The Comforter
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe not on Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” John 16:7-11
Jesus had been cautioning His disciples to be on guard about their future after He was gone back to His Father in heaven and to expect the unexpected because they would face many difficulties as they traveled about spreading the gospel. Jesus was and is always truthful and straightforward. He didn’t “sugarcoat” anything, but told things exactly as they were or would be. As the saying goes, “Being forewarned is being forearmed”. Not only was it necessary and advantageous for Jesus to go away for Himself, it was also to the disciples’ advantage. The Comforter would not come until Jesus had returned to His Father.
In some ways, we look at death as being a dreadful thing. Of course, we don’t like having to leave our loved ones behind, but, if we are Christians, it is to our advantage to pass from this life which has borne so much grief and sorrow and to enter into a blissful, happy state. While it is difficult to imagine what it is like to not have any pain, sorrow, worry, fear, or frustrations, it is definitely something of which to look forward. For the believer in Jesus Christ, it is not so much the passing from life into the realm of the eternal state that we might dread, but I think for most folks, it is the process by which we may have to endure that brings about our demise. Scripture tells us, though, that eternal life in heaven with the Lord will be worth whatever we have to endure on earth (Romans 8:18).
The Holy Spirit has an all-important job to do on earth. He is here to rebuke and convict the world of sin. When Jesus was on earth, He could only be one place at a time, but the Holy Spirit can be everywhere at any time. Matthew Henry in his commentary wrote, “Christ’s bodily presence draws men’s eyes, His Spirit draws their hearts.” The Holy Spirit, through the preaching of the word or the witnessing of Christians, brings conviction upon the hearts of sinners. To convict is to bring to realization one’s guilt. A sinner has to see himself guilty of sin against his or her Creator before he or she can be saved. The Holy Spirit first brings conviction upon a sinner’s heart and then He brings comfort as the sinner repents and turns from his sin. We look at a sin, like murder, and think it’s the worst sin, but the worst sin is not believing in Jesus Christ. This is the only sin that God can’t forgive. Matthew Henry calls it “a sin against the remedy”. In other words, refusing to receive the forgiveness of Christ is unforgiveable.
The Holy Spirit also convinces the world of Jesus’ righteousness. Jesus was and is a righteous Man. He proved it by taking His seat at the right hand of God, who would not allow an unrighteous man to take that seat of honor. He also proved it by His sacrifice on the cross to provide salvation for whosoever would believe in Him (John 3:16). It is only by Him that men, women, boys, and girls can be accepted as righteous in God’s sight.
The Holy Spirit also reproves the world of judgment as He judges that old serpent deceiver Satan who is called the “prince of this world” (John 14:30). He has millions of folks in his grip, and most of them do not even realize it. The Holy Spirit will convince the world that all judgment is committed to the Lord who will have the final word. Satan and his followers will face judgment on that final day.
Jesus had much more to say to His disciples, but they were not ready to hear it. We have a saying, “That’s too much information”, and another saying, “Information overload”, both indicating excess data that should be held off for another time. Jesus knew that these dedicated men had enough to deal with now. More information would have only confused and worried them. However, He assured them that the Holy Spirit would come, guide, and dispense what they needed to know on a “need to know” basis. The Holy Spirit never has His own agenda. Everything that He does is to glorify Jesus Christ, and everything that Jesus does is to glorify His Father. Oh, that we would be as diligent and intentional in glorifying our Lord and Savior.