What Jesus Did : John 14:15-17 - Another Counselor, A Lasting Comforter

    by Phil Ware

    Another Counselor, A Lasting Comforter - John 14:15-17

    "If you love me, then you will do the things I command. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper. He will give you this Helper to be with you forever. The Helper is the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him. Why? Because the world does not see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you, and he will live in you." (ERV) Full Text

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    Key Thought

    It is so hard to adequately translate the term Jesus uses for the Holy Spirit in John 14. Translators make several different choices—helper, advocate, counselor, and comforter. Some coin a new word out of the original Greek word—Paraklete. How we translate the word is not nearly as important as our understanding of the Holy Spirit's presence in Jesus' disciples. The abiding presence of the Holy Spirit is one of the most crucial and distinguishing characteristics of a Christian. The world cannot recognize the Spirit's presence, much less receive the Holy Spirit's abiding presence. Christians, however, are given the Holy Spirit as a gift when they are saved. The Spirit makes them pure and holy and then lives inside them, making them God's holy temple. What's more, the Spirit's presence is lasting! He won't leave us!


    Today's Prayer

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    Father and LORD, you are the holy and righteous God. Your majesty and might are incomparable. But, dear Father, I am a sinner. I have fallen short of your holy standards. I am not worthy to enter your presence. So I thank you today, knowing that your Spirit, my Comforter and Counselor, has purified me and now dwells inside me. By the power of your abiding presence, the Holy Spirit, transform me to be like Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.


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    Today's Verses in Context


    "If you love me, then you will do the things I command. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper. He will give you this Helper to be with you forever. The Helper is the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him. Why? Because the world does not see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you, and he will live in you. "I will not leave you all alone like children without parents. I will come back to you. In a very short time the people in the world will not see me any more. But you will see me. You will live because I live. On that day you will know that I am in the Father. You will know that you are in me and I am in you. If a person knows my commands and obeys those commands, then that person truly loves me. And my Father will love the person that loves me. And I will love that person. I will show myself to him." Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But Lord, why do you plan to show yourself to us, but not to the world?" Jesus answered, "If any person loves me, then he will obey my teaching. My Father will love that person. My Father and I will come to that person and live with him. But the person that does not love me does not obey my teaching. This teaching that you hear is not really mine. It is from my Father who sent me. "I have told you all these things while I am with you. But the Helper will teach you everything. The Helper will cause you to remember all the things I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name. "I leave you peace. It is my own peace I give you. I give you peace in a different way than the world does. So don't be troubled. Don't be afraid. You heard me say to you, 'I am leaving, but I will come back to you.' If you loved me, then you would be happy that I am going back to the Father. Why? Because the Father is greater than I am. I have told you this now, before it happens. Then when it happens, you will believe. I will not talk with you much longer. The ruler of this world (thedevil) is coming. He has no power over me. But the world must know that I love the Father. So I do exactly what the Father told me to do. "Come now. We will leave this place."

    -- John 14:15-31 (ERV)

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