10The Legacy of Jesus  (John 14:15–26)

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:15–26)

As people grow older, they naturally spend more and more time thinking about the legacy they will leave behind. They begin to consider how they will be remembered, and what they will hand down to those coming after them. Like never before, they reflect on the heritage they have built over their lifetime.

On the financial front, many plan for the distribution of the wealth they have accumulated, wanting to make sure it goes to their heirs of choice, and not to the government or an unacceptable third party. Not surprisingly, addressing such concerns has become big business. There are innumerable estate planners, investment counselors, and attorneys offering means to accomplish people’s differing objectives. Television commercials tout life insurance and exhort seniors not to burden their families with expensive funeral costs. Local bookstores are fully stocked with self-help books and computer programs dealing with estate planning. Special seminars are frequently offered on how to handle wills and trusts. All of this is predicated on people’s desire to preserve their wealth and pass it on to the next generation.

Such concerns are valid. The Bible speaks of the importance of wise stewardship (cf. Prov. 27:23–27; Matt. 25:14–30; Luke 16:11), and assumes that people will leave an inheritance to those who come after them (Prov. 13:22; 17:2; 19:14; 20:21; Matt. 21:38; Luke 12:13; 15:11–12). But of far greater importance than the corruptible, earthly inheritance they leave others is the incorruptible heavenly inheritance God has for every child of His. That inheritance is “imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for [them]” (1 Peter 1:4; cf. Eph. 1:11). It is far beyond human understanding, prompting Paul to write, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:18).

No human merit can qualify lost sinners to receive the riches of heaven; only those who “turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God [and] receive forgiveness of sins [will receive] an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in [Christ]” (Acts 26:18; cf. 20:32). They, “being justified by His grace, [are] made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7; cf. Heb. 9:15). Believers receive their inheritance from all three members of the Trinity. The Father “has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light” (Col. 1:12);we are “fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17; cf. Col. 3:24); and “the Holy Spirit … is given as a pledge of our inheritance” (Eph. 1:13–14).

But that inheritance is not merely after death. God provides rich blessings for His children in this life that are a foretaste of the full riches that await them in heaven. On the night before His death, the Lord Jesus Christ revealed those blessings to His disciples, who were at that time in desperate need of great comfort and encouragement. As noted in the previous chapter of this volume, the disciples were distraught over the impending loss of the Master they loved and on whom they depended. Concerned about their anxieties, even in the face of His own death, Jesus selflessly sought to relieve their fears with stunning and gracious promises that would provide everything they needed.

And those promises the Lord made are not restricted to the apostles and their associates. They are for all true believers—those who prove the genuineness of their love for Christ by keeping His commandments (vv. 21–24; 15:10, 14; cf. 8:31; 12:48). Those commandments include more than the ones He gave in the immediate context (vv. 21–24; 13:34–35). They encompass His entire revelation of the Father’s will (John 3:11–13, 32–34; 7:16;8:26, 28, 38, 40; 12:49; 14:10; 15:15; 17:8, 14).

Obedience is a hallmark of genuine saving faith and love for God. Those who are truly saved, by grace alone, will invariably respond with a life of submission and service. With their hearts regenerated (John 3:5; Titus 2:4–7; cf. Eph. 2:4–10) and their minds renewed (cf. Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23), genuine Christians cannot help but outwardly reflect who they are on the inside—new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).

Throughout His ministry, Jesus repeatedly emphasized the obedience that characterizes all who savingly believe. “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’” Jesus demanded, “and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). The one who “does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). Those “who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, [will face God’s] wrath and indignation” (Rom. 2:8). It was Paul’s privilege through God’s grace “to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake” (Rom. 1:5; cf. 15:18; 16:26; Acts 6:7). At His second coming Jesus will “[deal] out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thess. 1:8). To “all those who obey Him [Jesus is] the source of eternal salvation” (Heb. 5:9). The elect were chosen “to obey Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:2), while the unregenerate are those who “do not obey the gospel of God” (1 Peter 4:17).

John emphasized the inseparable link between love and obedience in his first epistle:

Thus it is to the eleven disciples, and by extension all the faithful, that the Lord speaks these words of promise and provision. Although He would no longer be visibly present with His disciples, they would not be left alone. Jesus promised them (and all subsequent believers) four permanent sources of power and comfort: the presence of the Spirit, the presence of the Son, the presence of the Father, and the presence of the truth.

THE PRESENCE OF THE SPIRIT

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. (14:16–17)

In verse 15 Jesus had spoken of the disciples’ love for Him; here He revealed His love for them. In keeping with His intercessory work as their Great High Priest, Jesus promised to ask the Father to send His people another Helper—the Holy Spirit. Parakletos (Helper) is a term the meaning of which cannot be exhausted by any one word. It literally means “one called alongside to help” and has the connotation of a helper, comforter, counselor, exhorter, intercessor, encourager, and advocate (defense attorney).

Allos (another) refers specifically to another of the same kind. For example in Matthew 13:24, 31, and 33, each succeeding parable is called “another” (allos) in the same category (they are all parables about the nature of the kingdom). In Mark 4:36 allos describes “other” boats of a similar style; in Mark 12:4 “another” slave of the same vineyard owner; in John 12:29 “others” in the same crowd; and in John 18:15–16 (cf. 20:2, 3, 4, 8) “another” disciple (the apostle John), who was of the same group as Peter.

While in English there is only one word for “another,” there is a second Greek word used often in the New Testament. It is, in contrast to allos, the word heteros, which describes another thing of a completely different nature (cf. the English word heterodoxy). In Acts 7:18 Stephen spoke of “another [heteros] king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.” That pharaoh was not only from a different dynasty, but also had a radically different attitude toward the children of Israel. In Romans 7 Paul used heteros to distinguish the “law of sin” (v. 23) from the absolutely opposite “law of God” (v. 22). Perhaps the most striking illustration of the difference between allos and heteros is in Galatians 1:6–7. There Paul rebuked those who were following a “different (heteros) gospel” than the one they had received. That false gospel was “not another (allos)” of the same kind as the true gospel, since there is only one true gospel.

Summarizing the distinction between allos and heteros, the noted Greek scholar Richard C. Trench wrote,

Hence, Jesus’ promise was that He would send another (allos) Helper exactly like Himself, a person who could adequately take His place and empower His work. The Holy Spirit is the perfect substitute for the Lord Jesus Christ—the original Helper (cf. 1 John 2:1, where “Advocate” translates paraklētos). Like Jesus, the Holy Spirit would teach (John 14:26), strengthen (Eph. 3:16), and intercede for the disciples (Rom. 8:26). Though His departure was imminent, the Lord promised that the Holy Spirit would be with them forever.

Contrary to the false teaching of cults such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the assumption of many professed Christians, the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force or power. The Bible clearly teaches that He is a person, and that is true because He is God.

Scripture reveals that the Holy Spirit possesses the attributes of personhood: intellect (He knows the thoughts of God [1 Cor. 2:11] and has a mind [Rom. 8:27]); emotion (He can be grieved [Eph. 4:30; cf. Isa. 63:10]); and will (He distributes spiritual gifts in the church according to His will [1 Cor. 12:11]). He also does things that only a person can do, such as teach (Luke 12:12; John 14:26); testify (John 15:26; Rom. 8:16), lead and direct (Matt. 4:1; Acts 13:4; 16:6–7; Rom. 8:14), give guidance (Mark 13:11; Acts 15:28), convict (John 16:7–8), speak (Acts 8:29; 10:19; 13:2; 20:23; 21:11; 1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 22:17), intercede (Rom. 8:26), and reveal (Mark 12:36; Luke 2:26; 1 Cor. 2:10; Acts 1:16; 4:25; 28:25; Heb. 3:7; 10:15–17; 2 Peter 1:21; cf. 2 Sam. 23:2; Ezek. 11:5). Nor can an impersonal force be lied to (Acts 5:3), blasphemed (Matt. 12:31), or insulted (Heb. 10:29). Further, the New Testament refers to the Holy Spirit using masculine pronouns, even though the Greek noun pneuma (spirit) is neuter.

The Bible also teaches the deity of the Holy Spirit. As the third person of the Trinity, He is associated with God the Father and God the Son. He is called the Spirit of God (Ezek. 11:24; Matt. 3:16) and the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7; Gal. 4:6; Phil. 1:19; 1 Peter 1:11). He is mentioned with them in the Trinitarian baptism formula in Matthew 28:19 (cf. Isa.48:16; 2 Cor. 13:14). The Holy Spirit possesses divine attributes, including eternity (Heb. 9:14), omniscience (1 Cor. 2:10–11), omnipresence (Ps. 139:7), omnipotence (as demonstrated by His power to create; Gen. 1:2; Job 33:4), veracity (truthfulness; 1 John 5:6), and the power to give life (He is called the “Spirit of life” in Rom. 8:2).

The Holy Spirit does the works that only God can do, including creating the universe (cf. Gen. 1:2 with Ps. 33:6–9), inspiring Scripture (cf. 2 Peter 1:21 with 2 Tim. 3:16), regenerating lost sinners (John 3:6; Titus 3:5), and sanctifying believers (2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2).

Finally, Scripture unequivocally states that the Holy Spirit is God. Acts 5:3 says that Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, while verse 4 says he lied to God. Paul’s declaration in 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit,” also unmistakably affirms the deity of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth (cf. 15:26; 16:13) to emphasize His work of revealing spiritual truth to believers. In particular, the Holy Spirit was to reveal to the apostles the inspired truth of the New Testament (John 14:26; 16:13), as He had revealed the Old Testament (2 Peter 1:19–21). (For a further discussion of this point, see the exposition of v. 26 below.) The world, on the other hand, cannot receive the Holy Spirit because it does not see Him or know Him. Just as the world failed to recognize Jesus Christ (John 1:10; Acts 13:27), so also would it fail to recognize the Holy Spirit.

Unregenerate people cannot comprehend spiritual truth. “A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God,” wrote Paul, “for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor. 2:14; cf. vv. 7–13; 1 John 2:20, 27). Not surprisingly, on the day of Pentecost some of the bystanders derisively accused the Spirit-filled believers of being drunk (Acts 2:13). Jesus cautioned the disciples in advance that despite the Spirit’s work in and through them, they would still face hostility and rejection from the unbelieving world (cf. 15:19; 16:33).

Though the world would not recognize the Spirit, the disciples would know Him because, Jesus told them, He abides with you and will be in you. The Lord’s promise that the Spirit would indwell the disciples in the future does not mean the Holy Spirit was not present or active before Pentecost (cf. Gen. 6:3; 1 Chron. 12:18; Pss. 51:11; 139:7–12; 143:10; Ezek. 36:27). No one in any era of redemptive history could be saved, sanctified, empowered for service and witness, or guided in understanding Scripture and praying in the will of God apart from the Spirit’s internal soul work. That He was already present with the disciples, before the cross, is clear from the present tense of the verb translated abides. One author explains the Holy Spirit’s ministry prior to the church age with these words:

Under the old covenant, the Spirit was present with believers in a general sense. But soon, as Christ promised His disciples, the Comforter would in an unprecedented way personally and permanently indwell those who believed. There was to come for believers a giving of the Spirit by which unique power would be provided for ministry and evangelism. That happened on the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit was given to believers in a new fullness that became normative for all believers since (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:13).

THE PRESENCE OF THE SON

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. (14:18–20)

Like a dying father concerned about his children (cf. 13:33; 21:5; Mark 10:24), Jesus promised the disciples that He would not leave them as orphans. The reference to His leaving is a veiled reference to His death, and graphically expresses the sense of loss the disciples would experience. As foreboding as that loss seemed, it would only be temporary as the Lord’s promise I will come to you indicates. The primary reference is to His resurrection, after which they would see Him again (cf. John 20:19–29; Acts 1:3; 1 Cor. 15:3–8). But because of His union with the Holy Spirit in the Godhead, Jesus would also abide with them through His Spirit, who would be poured out at Pentecost (cf. 16:16; Matt. 28:20; Rom. 8:9; Phil. 1:19; 1 Peter 1:11; 1 John 4:13).

After a little while—only a few hours remained until the crucifixion—Jesus would be dead, and the unbelieving world would no longer see Him. They would not see Him physically after His resurrection (since He apparently appeared only to His disciples [cf. 1 Cor. 15:1–11]) nor would they have any capacity to know Christ’s presence through the indwelling Holy Spirit (since they are spiritually dead [Eph. 2:1] and “devoid of the Spirit” [Jude 19]). In contrast to the unbelieving world, the Lord promised His disciples, you will see Me; because I live (cf. 1:4; 6:48, 57; 14:6) you will live also (cf. 3:15, 16; 3:36; 4:14; 5:24, 39–40; 6:27, 58; 11:25). As witnesses to the resurrected Savior, the disciples would be given visible proof that they too would one day be raised (1 Cor. 15:20–21, 35–58). Moreover, being spiritually alive because of Christ’s resurrection and the indwelling of the Spirit, believers are able to perceive Jesus’ presence in this life (cf. Heb. 13:5–6).

The Son is not only in union with the Spirit but also with the Father. In that day (after the resurrection and the coming of the Spirit), He said, you will know that I am in My Father. Though no human mind can fully understand that union, being hidden in the mysterious depths of the Trinity (cf. Job 11:7; Rom. 11:33), the disciples and all believers have recognized its reality. They would soon come to understand the truth that baffled them at the present (cf. 14:8–9).

Then Jesus made a profound promise. Not only would the disciples know that He is in the Father, but also, as He went on to tell them, you will understand that you are in Me, and I in you. Through the indwelling of the Spirit, believers are united with Jesus. (That union, of course, is not one of essence; believers do not become part of the Godhead.) Several New Testament metaphors depict the nature of that union. Jesus is the vine and believers are the branches (John 15:5); they are the body of which He is the head (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 1:22–23; 4:15–16; 5:23; Col. 1:18; 2:19); they are stones in the spiritual house of which He is the cornerstone (Eph. 2:20–22; 1 Peter 2:4–6); they are the bride and He is the groom (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:22–24; Rev. 19:7).

Further expressing that union, the Bible teaches that believers are “in Christ.” In Romans 8:1 Paul declared, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” To the Corinthians he wrote, “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30), and, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor. 5:17; cf. Rom. 16:7; Phil. 4:21; Col. 1:2, 28;2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Peter 3:16;5:14).

Not only are believers in Christ; He also abides in them (cf. John 6:5; 14:20, 23; 15:4–5; 17:23, 26). “If Christ is in you,” Paul wrote, “though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness” (Rom. 8:10). “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith,” the apostle challenged the Corinthians, “examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5). In Galatians 2:20 he noted, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Paul prayed for the Ephesians that “Christ [might] dwell in [their] hearts through faith” (Eph. 3:17) and reminded the Colossians of “the riches of the glory of this mystery … which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).

Jesus thus reassured His worried disciples that His death would not end their relationship with Him. Their union with Him was indissoluble, as is true for all believers. Nothing can separate His own from His presence or His love (Rom. 8:38–39).

THE PRESENCE OF THE FATHER

“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.” (14:21–24)

Only those who obey His commandments (cf. the discussion of v. 15 above) enter into union with Christ. Their obedience is not the cause of their salvation, “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in [God’s] sight” (Rom. 3:20; cf. v. 28; 4:13; 5:1; Gal. 2:16; 3:11; Eph. 2:8–9; Titus 3:5), but rather the inevitable result of it. Obedience, flowing from a heart transformed by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit (cf. James 2:14–26), marks the one who truly loves Jesus Christ. Such obedient love is the outworking of the love the Holy Spirit pours into the redeemed heart at salvation (Rom. 5:5; Gal .5:22).

It is only the one who loves Christ who will be loved by the Father (cf. 16:27; 17:23). Jesus said, “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:23) and “He who hates Me hates My Father also” (John 15:23). No one who rejects the Lord Jesus Christ can truly know, love, or honor God, because “the Father loves the Son” (John 3:35; 5:20), “and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Matt. 11:27). Along with the Father, Jesus will love those who love Him (cf. John 13:1, 34; 15:9; Eph. 5:25; Rev. 1:5), and will disclose Himself to them.

Expressing the bewilderment that the others no doubt felt, Judas (not Iscariot) said to Jesus, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” As John’s parenthetical note indicates, this was not Judas Iscariot, but Judas the son of James (Luke 6:16). In Matthew 10:3, he is also called Thaddeus (some Greek manuscripts add a third name, Lebbaeus). Judas assumed that Jesus was speaking of returning physically to establish His earthly kingdom (cf. Acts 1:6). He could not understand how, that being the case, Jesus would disclose Himself to the disciples, and not to the world. After all, Jesus was the Savior of the world (John 4:42); the rightful heir of the earth (Heb. 1:2); the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev. 19:16). The good news of the forgiveness and salvation that He brought was to be proclaimed throughout the whole world (Matt. 28:19). Why then, Judas wondered, was Jesus not going to make Himself known to everyone?

Jesus’ reply, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word (cf. 17:6), explained that He will not reveal Himself to those who refuse to love and obey Him. This is the third time in this section (cf. vv. 15, 21) that Christ linked obedience with genuine love for Him (cf. 8:31). Not only will He love those who love Him (cf. 1 Peter 1:1–2), the Father also will love them. Further, both the Father and the Son will come to them and make their abode with them. The Lord’s declaration, “He who does not love Me does not keep My words,” emphasized yet again, this time negatively, the inseparable connection between love for Him and obedience to Him. Jesus will not make Himself known to those who reject Him (cf. John 7:17; 8:47). Such people also do not know the Father, since Jesus’ message was not His, but the Father’s who sent Him (cf. v. 10; 3:34; 7:16; 8:28, 38, 40; 12:49; 17:8). Therefore to reject Jesus is also to reject the Father (cf. 5:23; 15:23). To have Jesus is to have the Father.

THE PRESENCE OF THE TRUTH

“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (14:25–26)

Throughout His ministry, Jesus had been the source of truth for the disciples (cf. v. 6). “These things (the Father’s word; v. 24),” He reminded them, “I have spoken to you while abiding with you.” But just as He would not leave them without a source of comfort, so also He would not leave the disciples without a source of truth. He would send the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of truth” (v. 17), to guide and teach them. Apart from His revelation, there is no way to know spiritual truth. Since “the world through its wisdom did not come to know God” (1 Cor. 1:21), fallen mankind is “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). It is only when people are “saved [that they] come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4).

Even the disciples, before Pentecost, found it difficult to understand all that Jesus taught them. According to John 2:22, it was not until after the resurrection that they understood His teaching in verse 19. Nor did they grasp the full significance of the triumphal entry until after Jesus had been glorified (John 12:16). Because of their obtuseness, Jesus told them, “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (16:12). They needed instruction, so Jesus promised them, The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name (cf. Acts 2:33) He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you (cf. 16:13). The phrase, in My name, means “on My behalf,” as it also does in verse 13. Just as Jesus came in the Father’s name (5:43), so also will the Spirit come in Jesus’ name. As another Comforter like Jesus, the Spirit will always act in perfect harmony with Christ’s desires, purposes, and will. “He will glorify Me,” Jesus would later tell the disciples, “for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you” (16:14). In the divine plan, the Spirit’s ministry is to testify about Christ (15:26), not draw attention to Himself (cf. 16:13).

The Spirit is the believer’s resident truth teacher (1 John 2:20, 27); by illuminating God’s Word to their understanding, He thus grants Christians the knowledge of God that leads them to spiritual maturity.

But Christ’s promise that the Spirit would bring to their remembrance all that He had said to them was primarily a promise to the apostles of divine inspiration. The Holy Spirit’s supernatural guidance granted them an inerrant understanding of Jesus Christ’s person and teaching. The apostles (and their close associates) recorded that divinely inspired truth in the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament.

Peter described the process of inspiration in 2 Peter 1:20–21: “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” The apostle Paul declared, “All Scripture is inspired by God” (lit., “God-breathed,” 2 Tim. 3:13). The Holy Spirit inspired the very words of Scripture, not merely the thoughts of the writers (1 Cor. 2:13). The Bible is therefore inerrant and authoritative, and thus the only infallible rule of faith and practice. It alone contains “the sacred writings which are able to give [one] the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). For the redeemed, the Bible is “the sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17) and is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17).

Armed with the truth and accompanied by the presence of God, the disciples and their contemporaries would soon be those who “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6 KJV). But in this moment of distress, just hours before the cross, the situation looked desperately hopeless. Aware of the disciples’ distress, Jesus pointed them to the ultimate and only sure source of hope—the triune God. In the same way that the promise of God’s presence heartened them two millennia ago, it should still bring confidence and courage to believers today, since it provides comfort both now (2 Cor. 1:3–4; cf. Pss. 23:4; 86:17; Matt. 5:4; Acts 9:31), and forever (Isa.25:8; 2 Thess. 2:16; Rev. 7:17; 21:4).