It is crucial that we are armed with the truth (the word of God) and “led by the Spirit”, just as it is written about the Lord Jesus. 

The Lord told his apostles, “But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John. 14:26). 

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Can we truly understand scripture by ourselves, without the Holy Spirit?   NO! 

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The apostles had the distinct advantage of being with the Lord Jesus for three years.  But even while Jesus was living with the apostles, they constantly struggled to understand what he was telling them. Here is one example-   “Some of his disciples said to one another ‘What does he mean by saying, ‘in a little while you will see me no more and then after a little while you will see me’, and  ‘because I am going to the Father’?  They kept asking, ‘what does he mean by ‘a little while’?  We don’t understand what he is saying’” (John 16:17-18).  It's obvious to us now, that the Lord was speaking of His death and resurrection.  But when He said this to the apostles, it hadn't happened, so they didn't understand.  They didn't solve anything by talking amongst themselves.  It had to be explained by the Lord.  At which point the apostles responded, "'Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.  Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions.  This makes us believe that you came from God.'  "You believe at last!' Jesus answered." 

 

So the apostles were slow in coming to terms with exactly who the Lord was, and how much He knew.  On the rare occasion that one of them got something right, it was not credited to his intellect or his extensive study, but to hearing the voice of God.   “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’  Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.’” (Matt. 16:16,17).

 

The truth comes from God Himself!  After the resurrection, the prophesy made by the Lord in John 14  fulfilled.  "Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.  because I live, you also will live." (John 14:19)  He repeated this in John 16:16.  “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.  But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.  He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.  He will bring glory to me by taking what is mine and making it known to you.  All that belongs to the Father is mine.  That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.  In a little while you will se me no more, and then after a little while you will see me." (John 16:12-16)”   The Lord Jesus spoke to them beforehand of the important role that the Holy Spirit would play in their ministry _ he would guide them into all truth. And just as He had told them; after the resurrection, the world did not see the Lord again.  He only showed Himself to those whom He had chosen.  So "after a little while", they saw Him. In fact, He appeared to them over a period of forty days, and continued to teach them.

"After His suffering, He showed Himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive.  He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.  On one occasion, while He was with them, He gave them this command: 'Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit'." (Acts 1:3-5)

 

And in verse 8, He said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)  These men had been with the Lord for three years, and then He appeared to them for forty days after His resurrection, but they still needed the Holy Spirit to “guide them into all truth” because He was no longer with them in the body. 

While they were waiting, they didn't sit around debating the scriptures.  Instead, “They all joined together constantly in prayer”. (Acts 1:14). They did exactly what the Lord had told them to do; they waited for the Holy Spirit to fill them.             

                      

They had witnessed everything they needed to see.  They were with Christ when he healed the blind and raised the dead.  They saw his death and then spoke with Him for forty days after His resurrection.  But they still needed the Holy Spirit to give them the understanding of what they had seen and heard, before they could set out to preach the New Covenant of salvation through faith in Him. 

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It was only after the Holy Spirit filled them, that Peter stood up and addressed the crowd outside; “Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off- for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38).  So it was preached by the apostles, that the gift of the Holy Spirit is now available to “all whom the Lord our God will call”.  

 

And again, the apostles said, "We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him." (Acts 5:32)  The Holy Spirit is God's witness among us.  We did not see the things that the apostles saw, but the Spirit confirms the truth of these things in our hearts.

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“Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day”.  God's new covenant church had begun, due to the obedience of Christ's true apostles.  They waited for the Holy Spirit as they were commanded to, and the Holy Spirit gave the apostles an understanding and authority that they did not previously have.  They no longer sat around asking one another “What does he mean?”  They simply preached the truth with the power and authority they had been given.

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This is what the apostle wrote to those in Corinth who had been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and had received the Holy Spirit... “In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truth in spiritual words.  The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1Cor. 2:11).

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Whether we understand Scripture or not, depends on hearing the Holy Spirit.  It says, we have received "the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand".  Understanding is a gift from God.  It is not about our perspective.  It is about God’s election.  The apostles constantly prayed that believers would receive understanding through the Holy Spirit. 

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped prying for you.  We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives." (Col. 1:9)

These people had already heard and accepted the truth, but Paul and his fellow workers still prayed that the Holy Spirit would impart "understanding" to them.  So constant prayer is crucial.  This is how we hear from the Spirit.  We read His word and we pray!

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These things are written for the benefit of those that he has chosen; not for the world at large:

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“Whoever has ears, let them hear.”  The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”  He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.” (Matt. 13:9 -11)