John 16:5-15 The Holy Spirit
“But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He ]will take of Mine and declare it to you.
The disciples had asked Jesus about his departure. But as Jesus warned them about the trouble to come they became alarmed about the future and forgot about where Jesus was going. It is very easy to get focused on today’s troubles and forget that Jesus is Lord and the Holy Spirit is with us.
The word translated ‘helper’ is παράκλητος paráklētos, par-ak’-lay-tos; an intercessor, consoler:—advocate, comforter. The Holy Spirit is God within us providing everything necessary to our journey through this vale just as the LORD provided for Israel as they wandered in the wilderness.
The Holy Spirit in us acts upon the world to convince them that belief in Christ is the only way of salvation. As Peter said, speaking by the Holy Spirit, in Acts 4:12, “for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Sin separates us from God. In Christ the barrier is removed. The Holy Spirit being with us is the fulfillment of the promise of the reunification of God and we who believe.
Secondly, the Holy Spirit demonstrates that God’s justice is right because Jesus demonstrated the possibility of sinless life showing that every sin is a choice. The proof of this is the resurrection because death is the result of sin; in Jesus’ case our sin not his own. And since He had no sin death could not stop him.
Lastly, the Holy Spirit shows that the ruler of this world is judged. Since the enemy is judged no one can safely turn their back on God. Those who reject grace have no better expectation than their leader, the first rebel, Lucifer.
Jesus is alive. You can be saved from sin and death and hell.
The Holy Spirit is always teaching us what we need to know and as each lesson is apprehended more is given. Matthew 13:12, “For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance…”
If truth is that which corresponds to reality then the Holy Spirit will sift for us what is real and what is false. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life…” Jesus is the foundation of reality. Every idea that corresponds to him is true.
brotherpayne 