“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13)
On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit gave the disciples boldness and wisdom so that they could go forth and preach the gospel as Jesus had commanded them. This was the fulfillment of the promise Jesus made on the night of the Last Supper. He promised them the Spirit would guide them into all truth so that they could preach the gospel. Through their words and testimony, the Holy Spirit would convict sinners by showing them the truth about their sins and then leading them to repentance and faith in Jesus.
The Holy Spirit continues to manifest Himself in this way today. He brings faith and conviction to the hearts of sinners who are lost in their corruption. He points them to Jesus and guides them into the truth, that the meaning and purpose of life, salvation, eternal life, peace, and love stem not from the government, academia, science, society, or the media, but from Almighty God. This truth is not scientific truth or medical truth or things that can be known from observing the world. This truth is not relative truth either, that is, truth relative to the situation, the needs of the moment, the person or the culture.
The truth Jesus spoke of and which the Holy Spirit reveals is spiritual truth. He reveals the sinfulness of the human heart, a truth which so many seek to suppress through immorality, drugs, alcohol, and violence as well as a host of other selfish and self-centered lifestyles. The truth is that we are all as corrupt and dead as the dry bones Ezekiel saw in the Valley. Yet there is the offer of God’s grace and mercy in Jesus. He promises to grant new life, to raise up the spiritually dead. Again this truth is one which many suppress because they do not want God in their life, they prefer the autonomy of sin for the Holy Spirit tells us how we to interpret what we observe in the world and how we are to use that truth in a way that glorifies God. In addition the truth imparted by the Holy Spirit is truth about God, Jesus and His word, how we are to serve Him, how we are to look at life, how we are to live, and how we are love one another with the sacrificial love that Christ has for us.