The Promised Presence of God

The disciples had no idea.

Within hours, Jesus would be arrested and convicted for who He was, what He had done, and what He had said. Not long after the sun arose, he was crucified. Within 24 hours, his lifeless body was placed in a tomb.

And yet, knowing this, the Lord Jesus met with his close followers, washed their feet, and shared a meal. As he spoke to them, he continued preparing and equipping them for his departure:

• “I will come back and take you to be with me,”
• “… obey what I command,”
• “… love each other as I have loved you,”
• I will send the Paraklētos to you,
• and much more.

In this post, we explore the theme of the Paraklētos.

“What is the paraklētos?” you ask.

Well, we will learn that it is a ‘Who’ rather than a ‘what.’ And just so you know, you pronounce it as para-KLAY-toss. You may also see this word transliterated as paraclete.

Before we dig into the subject, let’s begin with the meaning of this Greek word, paraklētos.

Meaning

Paraklētos is a rich, multi-dimensional word.

Vine’s Dictionary points out that this word combines “para + kaleō,” carrying the literal sense of “called to one’s side.”[1] Another Greek-English dictionary (BDAG) has a similar entry: “one who is called to someone’s aid.”[2]

Various Bible versions translate paraklētos as Counselor (NIV, CSB), Helper (ESV, NASB, NKJ), Comforter (KJV, ASV), and Advocate (NRS, NLT, NET).

These roles are similar in that they describe someone who comes to another’s aid, but they are also diverse—a helper or a comforter is different from an advocate or a counselor.  

I agree with scholars who conclude that the complex meaning of paraklētos cannot be translated into a single English word. For instance, Edward Klink chooses to refer to this title as “the intimate presence of God with his people,”[3] thus combining all the concepts of divine counselor, helper, comforter, advocate, and much more.

Paraklētos is found five times in the New Testament. Four of these occurrences are in Jesus’ Farewell Address (John 13-16). The fifth occurrence refers to Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1-2).

Let’s look briefly at each of the occurrences in John 13-16. In each instance, I have retained the word Paraklētos, which I invite you to think of as “the intimate presence of God with his people.”

John 14:16-17

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraklētos to be with [meta] you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with [para] you and will be in [en] you.

In this text, Jesus identifies the Paraklētos as “the Spirit of truth” here and in 15:26. In 14:26, he refers to him as “the Holy Spirit.”

1. Identity:

The Paraklētos is not a ‘what’ but a ‘Who’—the indwelling Holy Spirit. As such, the intimate presence of God indwells each Christian, equipping, encouraging, and empowering us.

2. Relationship:

Jesus subtly indicates the Spirit’s relationship with his people in three eras, distinguished by three prepositions—meta, para, and en (inserted in the text above). Let me explain.

Our past: During the period in which Jesus spoke to his disciples, the Spirit was with his people. The word “with” translates para, indicating that the Spirit was “beside” his people.

Our present: After the events on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), the Spirit was en or “in” his people. At that event, the Holy Spirit began to indwell God’s people.

Our future: When (I propose) we are with the Lord Jesus in “my Father’s house,” the Spirit will be meta or dwelling “with” God’s people. This suggests an even greater presence of the Father, Son, and Spirit in the age to come.

Together, these two roles identify the Paraklētos as the Holy Spirit who has been, continues to be, and will eternally be “the intimate presence of God with his people.”  

John 14:26

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

3. Teaching:

The Holy Spirit is the pre-eminent teacher of God’s people. Without the Spirit, we are disoriented and inadequate to understand and obey God’s will; with His teaching, we become aware of who God is, who we are, and what God is calling us to be. The Spirit or Paraklētos is the instrumental agent in the composition and illumination of the Scriptures—who better to teach us? He also teaches in and through those with the gift of teaching (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11). 

John 15:26-27

When the Paraklētos 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.

4. Testifying:

This is the word a witness uses to describe what has been seen, heard, and experienced. The Spirit and God’s people, guided and empowered by the Spirit, provide accurate and authoritative evidence of what they have observed and experienced of Jesus Christ. This, in part, is the evangel, the Good News or Gospel of Jesus Christ.

John 16:7-11 

I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Paraklētos will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

5. Convicting:

Another courtroom word. This time, the action of a judge condemning those who are guilty.

We, humans, resist change, even when we know it is for the better. This is especially true when it comes to bowing our knees and hearts to Jesus Christ as Lord and King of all areas of our lives. Often, it is only in times of extremity—when burdened by the conviction of our sin, God’s righteousness, and impending judgment—that we make the vital life-changing choice to receive Christ.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot instill this conviction in others (i.e., unbelievers in the “world”) through our judgmental attitudes or cajoling words. It is the work of the Holy Spirit who generates this conviction and invites all toward Jesus Christ.

Summing Up

We have examined a few verses and discerned only five roles of the Holy Spirit, who is “the intimate presence of God with his people.”

I encourage you to ask yourself: 

“How do these roles of the indwelling Spirit inform, empower, and enrich my life?”

For me, it also leaves another question:

How can we participate or cooperate with the Spirit, allowing Him to exercise these roles through us more fully?

To learn more about the Holy Spirit and his relationship with you, I encourage you to engage with the series “The Holy Spirit and You.” 

Let me know what you think. Use this link to contact me. 

BACK TO Jesus as Our Great High Priest

Notes:

[1] W. E. Vine, and others. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1985), 110.

[2]  Walter Bauer et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 766.

[3] Edward W. Klink, John (ZECNT) (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 634.

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