“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” (John 16:13)

The Lord Jesus Brought Grace and Truth

The Epistle to the Ephesians is very rich! It speaks of the economy of the Triune God: the dispensing of the Father, of the Son and of the Spirit. It also says that the church is the Body of Christ. Chapter three shows brotherly love because it deals with being rooted and grounded in love, an immeasurable love. Chapter five says that we are beloved children of God. All of this is in this epistle, but the Ephesians only saw the first-day light and did not practise these words. They only took them as truths.

In Ephesians chapters 4, 5 and 6, Paul speaks of the church life and of how we must walk and conduct ourselves in our daily living: walking in grace (4:7), in truth (v. 17), in love (5:2) and in light (v. 8). This is the wonderful church life.

Furthermore, Ephesians 5:18 says that we must walk in the Spirit. The apostle did not give details concerning the Spirit, but said, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissolution; but be filled with the Spirit.”

John not only received more of the divine life, of the Spirit, while he was a prisoner on the island called Patmos, but he gained more light from the word, the light of life, the “fourth-day light.” God firstly used him to write the book of Revelation. In this book he was enlightened and also spoke about the Spirit and life.

John’s ministry is the last ministry and will remain until the Lord’s coming. It was with this ministry that John led the church in Ephesus to be a desirable church.1

In chapter one of his gospel, we read, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (v. 14).

Paul had spoken of grace and truth in chapter four of the Epistle to the Ephesians. Then John tried to explain this matter in a better way when he wrote his gospel. In John 1:17, he complements, “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” It was as if he were expounding this word under a new prism, under the “fourth-day light.”

Hence, because we have received Jesus Christ, we have received grace and truth. Truth in the Gospel of John also means reality. This indicates that the truth needs to be put into practise so that it may become reality. Thus John said in chapter 14 that the Lord Jesus would be another Comforter, the Spirit of truth, or the Spirit of reality. By leading us to practise the truth, He would also be the Spirit of reality. Praise the Lord!

No doubt, Paul showed us the truths, but there was the need for John to see in order to bring out these words under the “fourth-day light”—the light of life—to help us to understand and practise the word, causing it to become real in our experience.

Key Point:

From truth to reality.

Your Key Point:

Question:

Why is John’s ministry the last one?

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