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Commentaries
English
John
  
16And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever.17even 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.


He who tries to live up to Jesus’ commands on his own will fail in despair. For that reason, Jesus interceded with God to send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. He has several functions here. He is the Spirit of truth who shows us the extent of our sins. Then he portrays to us Jesus crucified before us, assuring us that this is the divine Son who pardons our sins. He makes us righteous before God by grace. This blessed Spirit gives us the second birth. He opens our mouths to call God our Father. Then, we feel sure that we are truly the children of God by the Spirit of adoption. Lastly, he becomes our advocate defending us. He stands beside us and keeps us firm in the face of Satan’s whispers, assuring us that salvation is complete. We cannot find certainty in our trials or satisfaction in this world except through the Comforter whom Jesus has sent us.
No man possesses the Spirit by nature, neither a genius or a poet or a seer. This Spirit is supernatural, and comes on those who believe in Christ’s blood. He who does not love Jesus or accept him, does not have the Spirit indwelling him. But he who loves Jesus and accepts his salvation experiences joy in practice. With the Holy Spirit in our hearts we experience God’s power in the midst of weakness. Jesus assures you that this Comforter will not forsake you in death or at the judgment, for he is life eternal.