Holy Spirit ---- Comforter

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Holy Spirit ---- Comforter

I read this statement by an author unknown which says : God does not comfort us to make us comfortable but to make us comforters.

That is what the Holy Spirit does - Jesus said He would send the “ Comforter “ …. Meaning the Holy Spirit .

In reading the 23rd Psalm vs 3-4 –

God says I will fear no evil , for He is with me , and His rod and His staff will comfort me .

Upon searching about the shepherd , we find that the “ rod” was used by the shepherd for beating and smiting - for chastisement . The staff was a pole with a crook at the end to grab any straying sheep .

Likewise our Shepherd needs to chastise us from time to time to keep us on the track of righteousness and uses His Word to draw us back to the fold .

In essence Our Shepherd who has given us the Holy Spirit as a comforter also wants us to extend that comfort , as we are comforted , we need to comfort others..
 
The Holy Spirit is the Advocate of the Father with us , and therefore our Comforter.

John14:16.... 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—.

The Holy Spirit not only consoles but also strengthens , helps and counsels with such authority as a legal advocate has for his client . Christ is also spoken of in this way .

1 John 2:1.....1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
 
The word parakletos is a greek word meaning comforter, councellor , advocate , intercessor , advisor , or a friend who becomes a mediator .

This implies that the Holy Spirit is our helper , but he also convicts of sin , bears witness of Christ , illuminates the Word , enables believers to be Christ - like , and empowers us to overcome temptation and carry out the great commission , Jesus was the first Paraclete to help his followers do his will .

Another word that is used in the N. T. for the Holy Spirit is the word pneuma , and this is the word that is most commonly known . However the word pneuma has an extremely wide range of meanings and translations . The word is used hundreds of times in the N. T.

Pneuma can mean ; breath , life , a person's spirit , demons , angels , or the Holy Spirit . The word Paraclete on the other hand is used only a handful ot times and , all but one , it refers to the Holy Spirit.

We need to understand that the Holy Spirit is a full part of the trinity , and is indeed part of God . The Holy Spirit is completely divine . The word paraclete shows us not simply what the Holy Spirit does but who He is .

The word tells us something about the Spirit's character , and that is that he chooses to help mankind . He is not forced to , but desires to help . The Holy Spirit , even being fully divine and having taken part in creation , chooses to help that which he helped create
 
John 14:16

16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor( Paraclete) to be with you forever

John Writes here the words of Christ , and tells us that Jesus said he would send the Paraclete and that when he came he would be present from then into eternity . It's important that Jesus says another , because this lets us know that a Paraclete was present when he spoke those words. At that time , Jesus was a Paraclete and he says that he will ascend into heaven . Jesus was the first , the Holy Spirit became the second and remains to be the Paraclete today.

Christ sent the Paraclete so that we would not be without the manifest presence of God and so that we might remain close to God even while Christ waits for the sent time to return and claim his people . Jesus promises that even though he would leave , we would not be without his presence and that we would have a helper , comforter , advocate , councellor , intercessor and advisor .

Noting also that Christ's disciples would be lost and heartbroken when he died on the cross , Jesus promises them that one would come who would comfort and console them while continuing on what Christ had started.
 
I read this statement by an author unknown which says : God does not comfort us to make us comfortable but to make us comforters.

So true!
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But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor ( Paraklete )will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you..... John 16:7

THe verse preceding this one explains that the disciples were grieving the loss of their friend , teacher and Saviour. This verse is a response to that grief, and in it Jesus explains that he has to die and leave to accomplish the will of the Father and that if he doesn't then the Paraklete won't be sent .

The Holy Spirit is referred to as the Paraklete here in these verses for a specific reason . Believing that the Bible is the inspired word of God , we need to understand that God inspired John to use the word Paraklete to describe the Holy Spirit for a particular reason . . God wants us to understand in a deeper way the Character of the Holy Spirit .

The Holy Spirit desires to comfort , counsel and advise us . He advocates for us and intercedes on our behalf .

The Holy Spirit is not merely a concept , or some spiritual force but rather a personal being in whom we can find comfort . The Spirit desires to give us wisdom and illuminate the truth of Christ for us .

 
When the Counselor ( Paraklete) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me..... John 15:26

The word testify brings up a very interesting aspect of the Character of the Paraklete and what he does. The word testify has legal connotations and can be defined as meaning ": to give evidence as a witness in a law court " or to serve as evidence or proof of something existing of being the case.

In other words in this verse Jesus is explaining that the Holy Spirit will bear witness for Christ . The Spirit will show people the truth of who Jesus was . Jesus makes it very clear here, that when persecution comes and people begin to come against the gospel and lie about and ridicule Jesus , the Paraklete will come to his defense and testify about who he is . This will happen by the Spirit's work in the hearts of men and women and by the Spirit within believers causing them to stand up for Christ . The word Paraklete can mean advocate or mediator which are all words that carry legal commotations.
 
John 14:26

26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit,( Paraklete) whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

In the old Testament , the Messiah was promised and now we see in this verse in the N. T. , the Messiah promises the Holy Spirit or Paraklete . Jesus says that the Spirit will be sent in his name , and as his agent and representative . The Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus , and became his representative illuminating his words in people's hearts . Up until that point , Jesus was the Paraclete ; he was the one who counseled his people . The Holy Spirit became the Paraklete and was the councellor . This explains who sent the Spirit .

This verse teaches that the Paraklete was sent to teach and bring to remembrance . In this verse , Jesus is talking to his disciples and so he essentially assures them that their teaching will continue. Jesus tells them that their teaching will continue through the Paraklete ( Holy Spirit) and that the Spirit will bring back to memory all that he had taught them .

The Paraklete is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation and would continue to reveal tothem the character and message of Christ. after he died and rose.

Christ worked to reveal his message and the truth in the ancient middle east , and when Spirit cmae , the message was taken to the ends of the earth .

The sending of the Paraklete cause an explosion of the gospel of Jesus Christ .THe Paraklete began to reveal Christ , just as Jesus himself had done .

The Paraklete brings an understanding of the gospel that Jesus had taught . This was paramount in the spreading of the gospel because if the Paraklete had not come, they ( the disciples ) would not have been able to spread the gospel as effectively as they did .
 
The Holy Spirit is the Advocate of the Father with us , and therefore our Comforter.

John14:16.... 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—.

The Holy Spirit not only consoles but also strengthens , helps and counsels with such authority as a legal advocate has for his client . Christ is also spoken of in this way .

1 John 2:1.....1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.






I was very close to my brother and he died, Jesus came to me in my sorrow, he picked me up and carried me, Jesus said gently to me, it’s just his shall that died that’s all, his soul has gone back home to God from where he came, and death it is only a temporary separation, and when you die your be reunited with him. Those words Jesus told me, it really did help me at the time, and it made me think of my brother passing in another way, it is only a temporary separation.

 
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