The Advocate
John 15:18 – Chapter 16
Today I’m asking you to turn your attention to John’s talk of the third person of the Trinity.
John refers to him in several ways—the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit—but he is referring to what we usually call the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost.
In John’s understanding we will receive the Spirit after the Son—Jesus—is resurrected. This corresponds to what we will later read in Acts, when the spirit descends upon the gathered followers of Jesus.
This isn’t to say that the Spirit is new or did not already exist. We read of the Spirit in the baptism of Jesus, and even as far back as the creation itself (the very first versed of Genesis are, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”)
Once Jesus is gone from the world, it is the Spirit who will speak to us the same truth he received from Jesus.
As we as a church seek to reclaim our heritage of taking the Holy Spirit seriously, it’s important to emphasize the continuity between the teachings of Jesus and those of the Spirit, just like it’s important to emphasize the continuity between the Old and New Testaments.
Yes, there are changing circumstances and progress, but the fundamental nature of God doesn’t change. When someone speaks, claiming to be led by the Spirit, it is valid and appropriate to measure their words against the teachings of Jesus: are they in line with what Jesus taught?
Today’s reading also reminds us that not all will be easy in the life of the Christ-follower. The peace we will have is from God, not from easy circumstances.