Who is the Spirit of Truth according to Ellen White?
“Jesus comes to you as the Spirit of Truth; study the mind of the Spirit, consult your Lord, follow His way.”
– Manuscript 8c, par. 14, July 26, 1891; Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, p 337.1
“The Spirit of Truth is the only effectual teacher of divine truth; those who are taught of Him have entered the school of Christ. How much God esteem the race, that He gave His Son to die for them, and appoints His Spirit to be man’s teacher and continual guide.” – Signs of the Times, October 24, 1906
Christ was about to depart to his home in the heavenly courts; but he assured his disciples that he would send them the Comforter, who would abide with them forever. To the guidance of this Comforter, all may implicitly trust. He is the Spirit of truth; but this truth the world can neither see nor receive. - Review & Herald, October 26, 1897, par. 8
“We cannot be with Christ in person, as were His first disciples, but He has sent His Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, and through this power we too can bear witness for the Saviour. ( John 16:13 quoted)”
– Manuscript 30, June 18, 1900
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. Christ was about to depart to His home in the heavenly courts. But He assured His disciples that He would send them another Comforter, who would abide with them forever. To the guidance of this Comforter all who believe in Christ may implicitly trust. He is the Spirit of Truth, but this truth the world can neither discern nor receive. – Manuscript 41, April 29, 1897, par. 33
“The Holy Spirit is constantly at work, teaching, reminding, testifying, coming to the soul as a divine comforter, convincing of sin as an appointed judge and guide. Christ was the spirit of truth.” - Southern Watchman, Oct. 25, 1898
"To the guidance of this Comforter all who believe in Christ was implicitly trust. He is the Spirit of Truth, but this truth the world can neither discern nor receive." - Manuscript Releases 12, p. 260.1
Who is the Spirit of truth According to Scripture?
Here are some ways Scripture reveals Christ is the Spirit of truth.
John 14:16, 26; 15:26 reveals the Comforter is the Spirit of truth and the Comforter is Christ. Jesus said, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” John 14:18.
The Spirit of truth only speaks what the Father tells Him to do, and we find this is Christ that God the Father is speaking to.
The Spirit of truth is also to show us things to come, which Revelation 1:1 tells us is Jesus Christ which is once again revealed to Him (Jesus) by His Father.
John 14:6 says Jesus is the truth and by His Spirit He is the Spirit of truth. “JESUS saith unto him, I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life:”
John 14:17 Jesus tells the disciples that the world cannot see the Spirit of truth, nor can they receive it because they don't see it, and they don't know it. But they know him (the Spirit of truth), "for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." Who was dwelling with them? JESUS! And he was telling them that he would be in them thru the Spirit of truth.
John 16:13 “Howbeit when HE, the SPIRIT OF TRUTH, is come, he will guide you into all truth: FOR HE SHALL NOT SPEAK OF HIMSELF; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and HE WILL SHOW YOU THINGS TO COME.”
Note that the above verse says the Spirit of truth is a “HE” and that “HE” is “Christ” Himself by His Holy Spirit. Christ is a “HE” even if it is by HIS Spirit!
Note also in John 16:13 above that the Spirit of truth (Christ) does not SPEAK OF HIMSELF but speaks what He hears from ‘someone else’. In the verses below we find that the ‘someone else’ is His FATHER.
JESUS DOES NOT SPEAK OF HIMSELF but WHAT THE FATHER INSTRUCTS HIM TO SAY. And that remains the same when Christ returns as our Comforter and the Spirit of truth. Even by His Spirit, HE DOES NOT SPEAK OF HIMSELF but speaks WHAT HE HEARS FROM HIS FATHER. That is what He shall speak.
John 12:49 “FOR I HAVE NOT SPOKEN OF MYSELF; but the FATHER which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.”
John 14:10 “The words that I speak unto you I SPEAK NOT OF MYSELF: but the FATHER that dwelleth in me,”
John 14:24 “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and THE WORD WHICH YOU HEAR IS NOT MINE, but the FATHER'S which sent me.”
John 8:28 “When you have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you know that I am he, and that I DO NOTHING OF MYSELF; but as my FATHER has taught me, I speak these things.”
So when Jesus was on Earth, He did not SPEAK OF HIMSELF but what the Father told Him to speak. And when Jesus returned by His Spirit as the Spirit of truth, nothing changes. Jesus by His Spirit does not SPEAK OF HIMSELF but what the Father has shown Him.
The Spirit of truth is also to SHOW US WHAT THINGS ARE TO COME which we find in Revelation 1:1 is also Christ. Just as the words He speaks are from His Father, so are the things to come that He is to show us. And hence we find all Scripture lines up without any contradiction or inconsistencies as truth always does. No pun intended.
Revelation 1:1 “The Revelation of JESUS CHRIST, WHICH GOD GAVE UNTO HIM, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.”
Here, we see that this Revelation of Jesus, WAS GIVEN TO HIM BY GOD. Everything originates from God, as he is the source from which everything comes from.