The Spirit is Here

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

THE SPIRIT IS HERE

John 16:5-11

5 "Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

NIV

Here comes the Spirit. We know this may seem to be incorrect theology, in fact, we have been told it is, but we are not sure that it is that far off from the truth. Although God in three persons has always been God in three persons and all three persons, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit have always been, it still appears that all throughout the Old Testament the Father was always the person of the trinity who interacted with his people. It was God who walked with Adam, was that the Father or was it Jesus. Who passed by Moses, putting his hand in front of him so he could only see his back after he passed? Who met with Moses in the Tent of Meeting? Who talked with Abraham from Heaven to stop him from offering Isaac? Who spoke to all the prophets? It would seem it was the Father. Then after the last prophet, there were hundreds of years that God seemed to be quiet until he spoke to Mary through an angel and the Son came to the earth. He spent a brief time among us, walking with us, and then as John tells us here, he has told us that he must go away. He must return to the Father so he can send the Spirit. Jesus says that unless he goes the Spirit will not come. So then after the Son leaves, the Spirit then comes to be with us until the last day. So it would seem that each one of the three persons of God has spent his own personal time with his creation. Yet for the reason that all three of the persons are God and God has always been involved with his creation, all three of them have always been among us, at least that is what is said to be correct theology. Still, we cannot help to think these words of Jesus mean that both he and the Spirit are not here at the same time and that he was praying to the Father and taught us to pray using the phrase, “Our Father who is in Heaven”. So Jesus and the Father were not here at the same time, as the Father was in Heaven while Jesus was here and Jesus left so he could send the Spirit. It is true that when Jesus was baptized the Father spoke from Heaven, and the Spirit did descend upon Jesus. We are not told the Spirit stayed or returned, yet Jesus says that he must go, that in fact, if he doesn’t go, the Spirit will not come. So what are we to think? There have been great literary and theological works written on the Trinitarian doctrine. Some would suggest there is no evidence of this doctrine within the Old Testament, nor any such teaching of it within the New Testament. The thoughts of some of these works are that such doctrine is found through deduction, yet is it taught because it is the best explanation? There are so many differing opinions that we have to consider them, but not necessarily accept them. So what are we back to? Jesus had to leave, so the Spirit could come. Jesus was to complete his work here and return to sit at the right hand of the Father and in doing so, he was sending the Spirit to be here among and within us for the remaining of the time if this creation. Not only would he judge the world, but he was to be a seal upon us guaranteeing our inheritance. We cannot understand why that song was written which includes those words, “Come Holy Spirit, I need thee, come in your own gentle way”. Why would we sing or ask him to come when he has already been sent to us and has, in fact, made his dwelling within us? This is one more of the promises of Jesus that we have to take as fully completed, it is done, we have Him because Jesus said so.