1. As Easy to Overlook Detail
On pages 96-98 of his book Flying Closer to the Flame, Chuck Swindoll points out an important, but easy to overlook, detail about John 16:13 (NASB95) [emphasis added]:
13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
More specifically, he notes Jesus’ sweeping statement that the Holy Spirit’s guidance will be into “all truth.” Chuck then refers to the scope of John 16:15 (NASB95) [emphasis added]:
15 “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.
He notes that the “all things” coupled with the “all the truth” encompasses a broader scope than the truth of Scripture, but includes “the truth about” many other topics, such as, for example, the truth of His will, the truth about another person, and the truth regarding both sides of a tough decision. See page 97.
On page 98, he lists five exemplary happenings within the scope of “all the truth” and “all things.” These are:
· Biblical insights I would otherwise have missed.
· A sudden awareness of God’s will or the presence of danger or a sense of peace in the midst of chaos.
· A surge of bold confidence in a setting where there would otherwise have been fear and hesitation
· I quiet, calm awareness that I was not alone, even though no one was actually with me.
· The undeniable, surrounding awareness of evil even the dark sinister presence of demonic forces.
This article will consider the scope of John 16:13 and how it should impact the way a believer lives.
2. A Brief Analysis of John 16:13
John 16:13 (NASB95) [emphasis added] reads:
13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
This verse is a part of the “Upper Room Discourse” comprising John 14-16. This text records most of Jesus’ last words to His disciples before He would face crucifixion.
The phrase “when He, the Spirit of truth, comes” refers to the Pentecost event of Acts 2:1–4 (NASB95):
1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
In reference to the phrase, “He will guide you into all the truth,” the NASB95 translates the Greek verb hodēgēsei as “He will guide.” Arndt et al. (Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 690). University of Chicago Press) define it to mean:
② to assist someone in acquiring information or knowledge, lead, guide, conduct.
The NASB95 translates the Greek adjective pasē as “all.” Louw et al. (Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 588). United Bible Societies) defines it to mean:
58.28 πᾶςe, πᾶσα, πᾶν: a totality of kinds or sorts—‘every kind of, all sorts of.
The NASB95 translates the Greek article-noun tē alētheia as “the truth.” According to Arndt et al., supra at p. 42, this noun means:
② the content of what is true, truth (opp. ψεῦδος) …ⓑ esp. of the content of Christianity as the ultimate truth.
Note the usage of the definite article tē in connection with alētheia. The definite article carries out three functions. One function is to conceptualize “truth” so it becomes a concept. It also identifies so that it renders the “truth” more specific or gives it an identity. Thirdly, the definite article definitizes the “truth.” See Wallace, Greek Beyond the Basics, (1996) Zondervan on pages 209-210. In this case, the definite article tē operates to render the “truth” more concrete and not an amorphous fuzzy idea.
The scope of the adjective pasē is consistent with Dr. Swindoll’ opinion that the expression “all the truth” as used in John 16:13 has a broader scope that Scripture alone. To assist in determining the scope of tē alētheia I looked at other NT usages of alētheia. The most relevant (in my opinion) NT usages of alētheia are very briefly discussed below.
The truth encompasses, and the Holy Spirit guides, a believer to live a holy lifestyle. See 1 Peter 1:22-23; 1 John 1:6-7; 2 John 4; 3 John 3-4.
The truth encompasses the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit guides a believer to proclaim the gospel. See Galatians 2:14; Ephesians 1:13-14; Colossians 1:3-8.
The truth encompasses true statements of fact. The Holy Spirit guides a believer to make true statements. See Romans 9:1; 2 Corinthians 7:14; 12:6.
The truth encompasses Jesus Christ Himself. The Holy Spirit guides a believer to know that Jesus is the Truth and the only way to salvation. See John 14:6.
The truth encompasses the exercise of biblical saving faith. The Holy Spirit guides a sinner to respond to the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. See 2 Thessalonians 2:13.
These usages support the teaching that tē alēthei has a broad scope.
3. Conclusion
In conclusion, the expression in John 16:3 that reads, “He will guide you into all the truth” encompasses Scripture as well as other thing. For example, “all the truth” encompasses the five points Dr. Swindoll made in his book: (1) bblical insights I would otherwise have missed; (2) a sudden awareness of God’s will or the presence of danger or a sense of peace in the midst of chaos; (3) a surge of bold confidence in a setting where there would otherwise have been fear and hesitation; (4) the quiet, calm awareness that I was not alone, even though no one was actually with me; and (5) the undeniable, surrounding awareness of evil even the dark sinister presence of demonic forces.
The expression “all the truth” also encompasses a believer living a holy lifestyle, the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, true statements of fact, Jesus Christ Himself, and the exercise of biblical saving faith.
I hope that this article has been helpful. If you are a believer then it should make sense. However, it will no sense if you are an unbeliever. But, it can make sense if you will respond to the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Please read on …
If You Are an Unbeliever
If you are not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, please (1) read through “God’s Plan of Salvation” so you can understand what God did for you through His only unique Son, Jesus Christ, and (2), from the bottom of your heart, pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” meaning every word. If you do, you will be reconciled to God – saved – through Jesus Christ.
God’s Plan of Salvation
In the beginning, God, who is holy, created the entire universe. As a part of His creative actions, He made humans (male and female) in His image to know Him. For a while, everything was right between God and our ancestors, Adam and Eve. But Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God, whereby Adam’s sin was passed down to all of humanity, creating a separation between God and humanity. We cannot do anything to bridge that separation so that without God’s intervention, hell is our eternal destination. Fortunately for us, in His great love and mercy, God provided us with the only means of salvation through Abraham’s lineage by sending the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ, God’s only unique Son. While retaining His deity, God the Son became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, thereby fulfilling the Law, and died a substitutionary atoning death on the cross, taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of all people. Jesus rose from the dead, showing that God the Father accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, thereby exhausting God’s wrath against humanity. God now calls on every unbeliever to repent of their sins and completely trust in Christ alone that Jesus died for their sins and rose to life from the dead. Every unbeliever who repents and trusts in Jesus Christ will be forgiven of all their sins (past, present, and future) and born again as a new creation in Christ, possessing guaranteed eternal life with God.
Scripture References: Genesis 1:1, 26, 31; Habakkuk 1:13; Genesis 2:7-25; Genesis 3:1-7, 22-24; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:19-20, 23; 5:17-19; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Colossians 1:15; 2:9; Matthew 1:18, 20, 24-25; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 2:17; 9:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 John 4:10; John 3:16-18; Mark 1:15; Acts 17:30; 26:20; Romans 1:4; 4:25; John 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:3.
“Sinner’s Prayer”
Lord, Jesus Christ, the only unique Son of God, thank You for Your free gift of eternal life. I know I’m a sinner who cannot save myself no matter what I do, and I deserve to spend eternity in hell. But, I know that because You loved me so much, You voluntarily died on the cross for me taking my sins upon Yourself, and You physically bodily rose from the grave showing that Your sacrificial death was sufficient payment to give me eternal life in Heaven. I now repent of my sins and completely trust alone in what You did for my eternal salvation. Please take control of my life as I now receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You so much for saving me. I am now Yours forever!
(Scripture references: John 1:1-4, 11-14; John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:21-26; Isaiah 53:4-6; Mark 1:15; Acts 16:31; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10, 13; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; John 10:27-29).
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