit’s guidance and convictions, and walk according to the truth!
