Did Jesus have faith?

[Musicman1228]

Jesus Christ is the Son of God, therefore He IS God. When Jesus was here on earth He knew exactly who He was, from where He came, and who sent Him. He knew exactly what He came to do, and why He came to do it. There was nothing in His life and ministry of which He was not fully aware.

We have been taught from cradle roll that our goal should be to become like Jesus in character. And as part of this development of character we must develop a strong 'faith'.

Proposed: That Jesus did not have a character based upon faith; Jesus did not need faith to know who He was/is; that faith would actually have hindered His ability to do what He came to earth to do, which was to 'testify to the truth' (John 18:36-37).

Therefore, for us to become 'more like Jesus' we must work to eliminate faith from our characters, and replace that faith with complete trust in who Jesus is and what HE came to do, so we can operate in our lives in the same way that Jesus did in His life-in complete trust in His Father in Heaven.

[miz3]

The words, FAITH, TRUST, AND BELIEF are all congruent!

The question is how much of these entities do you have.

I do not agree that Jesus Christ did not have FAITH!

Jesus Christ indeed had FAITH (Jesus also had Trust and Belief). In the case of Christ He had these entities in absolute certainty. That is Jesus had 100% Faith, Trust, and Belief. That means there was NOT A SMIGG'N of doubt in Christ at all, ever.

Thus, Jesus Christ had a character that was 100% Faith, Trust, and Belief! The exact opposite of what you are saying.

Our problem as humans is that we have a mixture of faith and doubt (fear). The only way to reach the level of Faith, Trust, and Belief that Jesus Christ had is be constantly on our knees asking God to remove the doubt and to give us Faith.

This is part of our Sanctification growth process. I believe a certain eyewitness said, "perfect love casts out fear"!

Can you figure out how that "perfect love" increases faith?

[Dr. Rich]

The words, FAITH, TRUST, AND BELIEF are all congruent! The question is how much of these entities do you have. I do not agree that Jesus Christ did not have FAITH! Jesus Christ indeed had FAITH (Jesus also had Trust and Belief). In the case of Christ He had these entities in absolute certainty. That is Jesus had 100% Faith, Trust, and Belief. That means there was NOT A SMIGG'N of doubt in Christ at all, ever.

Thus, Jesus Christ had a character that was 100% Faith, Trust, and Belief! The exact opposite of what you are saying.Our problem as humans is that we have a mixture of faith and doubt (fear). The only way to reach the level of Faith, Trust, and Belief that Jesus Christ had is be constantly on our knees asking God to remove the doubt and to give us Faith. This is part of our Sanctification growth process. I believe a certain eyewitness said, "perfect love casts out fear"! Can you figure out how that "perfect love" increases faith?

Will you need any faith in heaven? NOPE! Neither did Jesus need any faith.

Faith is like a child fliping a switch to turn on a light. He has no idea how electricity works, he just has faith that it will go on.

But what happens when the light does not go on? He cries because his faith has been lost. One who has knowledge about the facts of electricity will not cry, he will fix the problem.

Jesus KNEW the truth and therefore needed NO faith. Those who are being fed ALL of the truth by the Holy Spirit need no faith because they then have the real facts and their wisdom or insight into the real truth makes it possible to lesson the faith but increase the trust. There is a difference between faith and trust other than the spelling.

As for love? Read what God wrote about who God shows lovingkindness to in Ex. 20:5-6! And how about Rev. 3:9-10?

[John317]

.... for us to become 'more like Jesus' we must work to eliminate faith from our characters, and replace that faith with complete trust in who Jesus is and what HE came to do, so we can operate in our lives in the same way that Jesus did in His life-in complete trust in His Father in Heaven.

This really makes no biblical sense at all. Faith and trust in the Bible are the same thing.

Check out some verses which show Jesus' attitude toward faith: Matt. 8: 20; 9: 22, 29; 15: 28; 16: 8 etc. You won't notice here anything that suggests Jesus wants us to get rid of faith. Christ's enemy, the Devil, is the one who wants us to get rid of faith.

You appear to have a wrong definition of faith in mind, as if it's a mindless belief in something for which all evidence is lacking. That is not the biblical view of faith.

Faith is trust, belief, reliance, confidence, etc., which are based on valid evidence.

But saving faith/trust is more than trust in what Jesus did in his life 2000 years ago-- it is also complete trust in His promises and in what Christ is doing today. In addition, it is trust in His apostles and prophets-- those in both the Old and the New Testaments.

Jesus never gave the impression that His disciples should not listen to, or have faith in, the Scriptures. The principle we may take from His words is that we should pay attention and obey His words that come to us through His humble servants, the prophets.

In John 17: 17, Jesus says that God's word is truth. The Bible is God's word. It is the expression of what God wants to tell us. And that word tells us that we're to test the prophets and hold fast to what is good.

Jesus' faith in God was demonstrated every day of his life because he himself could do nothing apart from God. Jesus therefore had to trust in God for everything every day. As a man, He only knew what God revealed to Him, and He could only do what the Holy Spirit and the angels helped Him to do. That required faith on the part of the Son of God. Yes, God knew who He was, but that did not mean there was no place for faith in His life. We also may know who we are-- children of the heavenly King--- but knowing who we are isn't the end of faith. Faith/trust is like a muscle which gets stronger the more we use it, but by the same token, it will shrink to nothing if we don't.

[Dr. Rich]

I respectfully object and disagree with you John317. Faith is more like hope. Trust is knowing.

Hope never ends as Obama has proven. Trust has and end and it is justice.

Building one's belief upon faith with no facts known but in hope only is like building it on sinking sand. But building one's belief upon the FACTS of the words of Jesus and Him alone is knowing that you can trust in Jesus not to lie about anything.

So no John317, faith and trust are clearly not the same thing!

[Musicman1228]

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Heb.11:1.

Is a person any less blind if they live in a cavern with no light as they would be without natural sight? The only time a person needs faith is when they cannot see. There is no difference in having your eyes closed or open in a pitch dark room, you still can't see.

Jesus is the light of the world, but the world prefers to live in darkness.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.   (20) For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. John 3:19-20.

If you are in the complete darkness even though your eyes are wide open you are still blind. We all begin our journey toward truth (light) in the dark with our eyes open. The problem is that many who begin this journey in the dark STAY in the dark. Why? Because by faith they believe they can see. This faith is based in hope, and this hope is that they believe they can see because they know their eyes are open. They don't believe they have been fooled; they don't believe they are living in the pitch dark.

There is a vast difference between faith and trust, and it is not just a semantic difference, it is a difference between guessing and knowing, hoping and trusting. If you believe strongly that something is true even if it is a lie you will still have faith that it is true. Truth is not built on faith, truth is built on fact.

Jesus did not need faith because He knew the facts. If we know those same facts then we do not need faith any more that Jesus did. Those facts are the truth.

Faith then is believing a lie AS IF it is the truth, because the facts that provide the light don't matter. What matters is only what you believe it to be true.

[skyblue888]

Faith is the hand by which the soul lays right hold upon the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour to bring His righteousness into the life.

"Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Rom.10:17. Faith is hearkening unto the Voice of Him whose word can renew the soul unto everlasting life for "In every command and in every promise of the Word of God is the power, the very life of God, by which the command may be fulfilled and the promise realized." C.O.L.38.

"That law of ten precepts of the greatest love that can be presented to man is the Voice of God from Heaven speaking to the soul in promise." E.G. White, 1 B.C.1105.

sky

[miz3]

Will you need any faith in heaven? NOPE! Neither did Jesus need any faith.

1. Yes you will need Faith in heaven.

2. Even in Heaven we will not know it all!

3. Faith is not measured by the amount of ignorance one has. According to your scale the more ignorant you are the greater you faith must be. That is preposterous! According to your theory the more ignorant we are about God the greater our Faith in Him should be. Surely even you Dr. Rich can see how stupid this type of thinking is?

4. Your electrical genius still has faith whether the light comes on or not. The child who is ignorant will lose faith until that child gains more knowledge. With our electrical genius his/her faith is at the 100% certainty. This is why he does not panic like the little child does. The electrical genius has more faith than does the little child because he/she has greater knowledge!

5. In heaven we will have greater knowledge than we do now and so our Faith will be greater than it is now. Since Jesus Christ knows everything He has 100% certainty and therefore His Faith in everything is 100% as well. God does not panic as do the more ignorant humans.

6. Greater the Knowledge = Greater the Faith.

This is a demonstrateable FACT!

[miz3]

Come on people!

Every time you sit in a chair you demonstrate that you have Faith that the chair will hold you up.

The more often you sit in that same chair the more confident you are about it. In other words the amount of Faith you have in that chair gets higher the more experience you have with its ability to hold your weight!

This is too simple! Stop the fancy demonstrations of stupidity!

[Dr. Rich]

Miz3, did you ever build an airplane? If not, allow me to tell you that you do NOT fly it unless you KNOW from the FACTS that the plane is built right! There is NO FAITH in this as you use the blueprints to see if the construction is right. Knowing the truth and having hope that something is true are two different things.

Same goes for the chair. Faith is sitting on it when you can't see it. Every time you sit on it you then KNOW it holds you and the less faith it takes.

If you have eyes to see, then you KNOW that the chair can hold you or not. Same goes for salvation.

Please don't be silly!

[Guest]

Rich, if you ever do find out what truth is, let me know. You have my e-mail address.

[Musicman1228]

Miz3,

When you are in Heaven will you need faith to know you are in heaven? Jesus is now in Heaven. Does He need faith that He is actually there with His family (Father and Mother)?

If you ask someone to do something for you do you have trust that they will do it for you or do you have faith that they will do it for you? This depends on how well you know them. Would you not reserve 'faith' for someone you are not very well acquainted with, and 'trust' for someone you know very well?

The better that you know someone the more likely it is that you will trust them to do what you asked them to do. And if they don't accomplish the task would this not be 'breaking trust' rather than 'breaking faith'?

How much 'faith' does it take for you to know that Jesus will do everything that He said that he would do for you? He is God so that would be "NONE".

Faith is for people who you can't trust; you are taking the risk that they will do what you need them to do.

Isn't this the same for God? Which would you rather have God say about you; that He can trust you to do His will, or that He has faith that you will do His will?

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?   (46) Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.   (47) Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. Matt.24:45-47.

Why does God reward the Faithful and Wise servant so extravagantely? Because the Faithful and Wise servant did not betray God's TRUST.

God will have no one His Kingdom of Heaven in which He has faith. He will only allow people into His Kingdom and into His Family in which He has utter and complete TRUST.

[miz3]

Miz3, did you ever build an airplane? If not, allow me to tell you that you do NOT fly it unless you KNOW from the FACTS that the plane is built right! There is NO FAITH in this as you use the blueprints to see if the construction is right. Knowing the truth and having hope that something is true are two different things.

Same goes for the chair. Faith is sitting on it when you can't see it. Every time you sit on it you then KNOW it holds you and the less faith it takes.

If you have eyes to see, then you KNOW that the chair can hold you or not. Same goes for salvation.

Please don't be silly!

Dr. Rich the more you write the more you make my point!

1. Of course you have faith in the builder. You have faith that the plans (blueprints) are drawn up correctly. The level of faith in these two entities will determine the level of you desire to get in that plane!

Again, in this illustration as in all the others:

The GREATER THE KNOWLEDGE = GREATER THE FAITH (or lack of faith).

2. I know some chairs that look sturdy and are not. I know because of experience which gave me greater knowledge.

I am sorry my good Dr. but you are the one who is being silly!

[miz3]

musicman1228 like I told Dr. Rich:

Stop the fancy demonstrations of stupidity!

"If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

Matthew 6:30.

The eyewitness states the following Principle:

MORE DOUBT = LESS FAITH!

"When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”

7 Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.

The enlarged type from an eyewitness in the above text state another Principle:

GREATER KNOWLEDGE = GREATER FAITH

or do think that the centurion was an "ignorant man"? The text actually states that the centurion was very knowledgeable about Authority and thus had greater Faith!

I think this eyewitness has stated the truth very directly and very solidly!

Like I said, stop the fancy demonstrations of stupidity!

You are only embarrassing yourself.

[Musicman1228]

Again, miz3, we meet at an impasse.

I honestly believe exactly the opposite of you; that KNOWLEDGE and FAITH are inversely proportional. You believe they are directly proportional.

It is my understanding that when Jesus spoke of the 'faith of a mustard seed' He was saying that if you can reduce your faith down to the size of a mustard seed you can move mountains. I believe Jesus was teaching that the less faith you have the more you can do for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Did Jesus need faith to know that He could raise Lazarus from the tomb? JESUS KNEW HE WAS GOD. God has no earthly need for faith. When Jesus spoke and said, "Lazarus come forth" there was no question mark at the end of the sentence. It was a COMMAND. And because Lazarus kept the commandments of God and held to the testimony of Jesus Christ his Lord he could not disobey and therefore HE CAME OUT OF THE TOMB. Lazarus obeyed his Master's voice.

Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Rev. 12:17.

Does keeping the Commandments of God and holding to the testimony of Jesus require faith? Of course not; it requires OBEDIENCE. If you are not already used to being completely obedient to the Commandments (yes, all 10) of God and if you don't already hold only to the testimony of Jesus Christ as the standard for ALL Truth then when Jesus calls to you from the grave (should you die before the end of all things) then YOU WILL NOT HEAR HIM, and you will be left in the ground until the time of the 2nd resurrection when the wicked will be raised for judgement, and go to eternal death.

[miz3]

I am not at an impasse.

I am in perfect sync with the Word of Jesus Christ as cited by the eyewitness Matthew. I am shocked that you openly state your opposition to what Jesus Christ spoke so very clearly in this regard.

As to Lazarus, Jesus had 100% Faith that Lazarus was going to and actually was raised from the dead. Jesus Christ had no doubts. Jesus had 100% faith and zero percent doubt!

This so simple. God did not make it complex.

Not only that but also you ignore Matthew chapter seven and the "Trees Principle" which are also the Direct Word of Jesus Christ!

You state that such eyewitnesses are the ONLY AUTHORITY then you turn around just like the hypocritical Jewish leaders of Christ's day by denying exactly what the eyewitnesses wrote!

How can you thus be trusted. We cannot rely on anything you say because you spurn the very Authority you claim to believe.

Your words and claims mean nothing because you are so untrustworthy!

[John317]

I respectfully object and disagree with you John317. Faith is more like hope. Trust is knowing.

Hope never ends as Obama has proven. Trust has and end and it is justice.

Building one's belief upon faith with no facts known but in hope only is like building it on sinking sand. But building one's belief upon the FACTS of the words of Jesus and Him alone is knowing that you can trust in Jesus not to lie about anything.

So no John317, faith and trust are clearly not the same thing!

I think you are making up your own definition. Why not let the Bible and Christ in particular define what faith is? Faith and hope are related but they are not identical. In the Bible, trust and faith are identical. If a child trusts his father to keep him from falling down a ravine, he has faith in his father. If he has faith or trust that his father will catch him, he will jump when his father says jump. If he lacks faith, he will show his lack of trust by not jumping.

Notice the words "trust" and "faith" are interchangeable.

[John317]

...Did Jesus need faith to know that He could raise Lazarus from the tomb? JESUS KNEW HE WAS GOD.

Yes, but you evidently forget that Jesus isn't the one who raised Lazarus. He didnt' raise Lazarus by His own divine power. It was God the Father and the Holy Spirit who raised Lazarus. Jesus raised him by the power of the Father, not by his own power. See John 11: 4, 11, 41, 42.

Remember what Christ said: "I can do nothing on my own." He meant it. Moment by moment He trusted God for everything.

[miz3]

As I stated before, TRUST, FAITH, and BELIEF, are all congruent in the Bible!

[Guest]

musicman1228 like I told Dr. Rich:

Stop the fancy demonstrations of stupidity!

"If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

Matthew 6:30.

The eyewitness states the following Principle:

MORE DOUBT = LESS FAITH!

"When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 Lord, he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”

7 Jesus said to him, ;I will go and heal him.

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, and he goes; and that one, Come, and he comes. I say to my servant, Do this, and he does it.

10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion,Go! It will be done just as you believed it would. And his servant was healed at that very hour.

The enlarged type from an eyewitness in the above text state another Principle:

GREATER KNOWLEDGE = GREATER FAITH

or do think that the centurion was an "ignorant man"? The text actually states that the centurion was very knowledgeable about Authority and thus had greater Faith!

I think this eyewitness has stated the truth very directly and very solidly!

Excellent post miz3......GREATER KNOWLEDGE = GREATER FAITH, but not always. Sometimes it breeds arrogance, and/or a Laodicean state.

But you have sucessfully shown that Jesus wanted people to have MORE faith, not less.

[Musicman1228]

John and miz3,

According to your viewpoint there is no difference at all between faith and trust; am I correct that this is what you believe?

If this is correct then the definition of faith that you are using is not the same usage as the 'apostle' Paul used in his own gospel. His version of faith is based in hope and belief, is it not? Hope that things will work out the way he has been shown by the being that gave him his visions. Belief that the prophecies that he was shown will come to pass as they were given to him. Because in his (and your) version of faith the outcome is still up for grabs (understand this is my understanding).

Hope and belief have components that are not present in trust. There is always a possibility that someone could hope or believe in someone or something that is undeserving of either hope or belief. Just ask those that believed in David Koresh. Belief is not limited to only righteous causes. Under the right circumstances anyone could believe anything, even if that belief is based in a lie.

Hope and belief, that is Faith, will not protect anyone against deception. And if you think it will then I have a bridge I'd like to sell you in Arizona. This is why Jesus warned His disciples that even they could be deceived. If they could be deceived and they were with jesus for the year of His earthly ministry what is the possibility that we could be deceived?

Are you inoculated against deception by faith? Is this something to be hoped for, that you will not be deceived just because you believe in Jesus?

For me I will put my TRUST in that which I know I can trust, the words of Jesus Christ. I don't need faith to KNOW that the words of Jesus are truth and they are life. I am not certain that this same thing is true for anyone else, no matter how well recommended they come. It doesn't mean that I through anyone off the bus I do compare everything anyone says to what Jesus said. That way I know I cannot be fooled. The facts are found in the words of Jesus. For someone of faith facts are not as important as belief. That is not the way I choose to live.

[miz3]

musicman1228,

I have been clear about my position.

Belief, Faith, Trust are congruent terms.

Hope is not congruent with those three. Hope my have some overlap depending on usage but in general "hope" is not a congruent term with "Belief, Trust, and Faith.

I believe that I am perfectly in line with the way the Bible uses these terms and specifically the way Paul uses these terms.

For example: You cannot say I have "faith" that chair will hold me up and then say at the same time I don't "trust" that chair to hold me up. Such a situation is a contradiction.

Example number two: You can say "I have "faith" that chair will hold me up." Regardless of whether you use the word "faith", "belief", or "trust" the statement means the exact same thing.

However if you say "I have "hope" the chair will hold me up."

That is not the same thing as "faith", "belief", or "trust". The word "hope" shows a degree of doubt and uncertainty while the others do not.

Like I said there is some overlap depending on context. However, generally "hope" is different and carries a different message from the other three, faith, trust, and belief.

Faith, trust, and belief carry the message that there is "no doubt" that something is what it is. Now if you use other qualifiers with faith, trust, and belief then you might interject elements of doubt. However, without such qualifiers faith, trust and belief carry the message of "no doubt"!

Therefore you are wrong musicman1228 in the way you use these words.

[Musicman1228]

Miz3,

What do you 'believe' in, and can you prove it?

Belief does not require proof to be sufficient for a person's needs. Belief can easily be a function of 'preference' not 'conviction'.

If you have a preference of one thing over another this does not mean that you have to have concrete proof for your choice. It doesn't matter one way or the other; it's just what you want. A preference does not have to be based on evidence or fact, it just 'is what it is'.

Conviction, on the other hand, is immutable because it is based on evidence that is factual and not a fiction. To establish a 'conviction' requires the hard work of self-honesty in compiling the evidence that proves or disproves the point.

So when you use 'faith', 'trust', and 'belief' as congruent terms this is a fallacy. The only term that can formulate at Conviction is trust. Faith and belief are nebulous components of a preference.

I am glad you acknowledged that Paul's use of the word hope is not in the same category as the other three; this is a step in the right direction. Yet Paul's gospel involves more the scope of preference than conviction, because as far as Paul is concerned he will do what ever it takes to get someone to believe his gospel over the gospel as taught by the disciples.

For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.   (20) And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.   (22) To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 1 Cor. 9:19-22.

From this I deduce that it is impossible to form a conviction from the words and teachings of Paul; belief based on preference is the most you can expect to be able to express, based on Paul's own belief system.

The very best understanding of this subject is found in the paper at the link provided. This defines the inherent differences between conviction and preference better than anything I have ever read.

http://web.me.com/spiritoftruth/STM/Must_Read/Entries/2007/7/13_Conviction_vs._Preference.html

[miz3]

What do you 'believe' in, and can you prove it?

Belief does not require proof to be sufficient for a person's needs. Belief can easily be a function of 'preference' not 'conviction'.

If you have a preference of one thing over another this does not mean that you have to have concrete proof for your choice. It doesn't matter one way or the other; it's just what you want. A preference does not have to be based on evidence or fact, it just 'is what it is'.

Conviction, on the other hand, is immutable because it is based on evidence that is factual and not a fiction. To establish a 'conviction' requires the hard work of self-honesty in compiling the evidence that proves or disproves the point.

So when you use 'faith', 'trust', and 'belief' as congruent terms this is a fallacy. The only term that can formulate at Conviction is trust. Faith and belief are nebulous components of a preference.

[Musicman1228]

Miz3 said, "In terms of Spiritual Things the closest we come to "Proof" is the Holy Spirit!"

Is there a spirit that masquerades as the Holy Spirit, that teaches lies as if they are the truth?. If there is not such a spirit then anything and everything that you 'feel' that the Holy Spirit is teaching you would (of course) be completely true. There could be no doubt as to the truth of what you are 'hearing' from this Spirit because there would not be any counterfeit to cause confusion and deception.

However, in point of fact there IS a marauding evil spirit that masquerades as the true Holy Spirit that does lead people astray. This 'spirit' does this through lies and deceit that it gives to it's army of 'wolves in sheeps clothing'. These wolves that look like the sheep that are in the Master's sheep fold and are in that fold with the sheep are false apostles and prophets/prophetesses that teach a trooth that is just close enough to the Truth so as to be almost indistinguishable from it.

Since this is the case then what can you do to tell the difference between the real Holy Spirit and the false one? If all we had was the Spirit we would not be able to tell the difference. Therefore people that put their sole faith or trust in a singular Spirit being the real thing are setting themselves up to be deceived.

That is where the words and teachings of Jesus Christ come in. Jesus said, "You will know them by their fruits", and this includes the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Any Spirit that teaches a truth other than that which is confirmed by the words of Jesus Christ is a FALSE holy spirit, and is not to be trusted. That is why it is important to know the teachings that Jesus gave to His own disciples, so when you are confronted with truth that appears to be from God as given by His Spirit you can TEST that Spirit by those words to see if that Spirit is the real deal.

There are NO other words that can be held to that standard of truth other than the words and teachings of Jesus Christ as He gave them to His own eyewitness disciples. To use the words of anyone else in this capacity is asking to be deceived. The ONLY words that are completely trustworthy and true are the words of God.