25 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. John 14:25-26 (LSB)
On the night prior to our Lord’s crucifixion and death, He promised that He and the Father would send to His disciples the Helper, the παρακλητος, the Holy Spirit. This Greek word, translated as Helper, means a lawyer or assistant in a legal question. Its Biblical context, however, describes a person who provides encouragement, counsel, and strength. In John 16:7-11, which will be the focus of this post, our Lord promises to send “another” παρακλητος, One like Himself who will carry on after Him the teaching and testimony that He began.
7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.John 16:7 (LSB)
7 ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ τὴν ἀλήθειαν λέγω ὑμῖν, συμφέρει ὑμῖν ἵνα ἐγὼ ἀπέλθω. ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἀπέλθω, ὁ παράκλητος οὐκ ἐλεύσεται πρὸς ὑμᾶς· ἐὰν δὲ πορευθῶ, πέμψω αὐτὸν πρὸς ὑμᾶς.John 16:7 (NA28)
Our Lord always spoke the truth. The word translated here as truth, αληθειαν, is the unveiled reality lying at the basis of and agreeing with an appearance; the manifested, or the veritable essence of matter or the reality pertaining to an appearance. I always am a bit taken aback when I use Sacred Scripture as την αληθειαν in a post, even directly quoting the Lord Himself, when some who have become deceived by the post-modern paradigm into thinking that absolute truth is unknowable attempt to disagree. These same people will say stupid things in protest to the narrow and fixed Biblical Gospel we hold to, such as, “Surely the Gospel is defined broadly enough to encompass all versions of those who are sincere in their beliefs!” Here, our Lord assures His Apostles that each of His disciples are promised something incredible, He will send ο παρακλητος, the Comforter to them. We defined the Greek word and Biblical usage of παρακλητος in the opening paragraph. Notice that He is sent by both the Father and the Son and that He will complete the mission.