The most important job of the Holy Spirit is to point us to Jesus. Robert Kysar says, “The Spirit enables one to recognize Jesus as the God-sent revealer, to execute an awakening, and to deepen and strengthen faith.”11 It is through his witness that we can have a saving knowledge of Christ. T.S. Caulley says:
The Holy Spirit will dwell in the believers (John 7:38; cf. 14:17) and will guide the disciples into all truth, the Holy Spirit (16:13), teaching them “all things” and bringing them “to remembrance of all that [Jesus] said” to them (14:26). The Holy Spirit will testify about Jesus, as the disciples must also testify (John 15:26-27).
The KJV of the Bible calls the Holy Spirit the Comforter. The word in the Greek is paraklētos. It has a wide range of meanings; comforter being one of them. While there is no direct English translation for paraklētos, comforter does not seem as though it encompasses the word in the way that it should. Andreas J. Köstenberger says paraklētos is “particularly difficult”12 to translate. The NIV translates paraklētos as “counselor”. However, this translation is also inadequate even though it does have the meaning of legal counselor as well as one who would counsel for a psychological problem or a predicament as well. Counselor also brings to mind someone who might guide another. Paraklētos also means intercessor or someone who intercedes. Therefore, we have a comforter who counsels us and intercedes for us. In short, he points us to Jesus. He helps us to rely on the one that was sent from the Father and his name is Jesus. As we continue through this book it will soon become evident just how difficult it is to find any word that is all encompassing when it comes to Holy Spirit.
Amen~!
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