Jesus Promises the Spirit

MEMORY VERSE: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, which the Father will send in My name; shall teach you all things, and remind you of all things which I said to you.” —John 14:26, Diaglott

JOHN 14:15-29

THE Holy Spirit is the holy power of God exercised for the accomplishment of his purposes. In this lesson Jesus promises that he will send this power to his disciples to enlighten and bless them, and call to their remembrance the many things which he had said to them; things which for the most part they had failed clearly to understand. The initial fulfillment of this promise came at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples waiting in the upper room.

The King James version of our English Bible uses the personal pronoun with respect to the Holy Spirit, thus giving the thought that this holy power of God is a person—the third person in a trinity of gods. But in the memory verse we have used the Emphatic Diaglott translation, by Professor Benjamin Wilson, which, in translating Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit, reads, “which the Father will send in my name.” This is in keeping with the truth concerning the Holy Spirit.

The King James Version uses the word “Ghost” in our memory verse instead of “Spirit.” This is another effort on the part of the translators to make the Holy Spirit appear to be a person. There is no justification for the translation “Holy Ghost.” It should always be “Holy Spirit.” An interesting illustration of this is found in the account of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Peter, explaining to his audience that what was occurring was the coming of the Holy Spirit upon believers, said of the resurrected Jesus, “He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” (Acts 2:33) It is difficult to imagine the shedding forth of a person!

As noted, these incorrect translations are designed to help establish the doctrine of the trinity. In this doctrine the Father and the Son are presented as being equal, yet in our lesson for today (John 14) Jesus is quoted as saying, “I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.” (vs. 28) Verse 20 reads, “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.” This reminds us of a statement Jesus made to his Father on behalf of his disciples: “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”—John 17:21

Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth,” and indeed this is what it is. True, God’s power functions in many and various ways for the accomplishment of his purposes, but in the case of his consecrated people, and as a guiding and helping power in their lives, it is the power of his thoughts over our thoughts, and this is the power of truth, the truth of his written Word.

It will be recalled that the prophecies and promises of God in the Old Testament were recorded through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, during his ministry, imparted as many of these truths to his disciples as they were then able to receive. But he explained that he had many things to say unto them, but they would have to wait until the coming of the Spirit of truth. It was this promise which was fulfilled at Pentecost.

Jesus prayed on behalf of his disciples, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” But for the Word of God to sanctify his people it had to be understood, so his Holy Spirit came upon the church to reveal the meaning of what Jesus had taught from the Word, and to remind them of the many things which they had but vaguely understood.

Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit as being a Comforter to his people. It comforted them through an understanding of the events of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, and by revealing to them their partnership with Jesus in the outworking of the divine plan of salvation for a sin-cursed and dying race.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: … let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) Jesus had peace through his faith in the promises of God and his full resignation to the will of God. We can have this same peace in proportion to our faith and obedience.

QUESTIONS

What is the Holy Spirit?

When was the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit fulfilled?

How can we have peace?

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