God the Holy Spirit's Ministry to Christians: Pneumatology in the Gospel of John - Part 3

In John 14:16, the Triune God is clearly present. Jesus, God the Son, is speaking about praying to God the Father to send God the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, Jesus prays to the Father for those who have chosen to love Him. He was the disciples' intercessor, and He is our intercessor as well. Hebrews 7:25 reads, "Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermostthose who draw near to God through him, since he always livesto make intercession for them." Jesus, God the Son lives to make intercession for Christians.

So, how saved are Christians? Well, how "good" is their intercessor? Is He capable to the uttermost with limitless power, then that is how saved we are, if He is our Intercessor! John the apostle in 1 John 2:1-2 wrote, "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ²He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only butalso for the sins of the whole world." Even when Christians sin, they have an advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous!

Continuing in John 14:16, because of Jesus' intercession for His disciples, though He left them, He prayed to His Father to send them God the Holy Spirit, another Comforter. Christ Himself is and was a Comforter for His disciples while He was physically on earth. Since He is physically leaving them, God the Father sends God the Holy Spirit to comfort them in Christ's physical absence. Though Jesus is not physically with Christians now, He comforts them through God the Holy Spirit. Also note that Jesus here refers to God the Holy Spirit as another comforter. It is interesting that Jesus and God the Holy Spirit both have performed this office as comforting believers, but yet, they are still separate persons in that Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as separate from Himself.

Finally, God the Holy Spirit abides with those who love Jesus.[1] He abides with Christians forever.[2] Jesus was physically the disciples' comforter temporarily. However, God the Holy Spirit is continually the comforter of all believers.[3] Not only this, but while Christ was physically here, He was only physically comforting those He was around.[4] God the Holy Spirit is God and Spirit, therefore He has not limited Himself to the physical, therefore, He is able to work through the church as a collective whole.[5] If Christ was physically present on earth right now, all humanity would have to get in line to see Him; however, since the gift of God the Holy Spirit has been given, all humanity can have instant access to Christ through Him due to Christ's presence being manifested even more so through God the Holy Spirit than through His incarnation.[6]
God the Holy Spirit saves and sanctifies believers (John 7:38-39)John the Apostle details Christ's discussion with a Samaritan woman in John 7. In verses 38-39, Christ points her to the truth that "whoever believes in Him, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." John the Apostle then in verse 39 argues that Christ was referring to the Spirit. God the Holy Spirit therefore by definition is the One who begins salvation in sinners, and also sanctifies believers throughout their Christians lives. He is the One who is active in conforming Christians to the image of Christ. God the Holy Spirit indwells all believers (John 14:17)

Jesus in John 14:16 argues that the world cannot receive the Spirit of Truth because they have rejected the truth concerning repentance and faith in Christ Jesus alone for salvation. In order to receive the Spirit of Truth, the world must receive the Truth. The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:14 wrote, "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they arefolly to him, andhe is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

The world cannot see the Spirit of Truth because they choose not to see Him. Men are quick to run to anyone or anything else other than Christ Jesus. The world often chooses to ignore that even absolute truth exists. Due to their continued suppression of this fact, it is impossible for them to know the Spirit of Truth.

Those who love Jesus Christ on the other hand know God the Holy Spirit. He dwelled with Jesus' disciples on earth, and He still dwells with all believers today. Not only did God the Holy Spirit dwell with Christ's disciples right then, He would indwell them when Jesus sent Him at Pentecost.[7] Today, He, the Spirit of Truth indwells all believers as well (Rom. 8:9).[8] God the Holy Spirit will teach us all truth as well (John 14:26, 16:13) Remember that in John 14:26, Christ promised that God the Holy Spirit would bring all truth to the remembrance of His disciples; as well, remember John 16:13, where Christ also promised His disciples that the Holy Spirit would lead them into all truth. The Bible teaches this truth about God the Holy Spirit's teaching of all believers throughout church history and today as well (1 Cor. 2:14).[9] There is no possible way sinful humanity can know the perfect, sinless truth of God, apart from God the Holy Spirit's intervention. He is the teacher of Christians; therefore, He alone deserves the glory for salvation and sanctification. Christians therefore, should boast in Christ alone. God the Holy Spirit gives all believers peace (John 14:27)

In John 14:27, Jesus comforts His disciples who are sorrowful over His coming departure. It must be noted that even though Jesus was going to physically leave them, His peace was not going to leave them.[10] The world cannot give humans peace though it promises peace. It is amazing how everyone talks about peace, and everyone seeks peace, but even if America gets along with other countries, there is still going to be unrest in this country. There will still be evil here until Christ comes; but believers have peace outside of their situation because their peace is the person of God the Holy Spirit.[11]

In this verse Christ wants to comfort His friends. The disciples were "alarmed" over Jesus leaving them. What they did not realize was that He was going to continue being with them through God the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit is still with His church, comforting and interceding for it. The church's satisfaction must be therefore by definition found in Him alone. For if the church's satisfaction is in God the Holy Spirit, it will be in God the Son and God the Father as well.

God the Holy Spirit comforts all believers (John 15:26)

In John 15:26, believers must understand that God the Holy Spirit is the Comforter who Christ promised to send when He left this world. Here Christ is speaking about sending God the Holy Spirit; but, today God the Holy Spirit has already been sent; and indwells all believers now. The Apostle Paul also wrote in Galatians 4:6, "And because you are sons, God has sentthe Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" He is our Comforter. God the Holy Spirit equips the church to testify of Christ (John 15:27)

With the surrounding context being God the Holy spirit, in John 15:27 Jesus argues that not only is God the Holy Spirit's ministry to "shine headlights" on Jesus Christ, but this should also be the ministry of the church as well. The disciples, the eyewitnesses of Christ's life and miracles, were to testify of Him. Christians today too are to "bear witness" of Christ. This is the opposite of what the flesh naturally wants to do. Due to the sinfulness of the flesh, Christians often emphasize themselves instead of Christ. Christ has determined that His church will testify of Him through the empowering of God the Holy Spirit until He returns.

[1] Rodney K. Ryle, "The Convicting Ministry of the Holy Spirit in John16:8-11"

(Th.M. Thesis, Grace Theological Seminary, May 1984), Theological Research Exchange Network, 009-0033.

15.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Hunt, "Jesus' Teaching Concerning the Paraclete in the Upper Room Discourse", 18.

[6] Ibid., 23.

[7] Ryle, "The Convicting Ministry of the Holy Spirit in John 16:8-11", 15.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid., 16-17.

[10] D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman's Publishing, 1991), 505-506.

[11] Ibid., 506.