John 15:26-27 — The Holy Spirit — Aneel Aranha

Hello and welcome to the Bite-Sized Gospel. Today, we will reflect on John 15:26-27. Listen.

[Jesus said:] “When the Advocate 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. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”

In these two short verses, Jesus says a lot about the Holy Spirit, which should give us some food for thought.

One, Jesus uses the word “Advocate” to refer to the Holy Spirit. This is a translation of the Greek word “Paraclete,” which simply means a person who is “called to one’s side.” In general, the word signifies a counsel for defense (think about a lawyer standing by your side in a courtroom), an intercessor, or a helper. All these three words aptly describe the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian.

Two, Jesus says that he will send the Spirit from the Father, once again revealing the Holy Trinity. Just before his ascension into heaven Jesus told the apostles: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5).

Three, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth”. There are two other times when Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as such. In 14:17 he said, “This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” And in John 16:13 Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Four, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will testify on his behalf. And what will he testify about? Two things mainly. The Spirit will testify about the divinity, centrality, and sufficiency of Jesus (John 15:26). And he will testify about our identity in Christ, that we are children of God and heirs of his kingdom (see Romans 8:15-17). 

Jesus ends by telling his apostles that they need to similarly testify about him since they know him. His advice to them holds good for us, too. Do we know Jesus? If we do, then we must testify as well.

God bless you.