The word “paraclete” comes from the Greek word parakletos, which means “Comforter” or “Counselor” or “one called to the side of another.” In John 14:16, it is written that Jesus said that God the Father will give us another advocate to help and be with us forever.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with 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 you and will be in you.”
Based on this text, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is our comforter, counselor, and one called to the side of another, which also means our paraclete.
What does it mean that the Holy Spirit is our Paraclete?
To answer this, let us go deeper into the Bible verses where Jesus continues to promise us, His believers, that the Holy Spirit will be with us to comfort and counsel us.
He Will Be with Us Always Until the End of the Age
“And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
In this verse, Jesus gives a promise; a promise that He will be with us always until the end of the age. He is referring here to the Holy Spirit being with us forever.
But this promise is not without command because, in the first part of the verse, He reminds us to obey everything that He has commanded before saying that He will be us forever.
What this means is that we have a huge part as believers of Christ. We must obey Him and do what He commands so that we can have the Holy Spirit in our lives.
There are times when we feel that we are alone in this world — that we are spiritually far from our Lord Jesus Christ. In this instance, we have to remind ourselves that the Spirit is with us. All we have to do is to communicate with the Lord and follow His commands.
Guiding Us Through the Word and in Truth
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).
In this verse, we are reminded that to have the Holy Spirit as our paraclete means that the Spirit is guiding us through the Word and in truth. God indwells in us through the Holy Spirit — He is with us in both the happiest and the more difficult times in our lives.
The Spirit’s indwelling means that we are never alone in this world despite tribulations. The Holy Spirit is our spiritual connection with Jesus Christ and God the Father. We are guided by the Holy Spirit in our Christlike actions. That is why we have to listen to the Holy Spirit as we do things in this worldly life.
Carry the Joy of Christ in Our Lives
“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).
In this verse, we are reminded that to have the Holy Spirit as our paraclete means that we carry the joy of Christ in our lives.
One of the best fruits that the Holy Spirit has given us is the gift of joy. Joy means being able to see light in every situation despite the situation. Joy means more than happiness — an understanding that God is with us forever and He will never leave us. We are given this promise through Christ and the Holy Spirit and that is why we have to acknowledge God’s love for us.
Ability to Live in the Path of the Spirit
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
In this verse, we are reminded that the Spirit brings us the ability to live in the path of the Spirit and not the path of the sinful flesh. We are guided every step of the way.
The Holy Spirit is our spiritual connection with God and that is why the Holy Spirit knows what is good for us.
The Spirit guides us to veer away from sin and not be gratified by it, rather, be gratified by what God commands us, and that is to put Him first in our hearts and minds (Matthew 22:27-28).
Whenever we feel that we have become too worldly and sinful, let us pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us to the right path and surely, the Spirit will.
Ability to Be Kingdom-Minded
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).
In these verses, we are reminded that the Spirit brings fruits to us so that we may be able to live in this world with our hearts towards heaven.
We are blessed because we have the Spirit and that the Holy Spirit has given us fruits to bear while we are battling in this world in the meantime. We know that this world is not our final destination. We are merely passing through and while we are, we experience what the world has to offer.
That is why we have the fruits of the Spirit to remind us that these are the things that matter in life. Our character should bear these fruits so that we may be able to live in this world and bear its difficulties with the assurance that we have heaven as our final destination.
What Does This Mean?
The Holy Spirit, as our paraclete, means that the Spirit is our comforter and counselor. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He promised to never leave us and what He meant was that the Holy Spirit will be with us as our paraclete.
Christ also promised that He will be guiding us through the Word and in truth through the Holy Spirit because the Spirit carries the joy of Christ in our lives so that we may be able to live in this world with our hearts and mind towards heaven.
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Glory Dy has been a content creator for more than 10 years. She lives in a quiet suburb with her family and four cats.
