LESSON 7: The Spirit of Truth

The Spirit of Truth — The Comforter

"And so did the bestowal of the Spirit of Truth bring to the world and its peoples the last of the spirit endowment designed to aid in the ascending search for God.” Urantia Book 194:2.20

The Spirit of Truth in the Bible

Throughout the New Testament the Spirit of Truth is confused with the Holy Spirit. While the two are closely related and work in harmony, they are two distinct Spirits.

Despite this widespread confusion, John did speak the truth about the Spirit of Truth when he stated:

“When the Counselor comes...he will bear witness to me.” John 15:26.
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” John 16:13.
“The Counselor...whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26.

What happened at Pentecost

Jesus lives in truth-taught believers.
“Many queer and strange teachings became associated with the early narratives of the day of Pentecost. In subsequent times the events of this day, on which the Spirit of Truth, the new teacher, came to dwell with mankind, have become confused with the foolish outbreaks of rampant emotionalism. The chief mission of this outpoured spirit of the Father and the Son is to teach men about the truths of the Father’s love and the Son’s
mercy. These are the truths of divinity which men can comprehend more fully than all the other divine traits of character. The Spirit of Truth is concerned primarily with the revelation of the Father’s spirit nature and the Son’s moral character. The Creator Son, in the flesh, revealed God to men; the Spirit of Truth, in the heart, reveals the Creator Son to men. When man yields the ‘fruits of the spirit’ in his life, he is simply showing forth the traits which the Master manifested in his own earthly life. When Jesus was on earth, he lived his life as one personality — Jesus of Nazareth. As the indwelling spirit of the ‘new teacher,’ the Master has, since Pentecost, been able to live his life anew in the experience of every truth-taught believer.” Urantia Book 194:3.1

You are not conscious of the Spirit of Truth

Do not make the mistake of expecting to become strongly intellectually conscious of the outpoured Spirit of Truth. The spirit never creates a consciousness of himself, only a consciousness of Michael, the Son. From the beginning Jesus taught that the spirit would not speak of himself. The proof, therefore, of your fellowship with the Spirit of Truth is not to be found in your consciousness of this spirit but rather in your experience of enhanced fellowship with Michael. Urantia Book 194:2.4

Transformation by the Spirit of Truth

By the old way you seek to suppress, obey, and conform to the rules of living; by the new way you are first transformed by the Spirit of Truth and thereby strengthened in your inner soul by the constant spiritual renewing of your mind, and so are you endowed with the power of the certain and joyous performance of the gracious, acceptable, and perfect will of God. Forget not—it is your personal faith in the exceedingly great and precious promises of God that ensures your becoming partakers of the divine nature. Thus by your faith and the spirit’s transformation, you become in reality the temples of God, and his spirit actually dwells within you. If, then, the spirit dwells within you, you are no longer bondslaves of the flesh but free and liberated sons of the spirit. The new law of the spirit endows you with the liberty of self-mastery in place of the old law of the fear of self-bondage and the slavery of self-denial. Urantia Book 143:2.4

The secret of a better civilization

Pentecost endowed mortal man with the power to forgive personal injuries, to keep sweet in the midst of the gravest injustice, to remain unmoved in the face of appalling danger, and to challenge the evils of hate and anger by the fearless acts of love and forbearance. Urantia has passed through the ravages of great and destructive wars in its history. All participants in these terrible struggles met with defeat. There was but one victor; there was only one who came out of these embittered struggles with an enhanced reputation — that was Jesus of Nazareth and his gospel of overcoming evil with good. The secret of a better civilization is bound up in
the Master’s teachings of the brotherhood of man, the good will of love and mutual trust.

Having embarked on the way of life everlasting, do not fear the limitations of human nature. At every crossroad, the Spirit of Truth will speak — ”This is the way.” Urantia Book 34:7.8