Lesson #230
Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John14:15 ESV) and then he spoke about the Helper he was going to have the Father send to help us keep those commandments. Jesus continues: “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” (John 14:16 – 17 ESV). Our salvation, Jesus is going to the cross to purchase, is much more than simply a ticket to heaven. The following verses suggest various aspects of our salvation we need to think about. “Jesus answered and said to [Nicodemus], "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."” (ESV). This new birth provides us with eternal, spiritual life, by connecting us to Jesus Christ like a branch is connected to a vine. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, (connected to Christ to draw life from him) he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV). That new creation is also referred to as God’s temple, because God’s Spirit dwells there: “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV). This salvation starts at our being born again, but it is not complete until we receive our new bodies in heaven. Between these two end points we have a responsibility: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12 – 13 ESV). That which was born spiritually needs to mature. That maturing process is a joint effort between us and God and is referred to as working out our salvation. This working out our salvation brings us back to verse 16 and the Helper Jesus was going to ask the Father to send to us.
The word “Helper” in the ESV translation is replaced with “Advocate”, “Comforter”, “Counselor” and “Paraclete in some other translations. Each of these conveys a different emphasis on what the Holy Spirit does in our lives. As a helper the Holy Spirit will help us with working out our salvation and do daily living. He will also help us understand the Scriptures and convict us of our sin. When life is difficult, because of the various trials we may experience, He comes along side to help us experience greater comfort in the midst of our suffering. There are times when we are not sure how to decide about something. He is there as our counselor to guide us to the right choice. Paraclete is an old word found in older translations and generally has the same meaning as counselor.
This Helper that Jesus will have the Father send to us will be with us from the day we are born again. He will dwell within us forever. He is called the Spirit of truth and “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” (John 16:13 ESV). The Holy Spirit is a live communications connection between God and our spirit. He is our perfect guide and teacher. This Spirit of truth, who dwells with us and in in us, is not seen or known or available to the world. He is available only to those who are born again and become God’s temple for him to dwell in.
Prayer
Father, thank you that our salvation is not just an eternal extension of life as we know it today. Thank you that we become a new creation, a temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells. Thank you for the role he plays in our life, now and throughout eternity. Thank you that he bears witness to us that we are children of God.
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