The Holy Spirit teaches us.
The Holy Spirit guides us.
We must forever pray as we study, pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit that only truth will be revealed to us. We must never trust in our own understanding, but forever in God's leading.
Constant prayer all during our studying, never daring to venture on without the Spirit's leading. By the grace of God we will be given only truth!
Excerpt- A.T. Jones
From this time forth as long as we live, when we read His word just as it is, let us never set up an "if" against it. Is there any "if" about it? Can there be any "if"? There is no "if" in it at all. It is just what it says. Thank God it is so, and let Him tell us what it means, and how it is to.
I read again from Gospel Workers, p. 126: God desires us to receive the truth upon its own merits--because it is truth. The Bible must not be interpreted to suit the ideas of men, however long they may have held these ideas to be true.
That means that I must not interpret the Bible to suit this man (speaker pointing to himself). It means you, too. "The spirit in which we come to the investigation of the Scriptures, will determine the character of the assistant at your side" (Idem, p. 127).
There is an important thing. We are coming in here every day for the investigation of the Scriptures. Now the word is, The spirit in which you come will determine the character of the assistant at your side.
"Angels from the world of light will be with those who in humility of heart seek for divine guidance. But if the Bible is opened with irreverence, with a feeling of self-sufficiency, if the heart is filled with prejudice, Satan is beside you, and he will set the plain statements of God's word in a perverted light" (Idem).
Let us not have Satan for an assistant. Then let us be certain we join with Jesus in that prayer before we come--and remain in it while we stay. "We should study the Bible for ourselves. No man should be relied upon to think for us." That does not say we are not to be led by a man, if God is leading the man, or by a woman either, if God is leading the woman. You know too, that a certain man once would have done well to have consented to be led by an ass. But he proposed to be led by the Lord alone. He didn't propose to have anybody lead him, but he got into mischief. Let us not choose who shall lead us, except that God shall lead us.
A man was once talking against the Spirit of prophecy and telling how easy Seventh-day Adventists were deceived how deluded they were, that their teachers got up and told them certain things, and they just swallowed them down whole. I said to myself, that I wished he would try it, try to get things down there in that way. It is a fact that Seventh-day Adventists are hard to lead. I am glad of it in one way. I want every Seventh- day Adventist to be so hard to lead that nobody in the universe can lead him but Jesus Christ. Yes, sir. But oh, brethren, let us get where it will not be nearly so hard for Him to lead us. But I am glad they are so hard to lead that nobody can do it but Him. Let us get into that place as soon as possible, and then let us just be led as easy as a lamb by Him, by the Lamb of God that He is.
We must not become set in our ideas and think that no one should interfere with our opinions. When a point of doctrine that you do not understand comes to your attention, go to God on your knees, that you may understand what is true, and not be found as were the Jews, fighting against God. . . .It is impossible for any mind to comprehend all the richness and greatness of even one promise of God.
One catches the glory of one point of view, and another the beauty and grace from another point, and the soul is filled with the heavenly light. If we saw all the glory, the spirit would faint. But we can bear far greater revelations from God's abundant promises than we now enjoy. It makes my heart sad to think how we lose sight of the fullness of blessing designed for us. We content ourselves with momentary flashes of spiritual illumination, when we might walk day after day in the light of his presence. . . . He whose office it is to bring all things to the remembrance of God's people and to guide them into all truth, may be with us in the investigation of his holy word (Idem, pp. 129-131).
Oh, what a promise that is, that we shall know the truth! Then He gives us the Spirit of truth to guide into the truth. And that Spirit is such a perfect guide, such an infallible one that it will silence every other voice than that which comes from Him who is truth and life. Well, then, brethren, let us enter upon the study in this spirit and remain in this spirit, and God will teach us. And as it was said in the days of Job, and in the book, "Who teaches like him?"
The Holy Spirit guides us.
We must forever pray as we study, pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit that only truth will be revealed to us. We must never trust in our own understanding, but forever in God's leading.
Constant prayer all during our studying, never daring to venture on without the Spirit's leading. By the grace of God we will be given only truth!
Excerpt- A.T. Jones
From this time forth as long as we live, when we read His word just as it is, let us never set up an "if" against it. Is there any "if" about it? Can there be any "if"? There is no "if" in it at all. It is just what it says. Thank God it is so, and let Him tell us what it means, and how it is to.
I read again from Gospel Workers, p. 126: God desires us to receive the truth upon its own merits--because it is truth. The Bible must not be interpreted to suit the ideas of men, however long they may have held these ideas to be true.
That means that I must not interpret the Bible to suit this man (speaker pointing to himself). It means you, too. "The spirit in which we come to the investigation of the Scriptures, will determine the character of the assistant at your side" (Idem, p. 127).
There is an important thing. We are coming in here every day for the investigation of the Scriptures. Now the word is, The spirit in which you come will determine the character of the assistant at your side.
"Angels from the world of light will be with those who in humility of heart seek for divine guidance. But if the Bible is opened with irreverence, with a feeling of self-sufficiency, if the heart is filled with prejudice, Satan is beside you, and he will set the plain statements of God's word in a perverted light" (Idem).
Let us not have Satan for an assistant. Then let us be certain we join with Jesus in that prayer before we come--and remain in it while we stay. "We should study the Bible for ourselves. No man should be relied upon to think for us." That does not say we are not to be led by a man, if God is leading the man, or by a woman either, if God is leading the woman. You know too, that a certain man once would have done well to have consented to be led by an ass. But he proposed to be led by the Lord alone. He didn't propose to have anybody lead him, but he got into mischief. Let us not choose who shall lead us, except that God shall lead us.
A man was once talking against the Spirit of prophecy and telling how easy Seventh-day Adventists were deceived how deluded they were, that their teachers got up and told them certain things, and they just swallowed them down whole. I said to myself, that I wished he would try it, try to get things down there in that way. It is a fact that Seventh-day Adventists are hard to lead. I am glad of it in one way. I want every Seventh- day Adventist to be so hard to lead that nobody in the universe can lead him but Jesus Christ. Yes, sir. But oh, brethren, let us get where it will not be nearly so hard for Him to lead us. But I am glad they are so hard to lead that nobody can do it but Him. Let us get into that place as soon as possible, and then let us just be led as easy as a lamb by Him, by the Lamb of God that He is.
We must not become set in our ideas and think that no one should interfere with our opinions. When a point of doctrine that you do not understand comes to your attention, go to God on your knees, that you may understand what is true, and not be found as were the Jews, fighting against God. . . .It is impossible for any mind to comprehend all the richness and greatness of even one promise of God.
One catches the glory of one point of view, and another the beauty and grace from another point, and the soul is filled with the heavenly light. If we saw all the glory, the spirit would faint. But we can bear far greater revelations from God's abundant promises than we now enjoy. It makes my heart sad to think how we lose sight of the fullness of blessing designed for us. We content ourselves with momentary flashes of spiritual illumination, when we might walk day after day in the light of his presence. . . . He whose office it is to bring all things to the remembrance of God's people and to guide them into all truth, may be with us in the investigation of his holy word (Idem, pp. 129-131).
Oh, what a promise that is, that we shall know the truth! Then He gives us the Spirit of truth to guide into the truth. And that Spirit is such a perfect guide, such an infallible one that it will silence every other voice than that which comes from Him who is truth and life. Well, then, brethren, let us enter upon the study in this spirit and remain in this spirit, and God will teach us. And as it was said in the days of Job, and in the book, "Who teaches like him?"