Another Helper

Please Turn Your Bibles to John 14:16-18

John 14:16–18 ESV

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Why Another Helper?

Because the Spirit was a gift from the Father and Son: “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper.”

Because Christ was going away: the Spirit will abide with us forever.

Because while Christ was with them He would not abide in them:

John, Volumes 1 & 2 Chapter 96: The Other Helper (John 14:16–17)

It is not hard to see how the disciples became so devoted to Jesus and dependent on his personal presence. During the three or so years of his ministry on earth, he had guided them, taught them, rescued them, and revealed God’s power to them. According to Jesus, however, one of the most important things that he would ever do for his disciples was to leave them.

In speaking of the Spirit Jesus says it is for their benefit.

But you know Him - this word γινώσκω is an intimate knowledge

for He dwells with you and will be in you - “dwells with you” is to abide, the words “will be in you” tells us how He will abide.

I will not leave you orphans - His departure could cause them to feel as orphans but they should not feel this way.

Richards says in his commentary

John, Volumes 1 & 2 The Spirit’s Inward Ministry

In the person of Christ, the Spirit had been present all along, so by knowing Jesus, the disciples knew the Spirit. Now, after Jesus departed, his continued ministry of grace would be by means of the indwelling Spirit. Jesus here refers to the future when the Holy Spirit would come upon the church at Pentecost, saying that the Spirit then “will be in you” (John 14:17). This is why Jesus said that it was better for his disciples that he depart, for then the other Helper whom he would send would indwell believers with saving power.

What is the role of the Holy Spirit?

What is it that the Spirit does?

Regenerates us (John 3:6–7)

John 3:6–7 ESV

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

Convicts us (John 16:8)

John 16:8 ESV

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:

Empowers us with gifts (1 Cor. 12:4–7)

1 Corinthians 12:4–7 ESV

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Testifies in our hearts that we are God’s children (Gal. 4:6)

Galatians 4:6 ESV

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Leads us (Gal. 5:18, 25)

Galatians 5:18 ESV

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:25 ESV

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Makes us fruitful (Gal. 5:22–23)

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Grants and nurtures in us resurrection life (Rom. 8:11)

Romans 8:11 ESV

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Enables us to kill sin (Rom. 8:13)

Romans 8:13 ESV

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Intercedes for us when we don’t know what to pray (Rom. 8:26–27)

Romans 8:26–27 ESV

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Guides us into truth (John 16:13)

John 16:13 ESV

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

Transforms us into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18)

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

The Spirit causes us to actually feel Christ’s heart for us (John 14:14-16)

Ortlund says, The Spirit makes the heart of Christ real to us: not just heard, but seen; not just seen, but felt; not just felt, but enjoyed. The Spirit takes what we read in the Bible and believe on paper about Jesus’s heart and moves it from theory to reality, from doctrine to experience.

How Does The Spirit Show the Heart of Christ?

In John 16:5-7 we have another discourse on this topic.

John 16:5–7 ESV

But now I am going 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 go, I will send him to you.

When Jesus departs He says their hearts will be filled with sorrow; when the Helper/Spirit comes He will fill their hearts with joy.

The Spirit is the continuation of the heart of Christ for his people after the departure of Jesus to Heaven.

Thomas Goodwin said the following:

“My father and I have but only one friend, who lies in the bosom of us both, and proceeds from us both, the Holy Ghost, and in the meantime I will send him to you. . . . He shall be a better Comforter unto you than I am to be. . . . He will comfort you better than I should do with my bodily presence. He shall tell you, if you will listen to him, and not grieve him, nothing but stories of my love. . . . All his speech in your hearts will be to advance me, and to greaten my worth and love unto you, and it will be his delight to do it.”

Goodwin then makes the explicit connection to Christ’s heart:

So that you shall have my heart as surely and as speedily as if I were with you; and he will be continually breaking your hearts, either with my love to you, or yours to me, or both. . . . He will tell you, when I am in heaven, that there is as true a conjunction between me and you, and as true a dearness of affection in me towards you, as is between my Father and me, and that it is as impossible to break this knot, and to take off my heart from you, as my Father’s from me.

The Spirit will testify of Christ as He really is; to this Ortlund states:

All that we see and hear of the gracious heart of Jesus in his earthly life will, during his ascended state, enter into the consciousness of his people as experiential reality.

We have this testified in 1 Cor. 2:12

1 Corinthians 2:12 ESV

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

Freely given has a root word of grace (χαρίζομαι), it means “ to give, to grant, to bestow generously.”

How Should This Change My Life?

We need to value and embrace the Spirit’s working in our life

Quench not the Spirit

The Spirit will guide us into all truth

We need to recognize that the Spirit is speaking the words of Christ to us

He will testify of Christ, just as Christ testified of the Father

We need to recognize that the Spirit turns Christ’s work into reality to us

While we know these things as one can know any truth, the Spirit turns truth into experience.