"It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you" (John 16:7). This Jesus spoke to His disciples on the night of His betrayal, in anticipation of His death and resurrection. He had long been their teacher, guide, and helper, but now His time of departure had come, and these disciples, who so greatly depended upon His presence, would soon be deprived of Him. They, notwithstanding their confident assertions, would soon stumble and leave Christ alone. But Christ would not leave them alone: He promises them the Holy Spirit, the Helper from whom they, and all those believing after them, would derive the blessings needful for their help and comfort.

Experience tells us that the loss of a loved one can never be fully recompensed. There is always something irreplaceable about the one who is departed, and a part of what is lost that can never be found. New relations may come to console, but none can ever replace, and although the severity of grief may diminish over time, it never fully departs. If this is true of the loss of imperfect relations, it is far more so of Christ. What substitute would be sufficient for these disciples, to whom Christ was everything? If the greatest of men was unworthy to untie His sandals (Matt 3:11, 11:11), who could replace Him? Can a beggar's rags replace the King's robe or a dying ember replace the shining sun? Who else could ease their troubled hearts? Who else would have the answer to their every question, the wisdom sufficient for their every condition, and the power to work their every circumstance for good? Who else had the words of eternal life? Had Christ promised them the support of men or angels or the blessings of ease and prosperity, the disciples should have been disappointed, for the consolation would have been far inferior to the loss. Yes, to lose Him would be to lose everything, and nothing less than Christ Himself would be a sufficient replacement. Christ, therefore, promises to send the Holy Spirit, a supply equal to the need and a cure equal to the disease.

Is this equal to Christ's own presence? When human beings prepare to die, they cannot promise their own return. The husband cannot say to his wife, "I will return to you," nor can the loving parent say to a child, "I will come back to you." So King David said of his departed child, "I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me" (2 Sam 12:23), and Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying, but God will surely visit you" (Gen 50:24). But Christ had said to His disciples, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:18)--a promise to send them His own presence in One equal to Him. He had earlier said, "he who has seen Me has seen the Father," making His presence with them equal to that of the Father, and now He promises that the Holy Spirit would be the equal of His presence with them after His departure. Christ also said of the Spirit, "I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever" (John 14:16). The original language intends "another of the same kind." It is the promise of the presence of God in Spirit in the place of God in the flesh.

It is sad that heresies concerning the Holy Spirit abound. Some regard Him as a force. Yet in scripture we see that He creates (Genesis 1:2), He speaks (Acts 13:2), He gives life (2 Cor 3:6), He commands (Acts 1:2), He comforts (Acts 9:31), He intercedes (Rom 8:27), He forbids (Acts 16:6-7), He communes (2 Cor 13:14), He fills (Eph 5:18), He anoints (Acts 10:38), He empowers (Acts 1:8), He regenerates and renews (Titus 3:5). He directs (Mark 1:12), He sends (Acts 13:4), He teaches (1 Cor 2:13), He gives gifts (1 Cor 12:11), He produces fruit (Gal 5:22-23), and He inspires (2 Tim 3:16). He can be lied to (Acts 5:3), grieved (Eph 4:30), resisted (Acts 7:51), tested (Acts 5:9) and blasphemed (Mark 3:19). The scriptures call Him the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Grace, the Spirit of Promise, the Spirit of Life, and the Spirit of Holiness. He is eternal God, of one essence with the Father and the Son, yet sent by them and distinctly manifested from them. In every way, He is a personal God. But even many who regard Him as God wrongly speak of Him and relate to Him. They treat Him more like a Genie than God, thinking that they have authority to bestow, invoke, and manifest Him at will. And how sad it is to see so many mistaking the signs of His presence! He is a God who produces order (1 Cor 14:33) and self-control (Gal 5:23); but look at how often convulsions, loss of consciousness, speaking gibberish, and falling backwards are ascribed to His indwelling! Look at how many who according to His Word are not qualified to be Pastors are claiming His supernatural work in and through their ministries! And how many, misunderstanding the role of the Spirit, focus primarily on Him, when Christ said of Him, "He will glorify Me" (John 16:14). No, let us strive for pure doctrine and practice concerning the Holy Spirit. Let us, with the help of the Holy Spirit, exalt the person and work of Jesus Christ and shine the light upon Him.

But is the giving of the Holy Spirit even better than Christ's physical presence? Yes, because the Holy Spirit would be given to indwell. "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you" (John 14:16-17). The Holy Spirit was already operative in the world, and the disciples had prior acquaintance with Him, both doctrinally and experientially. They already knew Him for He already dwelled with them. But here is the promise of the New Covenant: The Spirit of God takes permanent residence in the hearts of believers--"He will be in you"--yes, and this is to their advantage, for it improves their condition beyond that of having Christ's physical presence. While on earth, Christ's time with the disciples was limited, and even when with them, He was not in them. But here is Christ coming in a greater way. He comes in the person of the Holy Spirit to manifest Himself in the hearts His people. Everything that defiles human beings comes from within (Mark 7:18-23), and this is the very place that the Holy Spirit is promised to reside and work. He is not an aid from afar, nor a support to come only when desired or requested. He is a Helper who abides forever, one who is ever-present to exert His influence to bring growth, comfort, and success.

We may know the presence of something by observation of its effects. The wet ground is evidence of rain; the morning light is evidence of the sun. So it is also with the Holy Spirit. "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). The Spirit convicts the world of sin and righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). He draws hearts and minds to the Savior, Jesus Christ. He sustains, teaches, guides, and comforts those who believe; and He bears witness with their spirits that they are children of God. We may not predict or direct His movements, but we know that where He is present, there is transformation. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal 5:22-23).

"Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Rom 8:9). Oh, then, let me have the Holy Spirit by having Christ. Without Him, I am nothing; but with Him, though the mountains may be removed, and the earth may pass away, I am forever secure. And if He is with me, what can be against me? "My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:26). The world around me will crumble, but He is my refuge and my strength, a very present help in trouble.

If you would like to receive further information concerning these matters, please contact Joseph Montalto.