The Holy Spirit: Who He Is

Introduction: Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

There are three great Scriptures that deal with the doctrine of the Holy Spirit at length.

1.   The Identity of the Holy Spirit or who He is (Jn. 14:15-26).

2.   The Work of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 16:7-15).

3.   The Power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1-17).

Note this significant fact: two of the passages involve a discussion by the Lord Himself. He is in the Upper Room spending the last hours He will ever have with His apostles while on earth. He is covering the major subjects they need to grasp before His death, revealing and filling them with the glorious truths that will help them through the upcoming trials they are to face.

The greatest help the believers are to receive is the very presence of God Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit. It is this that Jesus now reveals. He reveals the Holy Spirit, His identity, who He is. (Jn. 16:7-15 where Jesus reveals the work of the Holy Spirit. Also Rom. 8:1-17 where the power of the Holy Spirit is revealed.)

I.   He is the Counsellor, the Comforter, and other Helper (vv. 15-16).

II.   He is the Spirit of truth (v. 17).

III.   He is the personal presence of Christ (vv. 18-20).

IV.   He is the very special manifestation of Christ within the believer (vv. 21-22).

V.   He is the abiding presence of the Trinity (vv. 23-24).

VI.   He is the Teacher (vv. 25-26).

I.   John 14: 15   Love and Obedience

A fact: if a person loves Jesus, he will obey the commandments of Jesus. Note two things.

1.   Obedience is not optional for believers. Jesus stated a simple fact that must be clearly understood: “If you love me you will obey [teresete] what I command.” This is the correct translation. Jesus is not giving an optional commandment, “If you love me, [then, optional] obey what I command.” He is saying that the man who truly loves Him will obey His commandments. To the believer, there is no option. He loves Jesus; therefore, he obeys His commands. In this the believer is not claiming perfection, but he is claiming to love Jesus and to believe with all his heart that Jesus is the Son of God. Therefore, he diligently seeks Jesus, and he seeks to please Him in all that he does (see Heb. 11:6).

2.   What it means to love Jesus must be clearly understood.

a.   To love Jesus is not an emotional thing. It involves emotions, but it is not based upon emotions. It is not feelings: not feeling good today and loving Jesus, and feeling bad tomorrow and not loving Jesus. Loving Jesus is not a fluctuating experience, not an up and down emotion. It is not an emotional love that changes with feelings.

b.   To love Jesus is not a rational or mental commitment. Of course it involves the mind, but it is not just deciding that Jesus is the Son of God and adopting His teachings and morality as one’s standard in life. It is not just living by His teachings and doing the best a person can. It is not a matter of the mind alone, not a matter of disciplining one’s life to keep the law and its rules and regulations.

c.   To love Jesus is a matter of the heart and of the spirit: a matter of man’s most vital part, man’s innermost being, all that a man is. The heart is the seat of man’s affection and will (devotion). The heart attaches and focuses our affection and will and devotion to an object or a person. The heart causes a man to will to give himself either to good or bad. To love Jesus means that a man focuses his heart and affections and will (devotion) upon God by giving and receiving the love of God. It means that a man gives his affection and will (devotion), all he is and has, to Jesus Christ. It means he...

•   freely accepts Jesus

•   cherishes and attaches himself to Jesus

•   sacrificially gives all he is and has to Jesus

•   commits all he is and has to serve Jesus and His cause

John 15:10, 14 “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. You are my friends if you do what I command.”

1 John 2:3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.

II.   John 14: 16–17   The Holy Spirit

The Comforter is the Holy Spirit, the other Helper (See Comforter, Counsellor, Jn. l4:16). Note two points.

1.   The acceptance of the Holy Spirit is conditional. Note the conjunction “and.” It is the person who loves Jesus who is given the Holy Spirit. Note also that the Spirit is given because Jesus prays for us. He is our Intercessor, the One who pleads our case. It is not that God is unwilling to give the Holy Spirit. That is not the point. The point is that Jesus Christ is our Mediator — our Intercessor — the One who makes it possible for us to accept or receive the Spirit (see 1 Jn. 2:l-2). If a person truly loves Jesus, that person is given the Holy Spirit.

The source of the Holy Spirit is “the Father.” It is the Father who gave the Son, and it is the Father who gives the Holy Spirit. The picture is touching in that God is seen longing ever so deeply...

•   to give the Holy Spirit to those who love His only Son.

•   to do everything He can for the person who loves His Son, and of course the greatest thing God can do is to put His Spirit into a person.

Luke 11:13 “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

2.   The Holy Spirit abides forever with the believer. His presence continues and never ends. The idea is that He never withdraws His presence.

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John 14: 16
Comforter, Counsellor (Paracletos)

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Cousellor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth.” Jn 14:16

One called in, one called to the side of another. The purpose is to help in any way possible. (1) There is the picture of a friend called in to help a person who is troubled or distressed or confused. (2) There is the picture of a commander called in to help a discouraged and dispirited army. (3) There is the picture of a lawyer, an advocate, called in to help a defendant who needs his case pleaded. No one word can adequately translate paracletos. The word that probably comes closest is simply Helper. ♠

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III.   John 14: 17   The Spirit of Truth

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Note three facts.

1.   The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, the very same Truth that Christ is. He is the Embodiment, the Communicator, and the Liberator of truth (See Jesus the Truth, Jn. 14:6).

The world cannot accept the Holy Spirit. Note the word “cannot.” It is impossible for the world to accept the Holy Spirit. Why? Because the world of unbelievers does not “see” or “know” the Holy Spirit. The world lives only for what it can see and know, only for the physical and material, only for what it can touch and feel, taste and consume, think and use.

2.   The point is this: unbelievers reject Jesus. They do not love Him, and they care little if anything about Him. They are not interested in seeing or knowing Jesus. The result is natural:

=>  They do not see the spiritual world or know it; therefore, they do not see or know the Spirit of that world.

=>  They are unaware of the spiritual world; therefore, they are unaware of the Spirit of that world.

=>  They do not know and love Jesus; therefore, they do not “know” the Spirit of Christ.
(Note this contrast between the “Spirit of the world” and the “Spirit of God,” 1 Cor. 2:12-14.)

1 Cor 2:14 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. (see vv. 12-13)

3.   The believer does know the Holy Spirit. The believer knows the Spirit both by experience and by His presence.

=>  The Holy Spirit “lives with” the believer: giving assurance, looking after, caring, guiding and teaching.

=>  The Holy Spirit is in the believer: communing, fellowshipping, sharing and conforming the believer to the image of Christ.

John 14:17 “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.”

John 16:7 “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

Luke 12:12 “For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

Rom 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Rom 8:14 Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

Gal 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

2 Tim 1:14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

1 Cor 2:12 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.

1 Cor 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

1 Cor 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.

1 John 2:27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit — just as it has taught you, remain in him.

1 John 3:24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

1 John 4:13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

1 John 5:6 This is the one who came by water and blood — Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

Ezek 36:27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

IV.   John 14: 18–20   The Indwelling Presence of Christ

The Holy Spirit is the personal presence of Christ. Note four points.

1.   Jesus said, “I will come to you.” He meant that He would return after He had gone away, that is, died. He would come back to give believers His personal presence. He would not leave them as orphans (orphanous); the word means to be orphaned, to be without parental help, to be helpless. Jesus would not leave them to struggle through the trials of life alone.

Jesus’ presence with His followers began with His resurrection and with the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was saying that He would come to the believer in the person of the Holy Spirit.

2.   The world lost its opportunity to see Jesus. He said so. He said that He would be present for only a short time longer, then the world would not see Him “anymore.” (The next time the world sees Him, He will be coming in judgment.)

3.   The presence of Jesus is a living, eternal presence. He died, but He did not stay dead. He arose and conquered death. He arose to live forever. Now think: if Jesus Christ is living forever and He dwells within the believer, then the believer lives eternally. Christ the Eternal Presence lives within the believer; therefore, the believer becomes eternal. He never dies. (See Jesus Christ and Deliverance from Death, Jn. 8:51.) The believer is made eternal by the eternal presence of Christ within him.

In fact, when Jesus says “I live,” He means He lives abundantly and eternally: He lives life in all of its full meaning. Therefore, by living within the believer, Christ imparts the same kind of life to the believer, a life that is both abundant and eternal. (See Life in Jesus Christ, Jn. l:4; Life in Jesus Christ, 10:10; Eternal Life, 17:2-3.)

4.   The presence of Christ is a living union, a mutual indwelling between God, Christ, and the believer. “On that day” refers to Jesus’ resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Now note: when Jesus arose from the dead, believers knew something. His claim was true in an absolute sense. Jesus really was “in” God. God is eternal; so by being “in” God, Jesus was bound to live forever; He was bound to arise from the dead.

Something else was known. All that Jesus had said was true. He was placing all believers “in” Himself and Himself “in” them; or to say it another way, when the Holy Spirit came, believers were placed “in” His Spirit and His Spirit “in” them. (See Pentecost, Coming of the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:1-4.)

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John 14: 20   Christ in You

“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” John 14: 20

This is the first time the glorious truth of Christ in you is revealed to the disciples. The full understanding of the indwelling Christ was given and explained by Paul (See Coming of the Holy Spirit, Jn. 20:22; notes, 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; Eph. 3:6; Col. 1:26-27; see Jn. 14:17-18, 20, 23; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 2:11-12; 3:16; 6:19; 2 Tim. 1:14; 1 Jn. 2:27; Eze. 36:27).

John 14:20 “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

John 17:23 “I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Rom 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Eph 3:17 So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love.

Col 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

1 John 3:24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Rev 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. ♠

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John 8: 51
Jesus Christ and Deliverance from Death

“I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” John 8: 51

This is one of the great promises of Scripture. “I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death” (v. 51).

1.   Note the eye-catching words “I tell you the truth.” What is said is of critical importance: “Listen — listen.”

2.   Note how the sentence really stresses the glorious truth.

=>  The word “death” is emphatic in the Greek: it begins the sentence. “Death in no wise will he ever see.”

=>  There is a double negative used (ou me): “Death in no wise, and by no means will he ever see.”

3.   Note the phrases “see death” (theorese thanaton) and “taste death” (geusetai thanatou, v. 52). The meaning is that a genuine follower of Christ will...

•   never experience death nor see death

•   never know death nor partake of death

•   never face the condemnation of death

•   never experience the terror, the hurt, the pain and the suffering of death; never experience the anguish of being separated from God and from the glory, beauty, perfection and life of heaven.

In a flash, quicker than lightning or the blinking of an eye, the follower of Christ passes from this world into the next. He never ceases to experience life and never loses consciousness. One moment he is in this world, the next moment he is in the presence of God Himself.

Note the reason why the believer will never “see death” (v. 51) or “taste death” (v. 52): it is because Jesus came “by the grace of God [to] taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9).

4.   Note: there is a condition for escaping death: “If anyone keeps my word” (logon, word). A person must keep the Word of Christ to escape death. The word keeps (terese) means to watch over, to keep, to obey with diligence. It means to fix and set one’s heart upon the Word of Christ and keep it with all diligence. If a man is persistent in obeying Christ, he will never see death. (See note, Jn. 8:31. See Death, Heb .9:27.)

5.   Note the glorious truth of this claim.

The Unbeliever...
•   experiences physical death
•   experiences spiritual decay, separation
•   faces the judgment of God

But the Follower of Christ...
•   never sees death
•   never tastes death
•   lives now and forever

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes In him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 6:27 “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:27-28 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

John 11:26 “And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

John 17:2-3 “For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

1 John 2:25 And this is what he promised us — even eternal life.

Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. ♠

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John 1: 4   “In Christ was Life”

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” John 1: 4

The simple statement “in Christ was life” means at least three things.

1.   Life is the quality and essence, the energy and power, the force and principle of being. Christ is life; He is...
•   the very quality of life
•   the very essence of life
•   the very energy of life
•   the very power of life
•   the very force of life
•   the very principle of life

Without Christ, there would be no life whatsoever. Life is in Him, within His very being. All things exist and have their being (life) in Him.

2.   Life is purpose, meaning and significance of being. Christ is life; He is...
•   the very purpose of life.
•   the very meaning of life.
•   the very significance of life.

3.   Life is perfection. Life is all that a man must be and possess in order to live perfectly. This is what is meant by life. Life is completeness of being, absolute satisfaction, the fullness of all good and the possession of all good things. Life is perfect love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

Whatever life is and all that life is, is all in Jesus Christ. Even the legitimate cravings of man that are sometimes entangled with evil — such as power, fame and wealth — are all included in the life given by Jesus Christ. Those who partake of His life shall reign forever as kings and priests (Lk. 16:10-12). This is the very thing that is distinctive about life — it is eternal. It lasts forever and it is rewarding. It will eventually exalt the believer to the highest life and place and position. (Rev. 21:1f.)

Jesus Christ is the source of life: He is the way to life, and He is the truth of life. He is the very substance of life, its very being and energy (Jn. 5:26; 1 Jn. 1:2). 1

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John 10: 10   Life in Jesus Christ

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10: 10

Life is one of the great words of the Scriptures. The word life (zoe) and the verb to live or to have life (zen) have a depth of meaning.

1.   Life is the energy, the force, the power of being.

2.   Life is the opposite of perishing. It is deliverance from condemnation and death. It is the stopping or cessation of deterioration, decay and corruption (Jn. 3:16: 5:24, 29; 10:28).

3.   Life is eternal (aionios). It is forever. It is the very life of God Himself (Jn. 17:3). However, eternal life does not refer just to duration. Living forever would be a curse for some persons. The idea of eternal life is also quality, a certain kind of life, a life that consistently knows love, joy, peace, power and responsibility .

4.   Life is satisfaction (Jn. 6:35).

5.   Life is security and enjoyment (Jn. l0:10).

6.   Life is found only in God. God is the source and author of life, and it is God who has appointed Jesus Christ to bring life to man. Jesus Christ gives the very life of God Himself (Jn. 5:26; 6:27, 40; 10:28; 17:23).

7.   Life has now been revealed. It has been unveiled and is clearly seen in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ shows man what life is (Jn. 1:4-5; 5:26; 1 Jn. l:2).

8.   Life only comes to a man by believing in Jesus Christ. A man outside Jesus Christ only exists. He merely has the existence of an animal. Real life is found only in God. This is to be expected and it is logically true, for God is the creator of life. As the creator of life, He alone knows what life really is and what it is supposed to be (Jn. 3:36; 5:24; 6:47). This is the reason He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world: to show men what life is. When a person looks at Jesus Christ, he sees exactly what life is, exactly what it involves (Gal. 5:22-23):
=>  love
=>  patience
=>  faithfulness
=>  joy
=>  kindness
=>  gentleness
=>  peace
=>  goodness
=>  self-control ♠

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V.   John 14: 21–22   The Manifestation of Christ

The Holy Spirit is the very special manifestation of Christ within the believer. Apparently, this refers to very special manifestations of the Lord to the heart of the believer, those very special times when there is a deep consciousness of love between the Lord and His dear follower (See God’s Revelation, Jn. 14:21). This is bound to be what Christ means, for He has already spoken about His personal presence within the believer (vv. 18-20). When believers go through terrible trials and experience severe crises, God knows and He loves and cares; so He moves to meet the need of His dear children. He moves within the believer’s heart, manifesting His presence and giving a deep sense of His love and care, helping and giving confidence, forgiveness, and assurance — giving whatever the believer needs. The depth of the experience and the intensity and emotion of the special manifestation depends upon the need of the believer. God knows and loves His dear child perfectly, so He gives whatever experience and depth of emotion are needed to meet the need of His child. We must always remember that God loves each one of us so much He will do whatever is needed...

•   to lift us up

•   to strengthen us

•   to conform us to the image of His dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ

Note that the special manifestations of the Lord’s presence are given only to the believer who does two things.

=>  The believer who has Jesus’ commandments receives the special manifestations of the Holy Spirit. To have His commandments means that the believer has searched and possesses the commandments of Jesus Christ. He has them in his heart, knows them, has made them his own (see Psa. 119:11).

=>  The believer who obeys the commandments of Jesus.

The believer who does these two things shows that he truly loves the Lord Jesus, and he that loves the Lord Jesus shall be loved of the Father and the Lord will love him as well. In fact, the Lord will manifest Himself to the believer who hides His commandments in his heart.

Note an important fact: the special manifestation is questioned. Judas asked the question for the first time, but the special manifestation of Christ’s presence has been questioned and doubted by thousands ever since. Judas was thinking like all men think — in terms of a physical manifestation, a visible appearance.

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John 14: 21
God’s Manifestation, Revelation,
Shows Himself (Phaneroo, Emphanizo)

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” John 14: 21

When used in the sense of an unveiling or revelation, it suggests that a new thing has come to light; that something never known by man before is made known. Some mystery has now been revealed. It is something that cannot be discovered by man’s reason or wisdom. It is a mystery that is hidden from man and beyond his grasp. Here in Jn. 14:21-22, it means that Jesus’ presence is revealed (brought to light), illuminated, manifested, quickened in the life of the believer. It means that He shows, manifests, Himself to His disciples in a very special way. He discloses His person, His nature, His goodness. He illuminates Himself within their hearts and lives. He gives a very special consciousness within their souls. (See Pentecost, Coming of the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:1-4.)

John 7:38-39 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

John 14:21-23 “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Acts 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Eph 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. ♠

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V.   John 14: 23–24   Abiding Presence of the Trinity

The Holy Spirit is the abiding presence of the Trinity. Note the words, “My Father... we will come...and make our home with him [the believer].” Both the Father and Christ come to abide in the believer in the person of the Holy Spirit (vv. 16-17, 26). All three live or dwell within the believer. Note four simple but profound facts.

1.   The abiding presence of the Trinity is conditional: one must obey Christ, that is, love and keep His words.

2.   The abiding presence of the Trinity is the love and presence of God and Christ and the Holy Spirit — all three dwelling within the life of the believer.

3.   The abiding presence of the Trinity is not “in” the man who does not love and obey Jesus.

4.   The abiding presence of the Trinity is assured by God Himself. Note what Jesus said: His words are the words of the Father who sent Him. Jesus’ words were proof that He was the embodiment of God. His words were the very Words of God which God Himself wanted to say to man (Jn. 14:10). When Jesus spoke, it was the Father who was speaking through Him. Look at His words, His teaching, and His doctrine, and know that He was who He claimed to be: the Son of God Himself, the very embodiment of God.

John 17:11 “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name — the name you gave me — so that they may be one as we are one.”

John 17:22-23 “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

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John 14: 23
Love and Commandments

The person who really loves Jesus will want to help Jesus by doing what He asks. Therefore, love and obedience are tied together so tightly that a person cannot love and not obey. A person’s love is proven and clearly seen in his obedience. (See 1 Jn. 2:9-11; 3:10-17; 4:7-21.) 1

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VI.   John 14: 25–26   The Teacher

The Holy Spirit is the Teacher. He teaches “all things” which Jesus taught. “All things” means all the things which Jesus taught including the presence of the Counsellor or Comforter (Holy Spirit), who is given to help the believer through the trials of life, and the indwelling presence and love of the Father and Son.

However, a crucial point must be heeded. The Counsellor or Comforter comes only from the Father “in the name” of Jesus.

=>  In calling God “the Father,” a Father-child relationship is stressed. One must become a child of God, that is, of the Father, in order to be given the Father’s Counsellor or Comforter.

=>  The words “in the name” of Christ mean that one must approach the Father “in” the name of Christ, that is, recognizing that Jesus alone is acceptable to God (See Prayer in Jesus’ Name, Jn. 14:13-14).

The purpose of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life is twofold.

1.   To teach all things: both the words and the life of Christ, both the Truth and the Life, both the Word and how to live the Word, both the theory and the practice, both the principles and the conduct, both the morality and the behaviour.

2.   To help remember: to help remember all that has been taught in the Word of God, to help especially in the moments of trial when the truth is needed. In a moment of trial the Holy Spirit either infuses the believer with the strength to endure or flashes across his mind the way to escape (see 1 Cor. 10:13).

Luke 12:12 “For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

John 14:26 “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 16:13 “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.”

1 Cor 2:13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

1 John 2:27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit, just as it has taught you, remain in him. ♣

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