There is a fantasial re-writing of history that has become so prevalent that even well-meaning Christians who sincerely study their Bibles have started to beleive it. It is designed to chronically undermine our confidence in those Bibles as ‘the Word of God’. It is fiction, but that hasn’t prevented even educated Christian leaders from buying into it, and then confusing the Churches they lead.
The essence of it is a rejection of the Bible’s own account of itself. The fact that those involved in writing and compiling Scripture tell us repeatedly of their experience in being used by the Spirit to do so has to be conveniently overlooked. For only then can it be replaced by the kind of confusion that reigns in the Western Church today. Only then can we be left with the impression that no-one really knew what constituted the Scriptures: not the Apostles, not those who wrote the Gospels and the letters, and still less the hapless Church that received those sacred documents. Further, many other gospels and texts were produced, many of which almost made it into the Canon. The fact they didn’t is an accident of history, or perhaps a political power play. Eitehr way it took centuries for us to work out what we ‘in’ the Bible and what was out.
And even then, those Apostles and Gospel-writers would have been as surprised as anyone, perhaps moreso, that their work was deemed to be ‘inspired’ by the Spirit - or perhaps (we are assured) merely ‘inspiring’. And even then, we have to recognise that said authors were inevitably blinded by their own cultural contexts and personal prejudices. Somehow God’s word has to be disentangled from human error, historical blindspots, and plain first century ignorance… apparently.
Over and against all such patent nonsense is the simple and straightforward words of Jesus. Jesus’ promise that the Father will send the Spirit of Truth in His Name, to ensure that the Apostles and Evangelists would fully and faithfully represent Christ and His teaching to the Church (John 14:26 & 15:26-27). The Apostles patently understood they were involved in the process of writing Scripture, and the Church immediately recognised their work as such (as it had prevoiusly done in regard to the Prophets of the Old Testament). Such is clear to those who bother to actually read their writings.
(see, for example, II Peter 1:16-21, 3:15-16; Ex.4:10-16; Ezek.3:1-4; Jer.1:9; Num.22:28, 23:16, 24:2, 24:13; Heb.3:7, 4:7, 10:15-16; Acts 4:25; Gal.1:8-12; I Cor.2:10-13; I Thess.2:13, 4:8; II Thess.3:6 & 14; I Tim.6:2-4; II Tim.3:16… honestly, I could keep going, but it will get tedious, and to be fair, we’ve spent the last four weeks looking at this in DTP!).
Perhaps this is why throughout history, Christians have literally been willing to die to ensure this Book remains in the hands of the Church.
Questions:
Why does Jesus speak of the Spirit here in the way He does throughout this discourse? What do each of these titles convey? What picture emerges of His work and relationship to the Church? What is your experience of this ministry of the Spirit that Jesus is emphasizing?
(Spirit of Truth, 14:17 & 15:26 [note also 14:6]; Advocate, 14:16 & 15:26; Holy Spirit, 15:26; sent from the Father, 14:16, 26, 15:26)
In what way is the peace that Jesus gives different from that of the world? How much of that peace do you experience? How would you recognise someone who enjoyed such peace?
What does Jesus envisage that could cause our hearts to be troubled, and us to be afraid? Why do we find it so difficult to obey these commands? What does it look like to experience troubled hearts, and to capitulate to fear? How can we cultivate the spiritual virtue of courage? What does courageous discipleship look like? How can we en-courage one another in that?
In what sense is the Father ‘greater’ than the Son? Why is this a cause for the disciples’ gladness in the light of Jesus’ impending departure?
What does Jesus mean when he says that the ‘princeof this world’ has no hold on him? What gives the devil a hold on people? How does his coming teach the world that Jesus loves the Father, and does what He commands?
What can we learn from that to equip us for our own experience of spiritual warfare?
Looking back over Chapter 14, what are the key things you want to remember and to implement from Jesus’ teaching? How much of this teaching is specifically for the Apostles, and how much is for all Christians?
