(Transcribed from the Words of Life Radio Program)
Thank you for listening to these Words of Life radio broadcasts. The title for the lesson is “Be in You.” And our primary study text is taken from the New Testament gospel of John chapter 14 verses 16 and 17. Please listen to the Word of God. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 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.” Tremendous words, a tremendous promise of Jesus, now fulfilled in the church age to born-again baptized believers regarding the indwelling Holy Spirit. In America, especially, our society is obsessed with the right versus the left, however, as Christians our fixation should be more on the above, and less on the below.
The danger with unbelievers is not only that they believe nothing of the glory of God or very little, but also that they can believe in anything but, our God above. Sometimes even Christians can be led astray, misapply our priorities from above, and be captivated by this world system below. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in the context of our study text (John chapter 14 verses 16 through 17) knew that His time was short on earth at His first coming. That He was in the shadow of the cross. So, He comforted His disciples by revealing to them that He was going to ask His Father for another Counselor to help His disciples after He left them physically.
With the promise of the indwelling Holy Spirit came a dramatic change in how Jesus viewed the relationship between believers (born again from above), and “the world” of below. Throughout John’s gospel Jesus used the term “world” to include all of humanity, bound in its fallen system, and therefore hostile to Him. (John chapter 1 verses 10 for example). Yet as John’s gospel unfolds, we can note a gradual differentiation between “the world” and “His own” who are in the world but not of the world. (for example, John chapter 13 verse 1) it states in part “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them until the end.”
In fact, after the promise of the indwelling Holy Spirit was fulfilled, believers (born from above) and “the world system” are portrayed as enemies. Disciples of Jesus Christ, today, should be prioritizing the above in our lives not the below of the world system.
Let’s look closer at our text and make more personal application, regarding the words of Jesus. John chapter 14 verse 16 “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever…”
In the preceding verse, (verse 15), Jesus spoke of His disciples evidencing their love for Him by obeying His commands. However, in verse 16, Jesus revealed His love, His love for them by asking His Father to give His disciples another Counselor.
The translated word “Counselor” is from the original Greek term ‘Paracletes;’ a term of which the meaning is comprehensive. It literally means “one called alongside to help” and can have the richer comprehensive meaning of a “comforter, counselor, exhorter, intercessor, encourager, and even the disciples’ advocate (or defense attorney) to indwell them.
Notice that Jesus states “another” Counselor. Meaning another of the same kind because Jesus, the Son of God, is also helper, comforter, counselor, exhorter, intercessor, encourager, and our ongoing advocate above in heaven now! For His church, for His people.
Therefore, Jesus’ promise of another Counselor is exactly like Himself, another person of the Godhead, the trinity, the Holy Spirit, who would empower Christ’s work in God’s genuine disciples. Jesus, the Son of God, in our context, was physically leaving to go above to His Father. However, there would, absolutely, be no drop off of power with the coming of another Counselor to indwell them below.
Though Jesus’ physical departure was imminent, He promised that “another Counselor” (the Holy Spirit) will be “with you forever.” Every born again, baptized believer in the church age, persevering in Christ, is promised by Jesus Christ to be permanently with (and we shall note) in them. This includes all genuine Christians today. In fact, if one does not have the in dwelling Holy Spirit then he or she is not a true, not a genuine Christian!
How do we know this? The apostle Paul writing to Christians wrote in Romans chapter 8 verse 9 “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, capital S spirit, the Holy 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.”
Since it is the Holy Spirit who brings people into a living relationship in Christ, for example, as according to Titus chapter 3 and verse 5, there can be no such relation with Christ apart from the Spirit of God, from the Holy Spirit. The New Testament reveals that the gift of the Holy Spirit indwelling believers in the church age is an automatic, tremendous, benefit and privilege for everyone who has received Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord through saving faith.
John chapter 14 and verse 17A “The Spirit of truth.” Christ refers to the Holy Spirit as truth to emphasize His work of revealing, of illuminating spiritual, scriptural truth to true believers. He is the Spirit of truth in that He is the source of truth and can communicate truth to His own.
So, why is it that so very many Christians don’t know more spiritual, scriptural truth beyond the basic? This is because many Christians do not read, and beyond that prayerfully study the scriptures, in order to grow, to mature in the knowledge that the Holy Spirit, as the ultimate author, has so graciously revealed in the Scriptures.
Also note John chapter 14 and verse 26 “But the Counselor, 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.”
“All things” refers to all things of God that we need in this life.
The apostle John later wrote in this same vein: “But you have an anointing from the Holy Spirit, an anointing from the Holy One and all of you know the truth.” (First John chapter 2 verse 20) That is surely the gospel truth.
These words are directed to the First century church at large, and applicable to all genuine Christians down through the centuries to the church age to today.
“An anointing” refers to the original Greek word for “anointing” simply means “what is rubbed on” such as olive oil or the like. Anointing in Scripture took on a specialized use referring to the gift of the Holy Spirit that would hallmark as examples, the reign of a king (Second Samuel chapter 2 and verse 7), the authority of a prophet of God (Isaiah chapter 61 and verse 1), and even Messiah (Isaiah chapter 11 verses 1 through 2). Messiah or Christ means ‘Anointed One’ since by definition the Messiah is filled with God’s Sprit in an unparalleled and unique way.
So, when John speaks of the Christian’s “anointing,” he likely has in mind their endowment with the Holy Spirit, as a gift, who is able to lead and teach spiritual knowledge, and discernment and so, so very much more.
John chapter 14 and verse 17 continues: “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.” What a tremendous truth.
Manifestly, just as the “world” failed to recognize Jesus Christ when He walked on the earth, so also would it fail, the world fails to recognize the Holy Spirit. Unregenerate (or unsaved) people cannot clearly comprehend spiritual truth this as according to: First Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 14 the apostle Paul wrote “The man without the Spirit, Holy Spirit, does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
The Lord’s promise that the Holy Spirit would “be in them” does not mean the Holy Spirit was not present or active before the church age, of course not. We should understand that no one in any age of redemptive history could be saved, could be sanctified, and empowered for service, worship, and witness, or guided in the understanding of Scripture apart from the Holy Spirit.
Under the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit was present with believers in a general sense. However, Jesus promised His disciples that something supernaturally new was coming in an unprecedented way to indwell personally, intimately those who believed, who came to saving faith in the church age.
So, how does this work that the Holy Spirit indwells born-again baptized believers?
Note the revealing words of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church, and applicable to the Lord’s church today at large. Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 16 states “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being…”
Think about it what does our “inner being” include. Scripture refers to the inner “heart,” “the mind,” and “the will.” So, the Holy Spirit indwells and works through our: “hearts” the center of our feeling and emotions; through our “minds” the center of our thinking and intellect; and through our “wills” the center of deciding and initiating our actions.
Yes, believers can refuse to submit, even grieve, and quench the Holy Spirit. However, the inner maturing, spiritual Christian will grow stronger cooperating, submitting to the Holy Spirit, who can energize, who can revitalize, and empower the obedient, committed Christian. This is through our “inner being” ‘our hearts, minds, and wills’ to the glory of God.
Finally, a simple illustration.
One of the many languages of tropical Africa was difficult for translators of the New Testament to explain, to translate into their African language. For example, when it came to the original word “Paraclete” (referring to the Holy Spirit); translators were stumped, couldn’t find an appropriate word in their languages in tropical Africa to translate. “paraclete” meaning the Holy Spirit.
One day the translators saw a group of porters going off into the bush carrying bundles on their heads. They noticed that one didn’t carry anything. They assumed he was the boss who was present to make sure the others did their work. However, the translators discovered that he was not the boss Instead, he was present so that, should anyone fall over from exhaustion of a humid and hot climate that this man would pick up the man’s load that fell out and carry it for him.
This helper porter then was known in their local language with a word that means “the one who falls down beside us.” Hmm that’s interesting. The translators, thus, had their word for “Paraclete.” Which is the one who helps us. The one who is there for us.
We should know that God has provided all genuine Christians inwardly with “the one who falls down beside us” so-to-speak to counsel, to comfort, help, exhort, encourage, intercede, and teach us according to our needs Christ Jesus, because “He is in you” . He speaks to us through His written words and through His promptings in our hearts, in minds, and our wills. God forbid that we would grieve or quench the Holy Spirit within us. But instead submit and be guided by the Spirit.
David Johnson is minister of the Sellersburg Church of Christ in Sellersburg, IN.