He moves in immediately, without delay, the moment you believe in Jesus. The birth of a child comes only through the pain of childbirth. The Spirit never leaves any Christian; the true believer will never depart from the faith. He explores topics such as spiritual gifts, the fruit of the Spirit, the Spirit's power for evangelism, and hearing God's In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was given selectively and temporarily to indwell certainly individuals for special ministries. Even with the Holy Spirits presence, our understanding of spiritual things is partial and imperfect: For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. The Holy Spirit reveals Gods thoughts, teaches, and guides believers into all truth. 26 At that time you will ask in my name, and I do not say that I will ask the Father on your behalf. An unbeliever cannot get saved unless they are first convicted by the Holy Spirit. It appeared that Howard was keeping us from something we really wanted, but in truth he was preparing us for something even better (they surprised us with a new refrigerator). The essence of spiritual life is walking with God, sensing the Holy Spirit in your life, communing with Christ, and participating in the spiritual realm. The Spirit guides us in our pursuit of truth through the Word of God. Far from it, their lot was often a very hard one indeed. 86 Our passage begins with an expression difficult to translate exactly. We had no earthly idea what Howard Prier really had in mind. What the Lord promised in Ezekiel 37:14 would come to pass: "I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life.". In the New Testament, one of the most important works of the Holy Spirit is the w In the Old Testament, we see different aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit. Much of what our Lord has said of His return is unclear to us, just as much of what He said to them of His departure was unclear. Jesus had much to say to them, but not at that moment. We know that this does not mean that He will reveal all knowledge. He promises to reveal truth to them through the Spirit. The simple fact is that no matter what they profess to grasp, they cannot and do not understand what Jesus has been telling them. Paperback Illustrated, November 3, 2020. That could be His way of saying, "I am sending you One of exactly the same essence as Me." Paul said to the Corinthians, "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" A further observation should be noted. Jesus gave the disciples several key points related to the way in which He would disclose this new revelation: In the world you have trouble and suffering; but have courage, I have conquered the world.. He has to show us the errors of our ways and that we are all sinners in the eyes of God. He wanted to engage me in a discussion, and I was not about to refuse. For generations people have had the idea that the Holy Spirit is an apparition, something like Casper the Friendly Ghost, the 1950s and 60s comic book and cartoon character! But on the other hand, much of the New Testament emphasizes what Christ has already done for us. Every Christian is packed with powerthe Holy Spirit. Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will convict the world in three areas, Sin, Righteousness and Judgment. Paraclete ( Greek: , romanized : Parkltos) is a Christian biblical term occurring five times in the Johannine texts of the New Testament. There is evidence of widespread dissatisfaction with life but no solution to the quest for better things. Leon Morris, Reflections on the Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988), vol. In the Old Testament, we see different aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit. We must recall that when John writes this Gospel, he writes in retrospect, looking back on the events he is describing with understanding. However Jesus assured them that they would not be left to fend for themselves; they would have a supernatural Helper. Paul, quoting the prophet Isaiah, wrote, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). The Holy Spirit ministers through spiritual gifts, ministries and operations (workings). He reveals what we need to know and conceals what we should not know (Deuteronomy 29:29). He said He would leave, then come back and be with us as long as we live, and throughout eternity. In the New Testament He is also called that and the Spirit of Christ. He is speaking in vague terms so that they will not understand immediately, but also in order that they will understand in the future. You can see that verses 25-33 are an interchange between Jesus and His disciples. And so He says to them (loosely paraphrased): I know you really dont understand, and the level of your present belief is far from impressive. Accordingly, we have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions in order to comply with GDPR. We are infinitely richer than all the billionaires of the world put together because what we possess is an eternal inheritance. They were concerned with our Lords departure, as He had spoken of it to them. Ephesians 5:18 says to "be filled with the Spirit." They did not ask for all the wrong reasons. 3, p. 557. The Holy Spirit would, in fact, work miraculously within the apostles to produce the inspired writings of the New Testamentbrand new revelation providing instruction for this new church age. 13 And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nonetheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. It's the kind of life that makes you sensitive to what God is doing. When you receive Jesus Christ for salvation, you receive the Holy Spirit also. All rights reserved. They didnt want Jesus to know they didnt understand. Eternal life refers not just to quantityto life that goes on foreverbut more to quality. In 16:5, Jesus seems to mildly rebuke His disciples for not asking Him any more questions about where He is going. There is a realization and acknowledgement of diversities rather than uniformity regarding various New Testament theologies and rationales and forms of the Holy Spirit ministry. The disciples have not yet begun to enjoy the benefits of this new relationship. He may become confused at times, but he will always abide in Christ. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you with tears. Ask and you will receive it, so that your joy may be complete. You cannot study the New Testament long without seeing that there is a dichotomy between what we are responsible to do as Christians and what has already been done on our behalf. To whom are they made? The Father will personally attend to the prayers of Jesus disciples, because of His love for them, a love which is the same as His love for the Son (14:23; 17:26). It is in the light of the cross that the Scriptures become clear. 79 The verb here means ask a question rather than ask for something. In that day, once Jesus has risen from the dead and the Holy Spirit has been bequeathed, they will no longer need to ask the questions with which they ply Jesus and demonstrate their profound confusion. After the resurrection, John is careful to point out, the disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord (20:20). This is a very neat way of giving the impression you know something that you dont and of explaining why you are not asking any questions. 3, p. 554. The apostle Paul said that Christ in us is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27), and Christ promised His Spirit would reside in us (John 14:17). the "different" [heteros] gospel vs. "another" [allos] gospel in Galatians 1:6-7). Penny Noyes Author. The belief they profess is not nearly as strong as they suppose. WebThe work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament differed somewhat from His work in the New Testament. They will receive the answers to their prayers directly from the Father. Any teaching which claims to be divine revelation and does not exalt Christ is false teaching. Acts attests that the early Christians after Pentecost experienced great joy (Acts 13:52; cf. His life will not be taken from Him; He will lay it down, voluntarily, and He will take it up again (John 10:14-18). In John 16:15 Jesus says, "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you." It was another manifestation of His grace not to tell them all they wanted to know. We can think of this ministry under two major headings: salvation and gifting. First John 2:27 says, "The anointing which you have received from Him [Christ] abides in youas His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him." The Spirits teaching comes from and glorifies the Lord Jesus (verses 3-4), just as our Lords teaching came from and glorified the Father (John 8:26, 40). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, believers are saved, filled, sealed, and sanctified. 73 Are Jesus and his eleven disciples still making their way along narrow streets and paths toward the Kidron Valley? Jesus commands them to pray in His name, assured that they will receive what they have requested, and in so doing, their joy will be made complete. They want His approval, and at the same time, they want Him to think they understand everything He is saying so that He wont be frustrated by their confusion. There are many other things that Jesus did. He had helped them, comforted them, and walked alongside them. 20 I tell you the solemn truth, you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy. He led me into the sound and tape room, off the main hall, and then proceeded to ask me what I thought of a certain Greek preposition in a particular text. How great the joy of the disciples was when they learned that Jesus had been raised from the dead (Luke 24:41, 52).83. The Greek word translated "another" may provide a helpful clue in understanding Jesus' meaning in John 14. We learn that Christ and the Holy Spirit are continually interceding on our behalf. The difference in the New Testament is that the Holy Spirit now operates through the body of Christ and not just through some selected people. He has to show us the errors of our ways and that we are all sinners in the eyes of God. The power is within youall you need to do is turn on the ignition switch! I confess, we turned on the air conditioning and lit a fire in the fireplace, just to try it out.) Since their joy is in Him and He will never leave them, no one will ever be able to rob them of their joy in Him. Here at Grace to You Europe we take our data protection responsibilities very seriously and, as you would expect, have undertaken a significant programme of work to ensure that we are ready for this important legislative change. In addition, the Spirit revealed new truth to them. The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. So Jesus was tempering their enthusiasm. (2) The picture of the disciples weeping and mourning while the world rejoices (16:20) fits only the period during which Jesus is in the grave. Howard had been assigned the task of delaying me, so that all our friends could arrive at our house first to surprise us. How and why would they not see Jesus? How much more must God, whose love is perfect, love those who love His Son? Jesus added, "Because I live, you will live also" (v. 19). The house was exactly what we had hoped for. As it is for a woman in childbirth, so it will be for the disciples. To understand the distinction is to get a grip on the basics of our faith. In Christian theology, the word commonly refers to the Holy Spirit and is translated as 'advocate', 'counsellor or 'helper'. We can understand what completely confused the disciples. Christians should therefore seek to be filled with the Spirit on a continual basis. How different it will soon be for them, as they look back from the cross and the empty tomb. John 1:12-13). Bible Verses and Scriptures About the Holy Spirit - Read what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit and discover popular scripture quotes about the Holy Spirit in the collection of Bible verses below. (It even had a fireplace. However Jesus assured them that they would not be left to fend for themselves; they would have a supernatural Helper. Now He was turning over His teaching of the disciples to the Holy Spirit, who would dwell in them: "These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. They all are tied to the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Teacher, and Helper who would minister to the disciples when Jesus left. Is this not clear to Peter in Acts 2 and afterward? Everything that the Father has is mine; that is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you (John 16:14-15). On the one hand, Scripture makes clear how we are to live, act, think, and speak. Then I realized that with all the promises Jesus was giving them, they might have succumbed to overconfidence. He will judge the wicked and usher the righteous into His kingdom, a kingdom beyond our ability to fathom now (compare 1 Corinthians 2:9). The Gifts of He is just as much God as the Father or the Son and is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and Son. But what is clear to us in retrospect was not at all clear to the disciples in prospect. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. We are able to read these words of our Lord in the light of their fulfillment. When you receive Jesus Christ for salvation, you receive the Holy Spirit also. And He will reside in us permanently. 549-550. Jesus had spoken only the Father's words, but thedisciples always had trouble understanding Him during His earthly ministry. Those who know it all do not need to learn any more, they think. But we can identify with the disciples in this sense: there are things yet future for us, which are declared in Scripture, but which we do not fully understand. The Father will give us what we have requested, so that we may experience great joy. The disciples had no idea what was about to happen. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. If we know that He is in control, and that His plans are for our good, why should we worry? In Gift and Giver, leading New Testament scholar Craig Keener takes a probing look at the various evangelical understandings of the role of the Holy Spirit in the church. WebThe ministry of the Holy Spirit has not changed from the Old Testament. What did He mean by saying He was going to the Father?82, Jesus overheard His disciples (although He would have known through His omniscience), and graciously began to explain His words to them, although they still didnt understand. He wasn't sending just any helper, but One exactly like Himself with the same compassion, the same attributes of deity, and the same love for them. 23 At that time you will ask79 me nothing. 12 I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. It is the view from the cross which brings everything else into focus. Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource. They don't love Him. The promises Jesus made in that brief passage are staggering. I was on my way out of the church when Howard Prier, a highly respected elder, stopped me in the hallway. He has spoken to them about the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the world (verses 8-11); now He speaks of the Spirits ministry to His disciples (16:12ff.). That is the mystery of the Trinity: the Holy Spirit abides in us (v. 17), Christ indwells us (Colossians 1:27), and God is in us (1 John 4:12). WebParaclete. Allow me to point out one more observation. Davids words in Psalm 51:11 make sense in light of 1 Samuel 10:5-13, where the Spirit came mightily upon Saul, enabling him to serve as King of Israel. No doubt they did believe that Jesus had come from God. The revelation which is promised is that truth which has come from the Father, to the Son, and through the Spirit. Jeannette and I now looked upon that discussion and our delay in an entirely different light. Second Corinthians 3:17-18 refers to the Spirit as the Lord.. I confess, we turned on the air conditioning and lit a fire in the fireplace, just to try it out.) 7:38-39 ). Webthe Holy Spirit works his will by filling believers. 5:3; Col. 1:24; etc.). The most brilliant scholars and students of Scripture that I know are still the best students, ever seeking to understand His Word better, and willing to listen to the insights of other students of Scripture. Many wish to have joy, but they want to have it without sorrow. Have you come to the cross? Furthermore, since Christ was to be the Savior of the world, why would He not manifest Himself to the world? The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deuteronomy 29:29, NKJV). When I first studied John 14, I was puzzled about why in this context Jesus told the disciples that the world in general would not respond to the Holy Spirit. Our joy is in the abasement of self, in the exaltation of Jesus Christ (see John 3:29), and in sacrificial service (Philippians 2:17). When the academic minds of Jesus' day came to their conclusion about who He was, their pronouncement was that He was from the devil (Matthew 12:24). However Jesus assured them that they would not be left to fend for themselves; they would have a supernatural Helper. (3) The analogy of the woman giving birth likewise fits best into the sharp, short agony of the three-day period immediately ahead. Second Corinthians 3:17-18 refers to the Spirit as the Lord.. Nothing cantake the place of the Holy Spirit's work in the life of the believer. That happens when you yield every aspect of your life to the Spirit's control. 20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming to you anything that would be helpful, and from teaching you publicly and from house to house, 21 testifying to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. Verse 26 says that the Spirit teaches "all things." There are two Greek words frequently translated "another": heteros and allos. 2023 Grace to You. The Holy Spirit was just as foreign to the stubborn, rejecting world as Jesus had been. Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted (Matthew 5:3-4). In the New Testament He is also called that and the Spirit of Christ. 80 We should bear in mind that, with small variations, this promise is repeated six times in this discourse (14:13, 14; 15:16; 16:23, 24, 26; cf. How and when would they see Jesus after a little while? "All things" is used here in a relative sense. Few things are as important for an understanding of Christianity (and few things are as little noticed) as the recognition that the note of joy runs right through the New Testament. 9 For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. If there is one thing that has most struck me from this text, it has been this realization: It is the cross of Jesus Christ which puts everything in focus. ABOUT THE PODCAST Join us every day as Jerry reads through a New Testament chapter from the Bible. In context, Jesus is speaking to His eleven disciples, but the scope of His promises is broader than that. The difference in the New Testament is that the Holy Spirit now operates through the body of Christ and not just through some selected people. The difference in the New Testament is that the Holy Spirit now operates through the body of Christ and not just through some selected people. In our pursuit of truth through the Spirit as the Lord billionaires of the believer,... The work of the work of the Holy Spirit 's control, a highly respected elder, me. As we live, act, think, and I now looked upon that discussion and our in. Stopped me in the Old Testament differed somewhat from His work in Old. 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