Scripture Reading: John 14:16-24, 26; 15:26; 16:7
In the three foregoing chapters we have been considering the sign of the Divine Trinity. We have covered a number of points related to the Father and the Son, and three matters related to the Spirit. In this chapter we will continue to consider additional matters related to the Spirit and then go on to the next sign, the sign of another Paraclete.
John 14:26 says, “The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and remind you of all the things which I have said to you.” Here we see that the Father sends the Spirit in the Son’s name. According to 5:43, the Son came in the Father’s name: “I have come in the name of My Father.” For the Son to come in the name of the Father means that the Son comes as the Father.
Suppose brother A sends brother B to carry out a certain business matter in the name of brother A. In such a case, brother B comes in the name of brother A. Because brother A sends brother B in his name, brother B does not come in his own name but comes in the name of brother A. This means that, in a very practical way, brother B comes as brother A. If we understand this illustration, then we can understand why according to Isaiah 9:6 the Son given to us is called the Father. This verse indicates that the Son comes in the Father’s name. He is the Son, but He is called the Father, for He comes in the Father’s name and thereby comes as the Father. Simply, this means that the Son and the Father are one (John 10:30).
The principle is the same with the Father’s sending the Spirit in the Son’s name. According to 14:26, the Father sends the Spirit, but He sends the Spirit in the name of the Son. Therefore, the Spirit comes in the Son’s name because the Spirit and the Son are one (2 Cor. 3:17).
As an illustration, let us suppose that brother A sends brother C in the name of brother B. If he were asked to identify himself, brother C could say, “I am brother C coming in the name of brother B and sent by brother A.” In a similar way the Spirit could say of Himself, “I am the Spirit coming in the name of the Son and sent by the Father.”
In John 14:26 we have the three of the Divine Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. According to this verse, the Father sends the Spirit in the name of the Son. Therefore, when the Spirit comes, the Father and the Son come with Him. We have seen that because the Son comes in the name of the Father, the Son is called the Father. Because the Spirit is sent by the Father in the Son’s name, so the Spirit comes in the name of the Son with the Father. This means that when the Spirit comes, the Triune God comes.
Just as the Son does not come in His own name but comes in the name of the Father, so the Spirit does not come in His own name but comes in the name of the Son. This means that although the Spirit is here, He is not here in His own name but in the Son’s name. Furthermore, the Son is here in the Father’s name, not in His own name. Therefore, when the Spirit is here, the Son is here, and when the Son is here, the Father is here. This means that when the Spirit comes, all three of the Triune God — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit — come with the Spirit.
In a previous chapter we pointed out that the Father cannot reach us directly. The Triune God reaches us as the Spirit, who is the ultimate consummation of the Triune God. When the Spirit reaches us, the Father and the Son also reach us. This is the Triune God reaching us as the Spirit. Therefore, when the Spirit comes into us, we have the Triune God entering into us. We have the Father as the source, we have the Son as the expression, and we have the Spirit as the One entering into us. Hallelujah for the Triune God reaching us as the Spirit sent by the Father in the Son’s name!
The Father gives the Spirit in answer to the Son’s request. This is according to the Lord’s word in John 14:16: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever.” This indicates that the Father sends the Spirit at the request of the Son. Once again we see that the Spirit’s coming is a matter of the coming of the three of the Divine Trinity. This is indicated by the fact that the Spirit is given by the Father in answer to the request of the Son.
We wish to emphasize the fact that when the Spirit comes, the Triune God comes. The reason for this is that the Spirit, the Son, and the Father cannot be separated. Actually, in our experience of the divine dispensing, the Spirit is the Son, and the Son is the Father. This understanding may be contrary to religious tradition and systematic theology, but it definitely is according to the pure Word of God.
I encourage you to study chapters 14 through 17 of the Gospel of John in the light of the ten points we have given concerning the Father, the seventeen points we have given concerning the Son, and the total of eleven points we will give concerning the Spirit. All these points will help you to know the Trinity as revealed in these four chapters of John’s Gospel.
According to John 15:26, the Spirit proceeds from with the Father: “When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of reality, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify concerning Me.” The sense in Greek of the word translated “from” is from with. The Spirit of reality is sent by the Son, not only from the Father but also from with the Father. The Comforter comes from the Father and with the Father. The Father is the source. For the Spirit to come from the source does not mean that He leaves the source; it means that the source comes with Him. When the Spirit comes, the Father also comes.
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit cannot be separated, because all three are one. We do not have language adequate to describe this fact. Nevertheless, it is a divine fact that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one.
The Spirit abides in us with the Son and the Father. When the Spirit comes, the Son and the Father also come. When the Spirit abides in us, both the Son and the Father abide in us with the Spirit. As John 14:17 makes clear, the Spirit of reality abides in us. When we compare this verse with John 14:23, we see that the Father and the Son also abide in us. Therefore, the Triune God — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit — abides in us. Furthermore, Romans 8:9-11 also indicates that the Spirit abides in us with the Son and the Father.
When we exercise our spirit to call on the name of the Lord Jesus, the Spirit moves within our spirit. Because the Father and the Son abide in our spirit with the Spirit, we sense that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all in us. When we call on the Lord Jesus, we may have the sense that the Triune God is abiding in our spirit.
The Spirit also testifies concerning the Son and glorifies Him. John 15:26 says, “The Spirit of reality, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify concerning Me.” Since the Spirit is sent by the Son and comes with the Father, the Spirit’s testimony concerning the Son is a matter of the Triune God. John 16:14 says that the Spirit will glorify the Son: “He will glorify Me, for He will receive of Mine and will declare it to you.” The Spirit glorifies the Son by revealing Him with all the fullness of the Father. This means that the Spirit glorifies the Son by revealing Him to us.
John 7:38-39 reveals that the Spirit will overflow from within the believers: “He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive.” In John 4:14 the Lord said that whoever drinks of the water that He gives will have in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life. In chapter 7 the Lord went further and said that anyone who drinks of Him will have the flow of the rivers of living water. In verse 38 the Lord Jesus did not speak of one flow; He spoke of rivers. The unique river of living water is the Holy Spirit. Out of this unique river many rivers will flow out. These rivers of living water are the many flowings of the different aspects of life, of the one river of water of life (Rev. 22:1), which is God’s Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2). This is the Spirit overflowing from within the believers.
In the book of Revelation we have the seven Spirits before the throne of God as the seven eyes of the Lamb, the Son (1:4; 4:5; 5:6). The fact that the seven Spirits of God are the seven eyes of the Lamb, the Son, proves that the Son and the Spirit are not separate.
According to the traditional concept, the Spirit is separate from the Son. But according to the book of Revelation, the Spirit is the eyes of the Son. Are, then, the Spirit and the Son one or two? The book of Revelation indicates clearly that the seven Spirits are the eyes of Christ, the Son. This means that the so-called third of the Trinity is the eyes of the second. Then how could the eyes of the second be regarded as a separate person from the second? Can a person’s eyes be regarded as a separate person apart from him? This is impossible! In resurrection Christ has become the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). Therefore, the two, Christ and the Spirit are one (2 Cor. 3:17). We may say that Christ and the Spirit are distinct, but we may not say that They are separate. Concerning this matter, we simply teach what the Bible says. The seven Spirits are the seven eyes of the wonderful Lamb!
The Spirit is one with the bride, God’s redeemed. Revelation 22:17a indicates this: “The Spirit and the bride say, Come!” The fact that the Spirit and the bride speak together reveals that the Spirit is one with the bride. The Spirit is the consummation of the Triune God, and the bride is the consummation of God’s redeemed people. In Revelation the consummation of the Triune God marries the consummation of God’s redeemed people to form a universal couple. In Revelation 22:17 we see a divine-human marriage. The Spirit, as the consummation of the Triune God, is the Husband, and the consummation of God’s redeemed people is the bride. Because the Spirit and the bride are one, they speak as one. How marvelous!
Regarding the Divine Trinity, we would also point out that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are the one God. First Peter 1:2 reveals that the Father is God; Hebrews 1:8, that the Son is God; and Acts 5:3-4, that the Spirit is God. Moreover, according to John 4:24, the entire God is the Spirit. To say that God is Spirit means that Spirit is the nature, the substance, of the Triune God. For example, just as the substance of a wooden table is wood, the substance of God is Spirit. Hallelujah, our God, the Triune God, is Spirit!
Thus far, we have covered four signs in chapters 14 through 17 of the Gospel of John: the sign of the Father’s house; the sign of the Son’s going and coming; the sign of the way, the reality, and the life; and the sign of the Divine Trinity. Let us now proceed to the fifth sign, the sign of another Paraclete (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7).
In John 14:16 the Lord Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever.” The Greek word rendered “Comforter” here is parakletos. Paraclete is the anglicized form of this Greek word. This word is a figure; hence, it also is a sign.
In Greek, parakletos denotes someone alongside who takes care of our cause, our affairs. It is composed of two words: a preposition that means “with” and a form of the word for call. In ancient times a paraclete was a helper, advocate, counsel, or intercessor. A paraclete was someone who served a particular person by taking care of his needs. As one who is always present, a paraclete may be considered a waiter, a helper, and also an attorney. In a note on John 14:16 Darby says that a paraclete was “one who carries on the cause of any one and helps him.” In his translation of 1 John 2:1, where the same Greek word is used, Darby says that we have a “patron” with the Father. Then in a note he explains that he uses the word patron in the sense of the Roman patron, who maintained the interests of his clients in every way. We may say that the Spirit today is our Patron. He is with us to take care of our entire situation.
The word Paraclete signifies one called to another’s side to help him. Hence, the Paraclete is a Helper. The Spirit as another Paraclete is always available to help us.
The word Paraclete also signifies one offering legal aid or one interceding on behalf of someone else; hence, the Spirit as another Paraclete is an Advocate, a Counsel, or an Intercessor. We may say that this Paraclete is our divine Attorney, who counsels us in relation to our need.
The Spirit as the Paraclete is also One who consoles us. He is the Consoler, the Comforter. How marvelous that the Spirit always consoles and comforts us!
The Spirit as another Paraclete is the Spirit of reality. When we compare John 14:16 and 17, it is clear that this Paraclete, this Comforter, is the Spirit of reality. John 15:26 also indicates that the Comforter is the Spirit of reality. Furthermore, in John 16:13 the Lord Jesus said, “When He, the Spirit of reality, comes, He will guide you into all the reality; for He will not speak from Himself, but what He hears He will speak; and He will declare to you the things that are coming.” In addition, according to 1 John 5:6, the Spirit is the truth, the reality.
As the Spirit of reality, the Spirit is the reality of God and of the Son. The Spirit is the reality of every divine thing, and, as such, He is the reality of eternal life. Eventually, because He is the reality, He is God, the Son, and eternal life. Without the Spirit of reality, eternal life would be empty, vain. Therefore, the Spirit is the reality of God, of the Son, of eternal life, and of every divine matter. Therefore, He is called the Spirit of reality.
John 16:7 indicates that the Spirit of reality comes through the Son’s death and resurrection: “I tell you the truth, It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” As we have pointed out, in these chapters of the Gospel of John, the Lord used His going to denote His death. The Son came through incarnation, but the Spirit comes through the Son’s death and resurrection.
The Spirit of reality receives all that is of the Son in order to disclose it to the believers. Regarding this, the Lord Jesus said, “He will glorify Me, for He will receive of Mine and will declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; for this reason I have said that He receives of Mine and will declare it to you” (vv. 14-15). All that the Father is and has is embodied in the Son (Col. 2:9), and all that the Son is and has is revealed as reality to the believers through the Spirit. Therefore, the Spirit of reality reveals to the believers all that the Son is. This means that our understanding of the Son is by the Spirit, who has received whatever the Son is and then reveals this to us.
We have already pointed out that the Spirit testifies concerning the Son and glorifies Him (John 15:26; 16:14). Now we would point out that, in particular, this is a function of the Spirit of reality, who comes through the Son’s death and resurrection. Because the Spirit of reality testifies concerning the Son and glorifies the Son, we know the Son through Him.
In John 16:13 we see that the Spirit of reality guides us into all the reality: “When He, the Spirit of reality, comes, He will guide you into all the reality; for He will not speak from Himself, but what He hears He will speak; and He will declare to you the things that are coming.” The Spirit of reality guides the believers into all the reality of the Triune God and of all divine matters. The Spirit of reality guides us into the reality of justification, holiness, love, and all other divine things. He leads us into, brings us into, the reality of these things.
John 16:8-11 reveals that the Spirit of reality convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment: “When He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe into Me; and concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer behold Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” The Spirit always convicts the world, that is, mankind, concerning the three matters of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Sin entered through Adam (Rom. 5:12), righteousness is the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 1:30), and judgment is for Satan, who is the author and source of sin (John 8:44). We were born of sin in Adam. To be freed from sin, the only way is to believe in Christ the Son of God. If we believe in Him, He will be righteousness to us, and we will be justified in Him (Rom. 3:24; 4:25). If we do not repent of the sin in Adam and believe in Christ the Son of God, we will remain in sin and share the judgment of Satan for eternity (Matt. 25:41).
In John 16:8-11 the convicting work of the Spirit is related to three persons: Adam, Christ, and Satan. We all became fallen in Adam. But we may believe in Christ and be justified. Because Christ was accepted by God in His death, God raised Him up from among the dead, and now He becomes righteousness to all who believe in Him. Satan, the source of sin, has been judged and destroyed through Christ’s death (Heb. 2:14). The three main items in these three verses are related to these three persons: sin is related to Adam, righteousness is related to Christ, and judgment is related to Satan. We were born of Adam, but we have believed in Christ and have received Him as our righteousness. All those who do not believe in Christ will suffer the judgment of Satan. Because they remain followers of Satan, they will have the same destiny as Satan. Hallelujah, we have believed in Christ, and we have been transferred out of Adam and into Christ! No longer are we followers of Satan, and our destiny certainly will not be the same as his.
The Spirit came to us to convict us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. We repented, believed in the Lord Jesus, and escaped the judgment that is upon Satan. We also became children of God and members of Christ. Now we can be filled and saturated with the Triune God, who is dispensing Himself into us and mingling Himself with us.
