16Holy Spirit-Empowered Witness  (John 15:26–27)

“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.” (15:26–27)

As He gathered with the disciples on the night before His death, Jesus knew they were filled with sorrow and fear. Their love for Him was so intense that they were convinced that they would rather die with Him than live without Him. When Jesus predicted that they would in actuality abandon Him (Matt. 26:31), Peter replied, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away” (v. 33), and later, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” Echoing Peter’s bravado, “all the [rest of the] disciples said the same thing too” (v. 35).

But, as Jesus foretold, the disciples would soon abandon Him, being overcome by their fear and sorrow (cf. John 16:32). Even now, their sense of impending loss was overwhelming. As a result, the Lord spent this final night with the disciples comforting them. Amazingly, though He Himself was about to endure unimaginable suffering, He selflessly concerned Himself with the anxious apprehensions of His frightened followers.

Jesus began by reassuring them of His continuing love (chap. 13), which He graphically illustrated by washing their feet. Then in chapter 14 He made a series of magnificent promises, which assured them that they would not lack the resources they needed after He was gone.

But the Lord knew that despite His love for the disciples and the resources He promised them, they would still have to face the world’s hostility. His promises to the disciples, then, were necessarily balanced with warnings about the persecution they would face in His name (15:18–25).

But the disciples would not have to face the world’s opposition in their own strength. In these two verses Jesus reiterated His earlier promise (14:16–17, 26) that He would send the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower them. The Spirit’s coming made certain that all of Jesus’ promises would be fulfilled. The rest of the New Testament echoes this same truth, that the promises Christ made to His disciples (and by extension to all of His followers) would be ensured and enabled through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

For example, Jesus promised to return and take His own to be with Him in heaven (14:1–6). Thus, believers can confidently look forward to eternal life with Christ in resurrected glory. Describing that same reality, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” As a guarantee that He will do as He promised, God “gave to us the Spirit as a pledge” (2 Cor. 5:5). In the words of Ephesians 1:13–14:

Earlier that evening the Lord promised the disciples, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father” (14:12). In His final words before His ascension, Jesus revealed the source of the power that would enable believers to do those works: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8). It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that enables believers “to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within [them]” (Eph. 3:20).

In John 14:13–14 Jesus promised that He would supply believers’ needs when they pray in His name. But since they “do not know how to pray as [they] should … the Spirit Himself intercedes for [them] with groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:26; cf. Eph. 6:18).

Another comforting promise the Lord made to the disciples was that He and the Father would reside in them:

That promise was fulfilled by the coming of the Holy Spirit, who, Jesus told the disciples, “abides with you and will be in you” (John 14:17), since He is the “Spirit of God” and the “Spirit of Christ” (Rom. 8:9). Furthermore it is the Spirit who confirms the believer’s saving relationship with God. As Paul wrote in Romans, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also and fellow heirs with Christ” (8:16–17). As those in fellowship with Jesus Christ and His Father (cf. 1 John 1:3), believers have been promised a legacy of peace (John 14:27), love (John 13:1, 34), and joy (John 15:11)—all of which are fruits produced in their lives by the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22).

The legacy Christ gave the church also includes the power to evangelize the world. That, too, comes from the Spirit. As noted earlier, just before He ascended into heaven, Jesus promised the disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). There can be no Christian witness apart from the Spirit; it is His ministry to convict the world of sin (John 16:8) and present Jesus Christ to it (John 15:26). No one can be saved without confessing Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9–10) and no one can do that without the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3).

It is the Holy Spirit’s empowering of Christian witness to a lost world that is in view in this passage. Four important truths regarding the nature of Christian witness emerge from these two verses: it is to the world, about the Son, from the Father, and through believers.

CHRISTIAN WITNESS IS TO THE WORLD

Though not explicitly stated in verses 26 and 27, the obviously implied object of believers’ testimony concerning Jesus Christ is the world of lost sinners. The immediate context of verses 26 and 27 makes that clear; both the preceding passage (vv. 18–25) and the following section (16:1–11) discuss the world and its hostility. This point may seem trite and obvious, yet many Christians never confront the world with the gospel. Jesus’ command, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt. 28:19–20), goes unheeded. Christians must be bold with the truth of the gospel message, the content of which focuses on the person and work of Jesus Christ (a point that will be developed below).

In an age of postmodern relativism and ambiguity, nothing is more needed than the clear presentation to the unbelieving world of God’s absolute truth, centering on the gospel of Jesus Christ. To be sure, this message will be generally met with hostility and opposition. Jesus Himself said it would be so. Yet, faithfulness to Christ demands that believers speak boldly and with conviction (cf. 2 Cor. 4:13–14), being enabled to do so through the Spirit’s power. As Paul told the Ephesians,

Of course, if believers are to effectively confront the world system, they cannot be part of it. Though they are in the world, they must not be “of the world” (cf. John 15:19; 17:14). James warned, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4), while in his first epistle John noted that “if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). There can be no compromise with the satanic world system that is irrevocably and unalterably opposed to the kingdom of God. As Jesus declared, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters” (Luke 11:23).

Despite the world’s hostility, however, Christians must confront the lost with compassion and gospel love. As Paul counseled his protégé Timothy,

The apostle Peter echoed this same mindset when he wrote these words of instruction: “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15).

CHRISTIAN WITNESS IS FROM THE FATHER

When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father (15:26a)

The ultimate witness to Jesus Christ is God the Father (cf. 5:37; 6:27;8:18), who testified to the Son in several ways. First, God spoke in the Hebrew Scriptures (Heb. 1:1–2) and the theme of His revelation is the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 5:39 Jesus said to His opponents, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me,” while in Luke 24:44 He told the disciples, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Revelation 19:10 notes that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

A second way the Father testified to the Son was through the divine works that Jesus did. In John 5:36 Jesus told His adversaries, “The works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.” “The works that I do in My Father’s name,” He declared in 10:25, “these testify of Me;” in verse 37 He challenged His opponents, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me.” Peter affirmed that Jesus was “attested … by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him” (Acts 2:22; cf. 10:38).

The Father’s direct statements also testified to the Son. At Christ’s baptism, and again at the transfiguration, the Father’s “voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased’” (Matt. 3:17; 17:5). Reflecting on his dramatic experience at the transfiguration, Peter would later write:

Finally, the Father testified to the Son by sending the Helper … that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father. In his first epistle John wrote, “It is the Spirit who testifies [about Jesus Christ], because the Spirit is the truth” (1 John 5:6). In Acts 5:32 the apostles declared to the Sanhedrin, “We are witnesses of these things [concerning Christ]; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” The writer of Hebrews also connects the Holy Spirit with the apostles’ testimony to Christ:

CHRISTIAN WITNESS IS ABOUT THE SON

He will testify about Me (15:26b)

The Holy Spirit’s primary ministry to the lost world is to testify about Jesus. Likewise, the message of the church is not political activism, social reform, or psychological self-fulfillment but Jesus Christ. In his sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter boldly declared, “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32), a truth he repeated in his second recorded sermon (3:15). The apostles fearlessly declared to the Sanhedrin,

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2; cf. 15:15), and Peter described himself as a “witness of the sufferings of Christ” (1 Peter 5:1). The apostle John was exiled to “the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 1:9). The Lord commended Antipas as “My witness, My faithful one” (Rev. 2:13), and the martyred tribulation saints are called “the witnesses of Jesus” (Rev. 17:6).

But despite the clear biblical emphasis on being witnesses of Jesus Christ, much of today’s evangelistic methodology focuses on meeting people’s felt needs. It also downplays the essential biblical emphasis on the glory of the person and work of the Savior and the crucial importance of confronting unbelievers with their sin and its consequences unless they are rescued by faith in the atoning accomplishment of Jesus Christ. Any inadequate presentation of Christ and His death for sin can leave the sinner in his love of iniquity and ignorance of the truth of justification by faith and produce a false and temporary confession. Evangelism is as basic and unchanged as when Paul said

The preaching of Christ and the cross is still the power of God for salvation (1 Cor. 1:18–25).

In addition to the truth of Christ, repentance is at the heart of the biblical message of salvation. Christ’s forerunner, John the Baptist, challenged his hearers to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand…. bear fruit in keeping with repentance,” and told them, “I baptize you with water for repentance” (Matt. 3:2, 8, 11). From the outset of His public ministry, Jesus’ message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). He rebuked the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida for refusing to repent (Matt. 11:20–21), and commended those of Nineveh because they did repent (Matt. 12:41). When they were sent out by the Lord Jesus, the Twelve “preached that men should repent” (Mark 6:12). When the scribes and Pharisees took Him to task for hobnobbing with the riffraff of society, Jesus replied, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). The Lord shocked those who told Him of Pilate’s massacre of some Galileans by bluntly telling them,

Christ also described the rejoicing in heaven that takes place when sinners repent (Luke 15:7, 10). After His resurrection He declared that “repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).

The early church obeyed the Lord’s command and preached a message of repentance. At the conclusion of the first sermon in the church’s history, Peter exhorted his hearers, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Peter sounded the same theme in his second recorded sermon: “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (3:19). Standing before the Sanhedrin, the apostles boldly asserted of Jesus, “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (5:31). After hearing Peter’s report of what took place at Cornelius’s house, the believers in Jerusalem “glorified God, saying, ‘Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life’” (11:18). Paul declared to the pagan philosophers at Athens, “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent” (17:30). The apostle described his ministry as one of “solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (20:21), and his message was that people “should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (26:20).

The Bible demands that sinners be broken over their sin and forsake all to come to Christ (Luke 9:23–24; 14:26–33). Many contemporary evangelism methods, however, by emphasizing meeting felt needs, make it sound like following Jesus is easy. (Some, proponents of the now popular “wider mercy” view, even argue that people do not have to know the gospel or believe in Jesus to be saved. But the Bible unequivocally teaches that salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ [John 3:36; 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Cor. 3:11; Gal. 1:8–9; 1 Tim. 2:5; 1 John 5:11–12; 2 John 9–11].) Jesus, in contrast, taught that it was hard for sinners to believe. He even went so far as to say that, humanly speaking, salvation is impossible (Luke 18:27).

A memorable illustration of the Lord’s evangelistic methodology in action is His encounter with a rich synagogue ruler in Luke 18:18–27. This man seemed to be the ideal prospect for evangelism. Although he was an outwardly devout, religious man, he knew something was lacking in his life. That prompted his question, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (v. 18). This was no abstract theological question; he not only recognized his need, but also felt it deeply. This young man was also diligent in his pursuit of an answer. Mark records that, oblivious to what the crowd might think, he “ran up to [Jesus] and knelt before Him” (Mark 10:17). He also came to the right source, since Jesus Christ is the only source of eternal life (John 14:6; 1 John 5:20). Finally, he asked the right question, how he might personally take possession of eternal life.

But to his sorrow (Matt. 19:22) and the crowd’s astonishment (v. 25), this seemingly surefire prospect went away unsaved. Proud and self-righteous, he treasured his earthly possessions more than the promise of heavenly riches. His shallow, superficial faith was not sufficient for him to confess his sin and forsake all to enter the kingdom of heaven; he wanted eternal life on his own terms, but they were not God’s terms.

As this account reveals, far from seeking to remove barriers that might hinder the lost from coming to Him, Christ instead raised new ones. The Lord refused to ignore real spiritual issues for the sake of expediency. The church must not ignore them either. People are sinners, facing God’s eternal judgment unless they repent and believe solely and submissively in Jesus Christ for salvation. Those truths cannot be watered down; the stumbling block of the cross cannot be removed (Gal. 5:11). Those who in any way tamper with the reality of sin and the true person and work of the Savior are purveyors of a false gospel (Gal. 1:8–9).

CHRISTIAN WITNESS IS THROUGH BELIEVERS

and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning. (15:27)

Believers are the final link in the chain of witness. Thus Jesus, after describing the Holy Spirit’s witness, told the disciples you will testify also. The two are inseparably linked, since it is the Spirit who enables believers to effectively testify to the world about Jesus Christ. So vital is the Spirit’s empowering of Christian witness that the Lord instructed the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Luke 24:49). It was “in the power of the Spirit” that Paul “fully preached the gospel of Christ” (Rom. 15:19).

The apostles were qualified to testify about Christ because they had been with Him from the beginning of His earthly ministry. When the early church sought a replacement for Judas to fill the ranks of the apostles, Peter told those assembled,

Christians today are not eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ as the apostles were, but they are called to point people to the truths about Him revealed in the Bible. They can also demonstrate the power of His resurrection life in their lives (cf. Rom. 6:4; Phil. 3:10).

God has chosen His people as a means to reach the elect among the lost. The blessed truth is that “whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13). But that can happen only when believers proclaim to them the saving truth of the gospel: