Our Advocate, The Spirit of Truth

What stands out to me in this chapter is how much God loves us. God desires the best for us. His goal is for all of us to be saved, and for no one to fall away (v. 1). God has given us all we need to succeed, to overcome the trials we will face as Christians, we are “thoroughly equipped” (2 Tim 3:16-17). God has prepared us for persecutions, for griefs we will face, and for hardships. We should not be surprised when we receive persecution as Christians. This should be expected, not a shock to us.
In addition to God sending his only Son into the world, showing us God in the flesh, He has also sent the Holy Spirit to work after Jesus died, He sent an Advocate, the Spirit of Truth (Jn 15:26).

“The Spirit would be alongside and in the disciples, encouraging and exhorting them and bringing them into an elevated spiritual life. And unlike Jesus, he would not be limited by a physical body but would be everywhere, always available. That is a great advantage.” Hughes, R. K. (1999). John: that you may believe (p. 375). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

I’m not sure about you, but I don’t spend enough time pondering the Holy Spirit, and His role in my life and in the world. God sent an Advocate. In other words: a Helper, Encourager or Mediator. 

“…in one language in Central Africa, (Helper) is defined as ‘the one who falls down beside us,’ that is to say, an individual who upon finding a person collapsed along the road, kneels down beside the victim, cares for his needs, and carries him to safety.” Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 141). New York: United Bible Societies.

As a disciple, with the gift of the Holy Spirit inside of us (Acts 2), we are never alone. If we feel alone, that is Satan trying to discourage us and lie to us. We have this amazing Helper, that God has given as a deposit to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). This past year and a half has been a challenging one in many ways. It is tempting to question things, to question God, to question myself. But praise God, that He has sent this Helper to carry me to safety. He is always right there by my side.

Take the time today to thank God for planning to leave the Holy Spirit here on earth, and inside of us to encourage us and to carry us to safety. As Christians, we are blessed!