Why did the Lord Jesus say that the Holy Spirit will not speak by his own will in John 16:13?
Jesus was talking about the comforter in John chapter 16.
John 16:13
NKJV - 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
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Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
The phrase “He [the Spirit] shall not speak of himself” (John 16:13) does not mean that the Spirit never refers to Himself, for when He wrote the Bible, the Spirit often mentioned Himself. Rather, it means that He does not speak apart from the Father and the Son; He does not “manufacture” a different message. You have the entire Godhead mentioned in John 16:13, because the Spirit of God does not ignore either the Father or the Son. They work harmoniously together. Wiersbe We now implore God the Holy Ghost For the true faith, which we need the most, That in our last moments He may befriend us And, as homeward we journey, attend us. Lord, have mercy! Shine in our hearts, O most precious Light, That we Jesus Christ may know aright, Clinging to our Savior, whose blood hath bought us, Who again to our homeland hath brought us. Lord, have mercy!
Tim Maas
Supporter
Jesus also said elsewhere (as in John 14:10) that even the words that He Himself spoke were not His, but were given to Him by God the Father. The Godhead has three Persons, but those Persons -- although they have differing functions (for example, only God the Son died and rose again to redeem us) -- have a single, unified will and message, which is reflected in the manner in which each has interacted with humanity. In the case of the Holy Spirit, He inspired the preaching and writing of the gospel message that Jesus' followers proclaimed (both orally and in writing) after Jesus' ascension, just as He had previously inspired the writers of the Old Testament, having them record what the unified Godhead wanted set down.
Shirley H
Supporter
God has a time clock! Ecclesiastes 3:1: there is a time for everything. In Genesis 1:2: the Holy Spirit moves at God's instruction. Isaiah 42:1: "Behold My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in Whom my soul delights." This foretells Jesus’ birth. Isaiah 61:1: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because the Lord has annointed Me. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." Galations 4:4,5: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son." Luke 9:51: "Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be raised up, that He steadfastly set His face to Jerusalem, and sent His messengers before His face." John 17:1: "Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: ' Father the hour has come..'" John 14:26-28: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things, and bring to remembrance all things that I said to you.... I am going away and I am coming back to you." John 16:7: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you." The Spirit in John 16:13 had not been authorized to speak, because it was not time for that yet. The Spirit of truth would lead the disciples, their job was to follow. (See 2,Timothy 3:16,17) Acts 1:5: "For truly John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Acts chapter 2: the Holy Spirit was released and could speak to believers, and through believers. Romans 8:11: " But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Romans 8:26: when believers cry out to the Father in prayer, the Holy Spirit intercedes for them, when we do not pray as we ought. In this age of grace, believers have the benefit (as Jesus said) of the Helper. He teaches and guides and has sealed us with the promise of inheritance.
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