John 14:17
- Thread starter Via dolarossa
- Start date
The world... those who refuse to believe on Christ...
the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ
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Hello AtomicSnowflake;
Just a thought. Those who refuse to believe in Christ is ingrained, just as those of us who do believe in Christ is ingrained.
In John 14:17a, even the Spirit of truth - ESV, KJV
The study notes in the NIV says the Holy Spirit has been active among people from the beginning of time, but after Pentecost He came to live in all believers, to those who hear Christ's words and understand the Spirit's power.
To those who refuse to believe in Christ is hard to break, thus unaware of the Holy Spirit.
Other's thoughts?
The Spirit of Truth is the Holy Spirit, God is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. People cannot see God and ask for proof, even though they do not ask for proof of the wind or electricity, because they see the workings of them. If only they could see the working of the Holy Spirit on our heart, they would not need to ask. O' that they open up their hearts and minds and seek the invisible power of the Holy Spirit, that blows where it will and is ever present with us.
Man must accept Christ before he can receive The Spirit. The Spirit, in turn is necessary to perceive the things of God. So the world, which refers to the total of unregenerate humanity, is unequipped to recieve or discern the Spirit.
An understanding of one's own sinful nature resulting in accepting of Christ's substitutionary death is necessary in order to know or understand what God is continually doing in the lives of His people.
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.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV)
An understanding of one's own sinful nature resulting in accepting of Christ's substitutionary death is necessary in order to know or understand what God is continually doing in the lives of His people.
Absolutly correct.
Hey Via.
When we read that verse notice that John does NOT say that world "would not" receive the Spirit of truth. He says the world "cannot" receive Him.
The Holy Spirit of God can take the Word of God and open it to a believer but the unsaved man must first believe upon and accept the Lord Jesus Christ which has already been correctly stated by my friends.
The man of the "world" cannot see or grasp the Holy Spirit because he is only seen with the spiritual eye. It is only by the Spirit of God that these eyes and ears can be opened to understand the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is the teacher that leads us and guides us into all truth.
With His help the Bible is only a history and that is how the "world" considers it. The Holy Spirit has been in the world but Jesus says the now "He shall be in you".
That is another Bible doctrinal truth called the "Indwelling of the Holy Spirit".