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Glory · The Holy Spirit
Jesus calls the Spirit 'another Helper' to tell us two things at once: the Spirit is a Person, not a force, and He is a Helper of the same kind as Jesus Himself. He is Jesus' continuing presence with His people: the One who teaches, testifies, and stays with us forever.
https://glorystudy.com/questions/why-jesus-calls-the-spirit-another-helper · Scripture quoted from the World English Bible
John 14:15-31
As you read: Jesus promises 'another Counselor': a Person who will be with His disciples forever.
15If you love me, keep my commandments.
16I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, that he may be with you forever,—
17the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive; for it doesn’t see him, neither knows him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you.
18I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.
19Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also.
20In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
21One who has my commandments, and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him.”
22Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, what has happened that you are about to reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.
24He who doesn’t love me doesn’t keep my words. The word which you hear isn’t mine, but the Father’s who sent me.
25I have said these things to you, while still living with you.
26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you.
27Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.
28You heard how I told you, ‘I go away, and I come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I said ‘I am going to my Father;’ for the Father is greater than I.
29Now I have told you before it happens so that, when it happens, you may believe.
30I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in me.
31But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father commanded me, even so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
John 15:18-27
As you read: Jesus explains what the Helper does: He testifies about Jesus, alongside the disciples.
18If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.
19If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also.
21But all these things will they do to you for my name’s sake, because they don’t know him who sent me.
22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23He who hates me, hates my Father also.
24If I hadn’t done among them the works which no one else did, they wouldn’t have had sin. But now have they seen and also hated both me and my Father.
25But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’
26“When the Counselorhas come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.
27You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Acts 1:1-11
As you read: Jesus tells them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise: they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
1The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,
2until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
3To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God’s Kingdom.
4Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me.
5For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6Therefore when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
7He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority.
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
9When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing,
11who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.”
Acts 2:1-21
As you read: The promised Helper arrives, and Peter explains that the promise is now open to everyone who repents.
1Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them.
4They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
5Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky.
6When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language.
7They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans?
8How do we hear, everyone in our own native language?
9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,
10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
11Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!”
12They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, “What does this mean?”
13Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
15For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day.
16But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:
17‘It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.
18Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21It will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
In the upper room, Jesus promised 'another Counselor' and made clear that the Helper would be to His disciples what He Himself had been: a Teacher, a Friend, and a constant Presence who would abide with them forever. He is not a substitute for Jesus; He is Jesus' own gift of Himself, sent so that Jesus' presence would never leave them.
“I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, that he may be with you forever,—”John 14:16
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you.”John 14:26
The Helper speaks, teaches, reminds, testifies, guides, and hears. Peter even charges Ananias with lying to the Holy Spirit, which only a Person can be. No one grieved an influence or was lied to by a power; the Helper is Someone to know, follow, and never grieve.
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you.”John 14:26
““When the Counselorhas come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.”John 15:26
“However when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming.”John 16:13
“But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land?”Acts 5:3
“Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”Ephesians 4:30
The promise of the Helper is immediately followed by: 'I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.' The Spirit is the presence of the risen Jesus with His people. Jesus even said it was to our advantage for Him to go away, so that the Helper could come and abide with us forever.
“I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.”John 14:18
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I don’t go away, the Counselor won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”John 16:7
“Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.”John 14:23
The Helper teaches all things and reminds us of what Jesus said. He testifies about Jesus, and He glorifies Jesus by taking what belongs to Christ and declaring it to us. Whenever the Spirit is genuinely at work, Jesus becomes more real, never less.
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you.”John 14:26
““When the Counselorhas come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.”John 15:26
“However when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming. He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine, and will declare it to you.”John 16:13-14
Pentecost was the arrival of the Helper: the Spirit poured out on all flesh, young and old, sons and daughters. And Peter's invitation still stands: repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise is for you.
“‘It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.”Acts 2:17-18
“Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.””Acts 2:38-39