The Paraclete

Introduction

In the book Healing the Masculine Soul, Gordon Dalbey says that when Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the helper, he uses a Greek word, paraclete, which was an ancient warrior's term.

"Greek soldiers went into battle in pairs," says Dalbey, "so when the enemy attacked, they could draw together back-to-back, covering each other's blind side. One's battle partner was the paraclete."

Our Lord does not send us to fight the good fight alone. The Holy Spirit is our battle partner who covers our blind side and fights for our well-being.

We all need a battle partner like that, don't we? In a world that is impersonal, lonely, and cold, we need to know that we have someone not only at our side but within us to guide, to guard, to warn, and to empower. The good news is that we have such a person. He is the Lord God and in the form of His Holy Spirit, we have that help.

It is easier to discuss what the Bible teaches about God the Father and God the Son than it is to discuss what the Bible teaches about God, the Holy Spirit. Our conception of the Father and Son can be clearly focused, but so often our concept of the Holy Spirit is hazy and obscure.

Perhaps this is as it should be. The Bible calls attention to the Holy Spirit in His relationship to the Father and to Jesus, the Son. What we know of the Holy Spirit is always in contact with one of the other two persons of the Trinity.

Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, "He shall not speak of himself He shall glorify me: (John 16:13-14). He also said, "When the Comforter is come, he shall testify of me" (John 15:26).

This must not lead us to down grade the Holy Spirit, for He is as much apart of the Trinity as is Jesus. We must understand the importance. On the first page of the Bible, the Spirit moves upon the chaos of the earth and on the last page, the Spirit beckons us to Jesus.

We can, however, put together a clear doctrine of the Holy Spirit's personality and work based on the Scripture. Let us read together the beautiful words of Romans 8:9-17. From this and other passages, let us learn what the Bible says about God the Holy Spirit.

I. Understand The Nature Of The Holy Spirit

A. First, the Holy Spirit is God.

Verses 9 and 14 uses terminology Spirit of God (v. 11 identified His Spirit) In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) and in the familiar benediction (II Corinthians 13:14), the Holy Spirit is named in an equal position with the Father and the Son. These passages have helped us understand the Trinitarian concept of God, one God in three persons. In the discourses of Jesus recorded in John 14-17, he calls the Holy Spirit "another comforter" (paraclete). The words suggest that the Holy Spirit is another like Jesus but separate and distinct.

In John 16:7, Jesus pointed out that the Holy Spirit is distinct from him, coming only after Jesus goes away. Yet we also know that the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and the Father are one. The same mystery is seen in the statement of Jesus in John 10:30, "I and my Father are one," and yet he obviously  maintained a distinction between the Father and the Son.

We cannot intellectually understand nor explain the Trinity. Because of our discovery of biblical truth and through personal experiences, we can recognize the ultimate mystery of the Trinity as a fact about God. One thing is clear--the Holy Spirit is God just as the Father and the Son.

B. Second, the Holy Spirit is a person.

Because his identity is always joined so closely to the other persons in the Trinity and our conception of him is not so clearly focused, there is the tendency to think of him as impersonal. Many persons conceive of the Holy Spirit as an impersonal power or force or influence like "the spirit of the Alamo," or "the spirit of '76," or "school spirit."

But the Bible is clear that the Holy Spirit is personal. We must use the pronoun "he" and not "it" when we speak of him. The characteristics, activities, and names of the Spirit are the characteristics, activities, and names of a person, not a force.

For example, the Holy Spirit has knowledge (I Corinthians 2:11), willpower (I Corinthians 12:11), and love (Romans 15:30). He hears (John 16:13), leads (Romans 8:14), teaches (John 14:26), forbids (Acts 16:6), intercedes (Romans 8:26), grieves (Ephesians 4:30), strive (Genesis 6:3), and comforts (John 15:26).

No impersonal force does these things, only a person.

II. Understand the Work of the Holy Spirit

As I mentioned, the Holy Spirit's work surrounds the Bible like an envelope. His work is multifaceted. In the Old Testament, "...the Holy Spirit" was the agent of the Father in creation (Genesis 1:2). The Holy Spirit "moved upon" the chaos of the formless earth. The word "moved" means "brooded" or "fluttered" like a bird over its nest.

The Holy Spirit empowers the leaders whom the Father chooses to guide his people.

When God chooses a hero for a specific task, the Holy Spirit indwells him to enable him to be effective: Joshua (Numbers 27:18), Saul (I Samuel 10:5-13), Joseph (Genesis 41:38), David (Psalm 51:10-11).

The Holy Spirit inspires the prophets to speak for the Father.

These spokesmen hear and deliver the message of God through the Holy Spirit's work (Ezekiel 11:5).

In the New Testament the Holy Spirit was active at the birth of the Son. For centuries the Spirit's work was silent. Then as the birth of Jesus came closer, the Holy Spirit's work took on new meaning.

Zechariah was filled with the Spirit (Luke 1:67). Elizabeth was filled with the Spirit (Luke 1:41). Simeon was inspired by the Spirit (Luke 2:27). And Mary's son was conceived by the Spirit (Matthew 1-18; Luke 1:35). At creation the Holy Spirit "brooded" over chaos and out of nothing something new was created. At the conception of Jesus, the Holy Spirit "overshadowed" Mary and something new was created-the Son of God in human form.

The Holy Spirit was active at the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:10).

When Jesus was baptized, a dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, hovered and descended upon him. The voice of the Father was heard. Here is one of those rare occasions when Father, Son, and Spirit are active at the same scene.

The Holy Spirit was active at the temptations of Jesus (Matthew 4:1).

He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. The Holy Spirit was active at the cross of Jesus (Hebrews 9:14). The Holy Spirit was active at the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 1:4). The Holy Spirit was active in the sending out of the disciples of Jesus (Luke 24:49).

Now that we have seen a general overview of the work of the Holy Spirit, let us see what the Holy Spirit has to do with us.

A. The Holy Spirit convicts (v. 15).

As a nine-year-old, my feelings of sorrow, guilt, burden, and glad trust in Jesus were the work of the Holy Spirit. Our sense of conviction includes, but is not limited to, the work of our Sunday school teacher, our pastor, our parents, and our conscience. We hear the gospel and our hearts, like those at Pentecost, are pricked and touched by God.

And here is where the unpardonable sin first becomes a possibility. This is the sin of deliberately rejecting the revealing, convicting work of the Holy Spirit. Every time I preach, the Holy Spirit is at work in the hearts of men and women, boys and girls. While some are close to this unpardonable sin of forever rejecting the Spirit, others are close to eternal salvation.

B. The Holy Spirit seals the believer.

When a person is saved, the Holy Spirit seals the believer forever so that he is "stamped," so to speak, as belonging to Christ for eternity.

C. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer (v. 9).

When the believer becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit lives within his life (John 14:17, 20).

D. The Holy Spirit fills the believer (Ephesians 5:18).

This experience is a repeatable experience and can be given or denied to the believer according to conditions of constant dependence and complete surrender to the control of God (Galatians 5:16). Being filled with the Spirit gives a lift, a glow, and a power to the life of daily service. These are mountain peaks of spiritual experience that always point to still greater experiences, for the believer never reaches a point in growth where he cannot go still higher.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is no "second blessing" but a fact of conversion. Yet many Christians simply lock the Spirit into one "room " of the "house" of their lives. That which some folks call a "filling" or a "second blessing" is really the empowering of our lives for some special work or task by the Spirit. It is impossible to empower the life of a backsliding Christian.

E. The Holy Spirit enables the believer (v. 11-quicken).

Perhaps the most important work of the Holy Spirit is the enabling of the believer to live the Christian life. There are hundreds of things we can do without asking God's help, but the moment we try to live like Christ, follow His example, or obey His commands in our own strength, we discover we can't. We fail. We are frustrated and defeated.

We discover that we need the inner reinforcement and power from the Holy Spirit indwelling within us. Jesus said it is expedient that he go away so the Holy Spirit could come. Jesus in the flesh could be in only one place at a time, but the Holy Spirit can be with all disciples, wherever they are, at the same time. He offers the help we need to be Christian in behavior and lifestyle.

He gifts us so that we can do His work. We have seen...nature, person, work...not so much a doctrine. What about you? Are you a "spiritual" person? The "spiritual" person is one sensitive to the presence and pressure of the Spirit. Our deepest need is to open our lives to the Spirit-as He draws you to Jesus, -- as He draws you to the Father.

Conclusion

If we are going to be ready for the fire, we must be open to the indwelling power of God through His Holy Spirit. Are you open? Are you ready? God wants to do a mighty work in our midst. Let us lay aside the shackles that have bound us and be open to His leadership. He is our paraclete!