The Truth Must Be Revealed

 There is a difference between knowing what the Bible says and understanding what God is revealing through His Word.

We can read Scripture with our natural minds. We can listen to sermons, study theology, gather knowledge, and form opinions. But spiritual truth is not something we should approach as though human understanding is enough.

We need the Holy Spirit.

Jesus demonstrated this when He asked His disciples a very important question.

“But Whom Say Ye That I Am?”

Matthew 16:13–17 (KJV)

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Peter had given the correct answer.

Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God.

But Jesus told Peter something significant about how he had come to know this.

“Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee.”

Peter's understanding had not simply come from another human being.

It had been revealed by God.

This is an important principle for every believer.

The truth of God must be revealed by God.

Human Wisdom Is Not Enough

We should never become so confident in our own understanding that we assume we can determine spiritual truth for ourselves.

Our flesh has opinions.

Our minds make assumptions.

Our experiences influence how we see things.

Other people influence what we believe.

And sometimes what seems perfectly reasonable to us can still be completely wrong.

This is why Scripture tells us:

Proverbs 3:5–7 (KJV)

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Notice the warning:

“Lean not unto thine own understanding.”

God does not tell us to trust ourselves as the ultimate authority.

He tells us to trust Him.

This matters enormously when we approach His Word.

We should not take what we think Scripture means and automatically assume that our interpretation is correct.

We should seek God.

We should search the Scriptures.

And we should allow the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us into truth.

God Reveals His Truth By His Spirit

Paul explains this beautifully in 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 2:10–14 (KJV)

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

This is why the Holy Spirit is so important.

God's truth is not merely information to collect.

Spiritual things are spiritually discerned.

The Holy Spirit reveals what comes from God.

He teaches us.

He guides us.

He brings understanding.

He helps us recognize truth rather than simply relying upon the wisdom of the world or the reasoning of our flesh.

Do Not Let Your Flesh Interpret God For You

One of the greatest dangers for a believer is allowing the flesh to become the interpreter of spiritual things.

We can read something in Scripture and immediately decide what it means because it agrees with our feelings.

Or perhaps it challenges something we want to believe, so we explain it away.

We can take one verse and build an entire understanding around it without seeking the counsel of Scripture as a whole.

We can allow culture, tradition, personal experience, emotions, or the opinions of other people to become louder than the voice of God.

But the question we should continually ask is:

What does God say?

Not:

“What do I want this to mean?”

Not:

“What does everyone else say?”

Not:

“What makes the most sense to me?”

And not:

“What does my flesh prefer?”

We must be willing to submit our understanding to God.

The Holy Spirit Is Not Optional

The Holy Spirit is not simply an interesting part of Christianity.

He is not an optional extra for believers who want a deeper spiritual experience.

Scripture makes His importance very clear.

Romans 8:9 (KJV)

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

That is a serious statement.

The Spirit of God dwelling within us is not a side issue.

The Christian life is a life lived in the Spirit.

And Scripture says:

Romans 8:14 (KJV)

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

We are not called merely to believe in Christ and then continue being led by ourselves.

We are called to be led by the Spirit of God.

The Spirit of Truth

Jesus also spoke about the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth.

John 16:13 (KJV)

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The Holy Spirit does not lead us deeper into confusion.

He leads us into truth.

This means that our relationship with God cannot simply be about accumulating more information.

We need to walk with Him.

We need to listen.

We need to submit.

We need to be willing to have our assumptions corrected.

And we need to allow the Spirit of God to lead us.

A Living Walk Requires the Spirit

It is possible to know a great deal about Christianity while lacking a genuinely Spirit-led walk with God.

A person can know Scripture intellectually.

They can know Christian terminology.

They can discuss theology.

They can have opinions about spiritual matters.

But intellectual knowledge by itself does not produce spiritual life.

The Christian life is not supposed to be lived through the strength and wisdom of our flesh.

Galatians 5:16 (KJV)

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

There is a continual choice before us.

Will we walk according to the Spirit?

Or will we allow the flesh to lead us?

The flesh will tell us what we want to hear.

The Spirit of God leads us according to truth.

And those two things are not always comfortable companions.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit will reveal that something we believed was wrong.

Sometimes He will expose a motive we did not want to acknowledge.

Sometimes He will challenge a desire we wanted to keep.

Sometimes He will lead us somewhere we would not have chosen for ourselves.

But revelation is not given so that we can remain comfortable.

It is given so that we can walk in truth.

Seek Revelation, Not Just Information

This is why we must be careful about how we approach the things of God.

Do not simply ask:

“What does this mean to me?”

Ask:

“Lord, what is the truth?”

Do not assume that your first understanding is automatically correct.

Do not elevate human wisdom above God's Word.

Do not allow your flesh to become the authority over spiritual matters.

And do not treat the Holy Spirit as though He is unnecessary to your walk with God.

Peter knew that Jesus was the Christ because God had revealed it to him.

Paul tells us that God reveals His things by His Spirit.

Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth who guides us into all truth.

These truths belong together.

God reveals.The Spirit teaches.The believer receives. And the believer walks in what has been revealed.

Let God Teach You

There is nothing wrong with seeking knowledge.

There is nothing wrong with studying Scripture carefully.

There is nothing wrong with learning from sound teachers.

But we must never allow our knowledge to make us independent of God.

The more we learn, the more we should recognize our need for Him.

We are not the final authority over God's truth.

Our flesh is not the interpreter of Scripture.

Our feelings are not the standard of truth.

Human wisdom is not greater than the wisdom of God.

We need the Holy Spirit.

So before you confidently declare what something means, seek God.

Before you build an understanding around something you have read, search the Scriptures.

Before you accept an interpretation simply because it sounds good, test it.

And above all, ask God to reveal His truth to you.

Because the question is not simply:

“How much do I know?”

The greater question is:

“Who is teaching me?”

Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to you?

Or are you allowing your flesh to decide what the truth is?

“For flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

We need the Spirit of God.

We need His truth.

And we need to be willing to follow wherever He leads.

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