Christ taught his disciples for 3 years, but couldn’t teach all that He would have, saying, “I have many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now.” (John 16:12) You and I are able to hear and bear these deeper truths of Jesus. Why? Because we have been given the Holy Spirit.
Christ promised to send the Spirit of truth to guide believers into all truth! The Holy Spirit would help them discern the very essence of Jesus’ heart, the deeper spiritual truths Jesus wanted to teach his disciples at that time, and could not until the Spirit of truth had been given to them.
But even now, the Holy Spirit only reveals as much as we can bear (able to understand, apprehend, apply). For instance, you do not force-feed a baby, because when he is full he will spit out any more food. While that may be normal for spiritual babies, it should not be so for someone who has been a believer for many years; yet still cannot bear deeper truth.
[If] you have been Christians a long time now, you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you... You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food. And a person who is living on milk isn't very far along in the Christian life and doesn't know much about doing what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right (Heb. 5:12-14).
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