THE THIRD PERSON OF THE TRINITY (JOHN 14:16-18)
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There was once a lady attending one of those cold-dead churches that we all dread. While the preacher was preaching, she stood up and proclaimed, “I found the Holy Spirit! I have found the Holy Spirit!”
Immediately, a grumpy old deacon stood up and yelled even louder, “Sit down and be quiet, because you didn't find Him here!” (Shane Pruitt)
Another illustration: a pastor once noticed a bumper sticker: “I found the Holy Spirit.” To which he replied, “No, I didn’t find Holy Spirit. He found me.” (Carol Baldridge)
The Holy Spirit has not been given His rightful coverage or credit. The Christian God is three in one person, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, not just Father and Son. Jews, Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses do not acknowledge the deity of the Holy Spirit. One Pentecostal group, Oneness Pentecostalism, as with other modalist groups, teach that the Holy Spirit is a mode of God, rather than a distinct or separate person in the godhead, and that the Holy Spirit is another name for God the Father. According to Oneness theology, the Holy Spirit is the Father operating in a certain capacity or manifestation. The United Pentecostal Church teaches that there is no personal distinction between God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Wikipedia).
Who is the Spirit? What is His role in the Trinity and in our lives? Why is the Spirit an important and indispensable part of our lives?
The Spirit is Our Close Companion
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—
The pastor was greeting folks at the door after the service. A woman said, “Pastor, that was a very good sermon.” The pastor says, “Oh, I have to give the credit to the Holy Spirit.” “It wasn't THAT good!” she says.
The Comforter makes His debut in this passage in the Bible. The noun occurs five times in the Bible, all in the writings of John, four from the gospel of John (John 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:7) and once from the epistle of John (1 John 2:1). The Greek rendition “parakletos” is derived from the preposition “para,” as in “parallel” or “alongside,” and “kaleo” or “call.” The preposition “para” means (a person) besides, nearby, adjacent. So the Comforter is a person who is by you, with you and near you, whereas the function is the verb “call” (kaleo) – to invite you, to intreat you and implore you. One (para) is “close to you” and the other (kaleo) is “call to you.”
Another translation for the Comforter is “advocate” (1 John 2:1). He’s not all soft, sentimental or silent. The Spirit can be friendly to console you, calm you and comfort you, but He can be forceful to convict you, chastise and correct you. On the soothing end He can pacify you, but on the stronger side He can persuade you; if needed to subject you, He will press you. So the Comforter is not docile, indifferent or passive agent. He works on your heart, your mind and your conscience. He is an intercessor - an auditor, an advocate and an activist – all in one.
Jesus’ grand purpose (hina subjunctive) of asking the Father for a Comforter is for the Comforter to “be” (eimi) in you. The Spirit’s role is not what Christ intended to do – be with us forever. Christ’s earthly ministry was around three years, not forever. The Spirit, however, is not just for us or with us, but in us, forever. When you accept Christ into your life, the Spirit indwells you, inhabits you. The Father and Son are dear to us but distinct from us. The Spirit, while not the same as us, resides in us, remains in us, reigns and rules in us.
The Spirit is Our Command Center
17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
On the day after I finished writing this chapter, a new believer texted our men’s group (June 19, 2017), saying: “I have read the Bible for ten months continually now. I enjoy reading the Bible very much. At least I feel the Lord is with me when I read the Bible. On some days when I do not read the Bible for one day I feel I miss something!”
I exclaimed, “The Spirit is at work.”
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Apart from the divine nature to describe the Spirit – the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the Lord – the Spirit is identified by His attributes, of the which the most repeated is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13), followed by the Spirit of life (Rom 8:2), the Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29) and the
Spirit of promise (Eph 1:13).
What is the Spirit of truth? There is more information on the work of the Spirit of truth in John 15:26 and John 16:13-15:
“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.” (John 15:26)
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the 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 glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.” (John 16:13-14)
The work of the Spirit of truth, in its context, are three:
1. He will testify about (epi) me (John 15:26). Testify (martureo) is to bear witness and record, give testimony and evidence. What are we to testify to? His work and word, His walk and wonders.
2. He will guide you into all the truth. (John 16:13). Testify about me is legal, but truth is objective. The verb “guide” literally means lead into the road or path. This truth is unlike the world’s truth which is irreligious, inconclusive and inadequate, without integrity or illumination because the Spirit is opposed to deceit, dishonesty and darkness.
3. He will tell you what is to come. The verb “tell” is translated as show (John 16:13), declare (Acts 15:4) and report (1 Peter 1:12). It is derived from the noun “angel or “messenger.” This refers to oncoming, upcoming, forthcoming, impending, imminent and incomplete things.
4. He will glorify me. This is different from testify, which is on earth to others. Glorify is heaven-bound to God. It is uplifting, divine and upward, vertical.
Not only does the Spirit live in us, He is more than our comrade, companion, confidant and coworker; He is our commander, chief, captain and even our constable and conscience.
The Spirit is Our Chief Comfort
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Do you know what J. R. Tolkien, Leo Tolstoy, Bach, Cinderella and Cosette from Les Miserables have in common? They were orphans. The most famous orphan has to be the kind and sweet Cinderella, whose step-mother and her two vain and selfish daughters . Cinderella was forced to work day and night doing menial chores. Cosettte was the orphaned child of an unmarried mother deserted by her father in the novel Les Miserables. To add to her misery and misfortune, she was not given a surname in the novel, but she blossomed into a sweet and splendid teenager after she was rescued by the kind, strong and loving Jean Valjean.
What has orphans got to do with this passage? Orphans (orphanos) in verse 18 is translated as comfortless in KJV, or fatherless (James 1:27). An orphan, by the way, is one without a parent, not necessarily both parents. In the Spirit we are never without parents, guardians or family. Jesus had already announced, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.” (John 13:21). The disciples were about to go through danger, persecution and imprisonment, escaping to countryside, caves and cities.
No matter distance and danger, the believers always know they were not deserted or discarded because of the power, peace and presence of the Spirit. In the Spirit there is dependence, direction or defense; strength, support or solace
The phrase “I will come” (future tense) or “I come” (present tense – continuous, ongoing, progressing) is repeated three times in John 14, not seen in any other chapters:
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (v 3)
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (v 18)
“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.” (v 28)
There are two reasons why we are not orphans. First the Spirit dwells in us (Rom 8:9, 1 Cor 3:16). Neither God the Father nor God the Son would leave or abandon God the Spirit, who lives in us. They are three in one – coeternal, coexistent and coequal. Second, we are children of God, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:16-17). Third, because of the Spirit’s rich, resourceful and resplendent supply. He who has the Spirit, out of his belly, shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38)
Conclusion: The Holy Spirit is by our side and in our hearts through joy and sorrow, thick and thin, present and future. He is a person, not a force or a thing. Not only does He have attributes, He communicates virtues, such as love, joy and peace (Gal 5:22). He is by us, with us and, most importantly, in us. Have you invited Him to teach you and transform you, to change you and correct you, to guide and to govern you, to revive and restore you, to search and sanctify you?
