The Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John
The Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John
Prologue
Whenever the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the accounts of the Gospels, the authors usually touch upon His relationship with Jesus, the Son of God. Obviously, the strong correlation between the Son, sometimes the Father as well, and the Spirit cannot be overlooked. When compared with the Synoptics, however, the account of the Gospel of John appears to contain much richer information about the role of the Holy Spirit and His relationship with Christ. In fact, the Book of John was described as the “spiritual Gospel” in early centuries in light of the substantial influence of the Holy Spirit in guiding the author to explore the deeper meaning of Jesus’ discourses. After having a full grasp of the role of the Holy Spirit, we would undoubtedly agree that the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of God Deity, deserves the same degree of glory and honour as Jesus Christ our Savior. Let us now examine the Johannine view of the Holy Spirit and His functions in the sequence His name or title is mentioned in various accounts of the Fourth Gospel.
The Testimony of John the Baptist
In John, the Holy Spirit is first mentioned when John the Baptist witnessed the identity of Jesus to the public as the Son of God: “Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.’ ”[1] (1:32-33) Here we see two important roles of the Holy Spirit: His revealing or witnessing of Jesus’ identity and His indwelling upon Jesus and his followers.
The divine status of Jesus, which is the main theme of the entire Book of John, was revealed and testified with the descent of the Holy Spirit prior to the start of Jesus’ preaching ministry. In the Synoptics, the baptism of Jesus and the descent of the Holy Spirit are also mentioned together. (Matt 3:16, Mark 1:9-10, Luke 3:21-22) The difference is that in the Synoptics the identity of Jesus is also testified by the voice of God from heaven (Matt 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22), which is missed out in John. Nevertheless, the author in John emphasizes the validity of John the Baptist’s testimony through the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
“Baptizing with the Holy Spirit” is essential for making an inherent change in the life of the believer. While the mission of John the Baptist was to baptize with water, the mission of Jesus was to baptize with the Holy Spirit. The confession and repentance of sins evidenced by the baptism of water is merely the change of one’s mind to prepare him for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the impartation of the Holy Spirit into one’s life is granting the penitent a new life, one that is incorporated with the power of the Holy Spirit. While Jesus had been striving to invite people to believe in him that he was sent by the Father from heaven through his words and acts, his mission on earth could not be fully completed without the participation of the life-changing Holy Spirit. Later, we will see how the Holy Spirit would continue the work of Jesus on earth after his departure.
Jesus Discourse with a Perplexed Truth-seeker
The Spirit is next mentioned in Jesus’ discourse with Nicodemus. The message addressed to Nicodemus is similar to that of John the Baptist except that the meaning of the two kinds of baptism required of the believers is further expounded by Jesus. When Jesus claims that “no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit” (3:5), he is referring to the two essential processes that one must go through in order to be saved from perishing—repentance of sins and the transformation of life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Being baptized with the Holy Spirit and being born of the Holy Spirit mean the same thing to the beneficiary. Jesus goes on by explaining that the working of the Holy Spirit in one’s life is nowhere perceivable in human perspective. Here the working of the Holy Spirit (the Greek word for ‘spirit’ is ‘pneuma’, meaning ‘wind’ or ‘breath’) is illustrated with the effect of wind-blowing: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (3:8) The experience of receiving the life-changing Spirit is analogous to one’s passive act of feeling the breeze. The beginning of this verse could literally mean “the Spirit breathes wherever He wills”. In this sense, the Holy Spirit takes the initiative in making a spiritual rebirth possible. After all, “the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (3:6)
Jesus’ Discourses with a Thirsty Woman and a Hungry Crowd
Although the life-giving Spirit is not so apparently disclosed in Jesus’ account with the Samaritan woman as with Nicodemus, Jesus is doubtlessly conveying the same message. In the first half of his dialogue with the woman, Jesus claims that the water he gives can quench thirst forever and will turn into “a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (4:14) In spite of the absence of further explanation about this “water” that the woman requests (4:15), we can find a similar request parallel to hers when Jesus is requested by the crowd later to give the “bread” from heaven (6:34). In that account, Jesus declares that he is the true “bread” that brings eternal life to those who eat of this bread. (6:51) This “bread”, as he further asserts, is his flesh and whoever eats of his flesh and drinks of his blood has eternal life. (6:54) When his message becomes even too difficult for his disciples to digest, he finally explains with clarity: “the Spirit gives life; the flesh accounts for nothing.” (6:63) It is, therefore, the Holy Spirit who grants eternal life rather than any physical drink or food on which people depend for daily living. Only the Holy Spirit has the power to create spiritual life in the believer. This message is always embedded in Jesus’ discourses, as implied in his saying: “The words I have spoken to you are spirit (or Spirit) and they are life.” (6:63) Although the Spirit is not mentioned in the first part of Jesus’ dialogue with the Samaritan woman, he has Him mentioned indirectly in the later part of the dialogue: “Yet a time a coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.” (4:23)
Jesus’ proclamation during the Feast of Tabernacles reinforces his previous messages regarding the life-giving role of the Holy Spirit. Here again he pronounces with a loud voice: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” (7:37-38) This pronouncement should not sound strange to the Samaritan woman anymore, since she has already grasped the meaning of the “water” that wells up to eternal life. (4:14) The author immediately comments on Jesus’ words as referring to “the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” (7:39)
Jesus’ Farewell Discourse with His Anxious Disciples
After stressing the life-giving role of the Holy Spirit, the author begins to explore more functions of the Spirit in the later stage when Jesus makes his private and final conversation with his close disciples before being arrested. These functions are found in Jesus’ so-called “five Paraclete sayings” where the Greek word ‘parakletos’ has been repeatedly used to represent the Holy Spirit. These five sayings are recorded in the following verses: 14:15-17, 14:25-26, 15:26-27, 16:5-11, 16:12-15.
(a) First saying: “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” (14:15-17)
The Greek term for the word “Counselor” is parakletos/Paraclete. The word “Paraclete” stands for one who has been called to the side of another. It can mean “Advocate” (or the “friend at court”), as used in I John 2:1, where Jesus Christ is portrayed as an intercessor in heaven who defends for us when we sin. Here, according to the meaning of the context, it represents the Holy Spirit who is sent by the Father in heaven to believers as a helper to remain with them forever (or the “friend from court”). Therefore the role of the Holy Spirit can be described as the Comforter or Counselor. However, Jesus’ promise of sending the Paraclete is not without condition. He demands at first that his disciples keep his commands as a test of love. Or else they would be like the world that refuses to accept the Paraclete because it is disobedient and blinded from the truth. (14:17)
It is interesting to note that the Holy Spirit is mentioned as “another” Counselor. It seems that Jesus is referring to himself as the first Counselor (In I John 2:1, Jesus is thus named: “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate/paraclete with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” NRSV). We know that the Spirit would not be given until Jesus has been glorified (7:39) or has departed (16:7). By now it is explicitly clear that there are two distinctive stages with respect to the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation on earth: (the first stage) Jesus, the Son of God, appears on earth to reveal the truth with the absence of the Spirit until he returns to the Father; (the second stage) the Holy Spirit descends from heaven to guide Jesus’ followers into the truth when Jesus is absent from them. Up to this time Jesus himself serves as the Paraclete of the disciples—He himself is their counselor, companion, protector—and His last deed as their Paraclete is to provide a successor in place of Him. This successor, the Spirit of truth, serves as the guide of Jesus’ followers and revealer of the truth. (16:13)
(b) Second saying: “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (14:25-26)
There are two very significant functions which the Paraclete is going to perform: teaching and reminding. While teaching is continuing one of the primary tasks that Jesus carries out on earth for his disciples, reminding is recalling all of His teachings. In this sense, the Paraclete can be regarded as a substitute and perpetuator of Jesus on earth. However, the teaching of the Paraclete should not be confined to explanation and repetition of the things learned from Jesus. The phrase “will teach you all things” implies that the Spirit has another teaching function—namely, to complete the teaching of Jesus and accomplish its fullest effect. More explicitly speaking, the Spirit of truth performs the revealing and reinforcing functions to let the disciples comprehend the deeper meaning of Jesus teachings so that their faith can be consolidated more firmly.
Several accounts in John record that after His resurrection, the disciples called to mind what Jesus had once said while He was still with them. One of the accounts, for instance, is Jesus’ saying of the destroying of the Holy Temple in three days (2:19). The disciples, when recalled, understood that Jesus was speaking of his death. (2:22) Probably whilst reading the Scripture, they were inspired by the Holy Spirit and were able to relate the Scripture content back to Jesus’ words. That the Scripture saying is consistent with Jesus’ words and acts has definitely enhanced their faith all the more.
Another episode that struck the disciples’ memory is Jesus’ riding on donkey toward the city of Jerusalem. When Jesus was highly exalted as the King of Israel by the crowd, the disciples could not comprehend what the whole event meant to them. In fact, they might have misinterpreted the implication of the event at that time as did the crowd in anticipation of Jesus’ reign of Israel shortly. “Only after Jesus was glorified (crucified and raised) did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they (the crowd) had done these things to him.” (12:16) Thanks to the influencing and strengthening of their powers of recollection by the Spirit, the disciples were able to fully understand the words and works of Jesus and deliver those messages to the apostolic church after Jesus’ ascension to heaven, bringing forth a fruitful development of the gospel for the believers. The church is hence assured that everything that Jesus said is known and preserved, and the tradition of Jesus’ teaching is genuine and trustworthy. Presumably, the Johannine words of Christ are the reproduction of the apostolic preaching of Jesus, and the record of these words is complete and, having been guided by the Spirit, is absolutely reliable.
That the Paraclete is sent by the Father in Jesus’ name implies that the Holy Spirit is assigned and authorized to succeed Jesus’ tasks on earth, a restatement of what Jesus has mentioned in the first saying. The repeated message of the Paraclete being sent is also found in his third Paraclete saying, which is our next discussion.
(c) Third saying: “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.” (15:26-27)
This saying about sending of the Paraclete is quite different from the previous two sayings where the Father is the sender. The message that the Son sends the Paraclete—which also appears in the fourth saying as we will see later—indeed brings the Paraclete into the closest relationship with the Son, just as the sending of the Son by the Father reflects a strong correlation between the two. The title “the Spirit of truth” is mentioned again as in the first saying, stressing that the Spirit performs the function of revealing the truth. (16:13) Here the origin of the Paraclete and the mode of his mission are again clarified to remind us of the oneness of the triune God and that their functions complement each other for the same purpose.
Besides as a revealer of the truth, the Paraclete also performs the function of testifying/witnessing about Jesus. His function as a witness for Jesus is in close connection with the kind of witness borne by Jesus’ followers in their ministries. This saying comes close to the Synoptic saying about the witnessing function of the Spirit: “On my account you will be brought before Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (Matt 10:18-20; parallels, Mark 13:11, Luke 12:11-12) Here the original meaning of the Greek term ‘parakletos’ is aptly applied: the Spirit stands independently beside the believers as Jesus' witness at the Gentile court. So both the Spirit and the disciples testify together on behalf of Jesus.
(d) Fourth saying: “Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going? Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer, and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” (16:5-11)
The first part of this saying (16:5-7) supports the author’s insertion in 7:39 that the advent of the Paraclete is an independent event that will take place only after Jesus departs from this world. This message is also included in one of the final commands given by the risen Jesus to his eleven disciples (Acts 1:4) prior to his ascension. Again,
here is a faint gleam of the succession of two reigns: the reign of Christ comes to an end so that the reign of the Paraclete can commence. Behind this saying lies the idea of a chain of witnesses to God’s revelation with one witness succeeding another at the appropriate time. In the Old Testament, we have seen Joshua succeeding Moses and Elisha succeeding Elijah as the “paraclete” of the nation Israel. Likewise, the apostolic church must remain constantly under the guidance of a witness, the Holy Spirit. In this fourth saying is also embedded the truth that so long as the dominant personality of their Master Jesus was at their side, the disciples could not grow to their full stature. Faith and obedience cannot have their perfect work until the visible fellowship has become an invisible communion, and a new sense of responsibility has developed in their corporate life without the presence of their Master.
The second part of the fourth saying has to do with the convicting function of the Paraclete. To the world, the Paraclete fulfills the role of an accuser and a preacher of judgment: sin, righteousness, and judgment are the basic motifs of prophetic and apostolic preaching of judgment. In relation to Jesus and the situation of his farewell discourses, the unbelief of the Jews, Jesus’ going to the Father, and the judgment upon the lords of this world are three significant themes of the farewell discourses and of the Fourth Gospel in general. In this context, the Paraclete becomes the vindicator of Christ, and his action or counsel for the prosecution is to convict the unbelieving world and reverse its erroneous judgment upon Jesus.
(e) Fifth saying: “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” (16:12-15)
This saying recognizes the incomplete form of the incarnate revelation, which is limited by the present stage in the disciples’ spiritual growth. The course of revelation will advance in the same direction until the Spirit of truth has guided them to the goal of understanding all truth. The Spirit hence becomes the fulfiller of the proclamation of
Jesus: that is, while Jesus has taught only the little mysteries, the Spirit initiates into the great ones; while Jesus was teacher of first principles for the “children”, the Spirit can teach the disciples as those who are “mature”.
That is not to say that the Spirit is an independent witness or even superior to Jesus. Rather, he is wholly dependent on Jesus, as the saying follows. To be sure, the Spirit is characterized as a prophet or messenger who is nothing more than the mouthpiece of his sender. The Paraclete does not act on his own authority or say his own words. He will speak only what he hears from Jesus, just as Jesus speaks only what he hears from the Father. (7:16-17; 12:49-50; 14:10,24) He will make known what he receives from Jesus, just as Jesus reveals what he receives or learns from the Father. (4:34; 5:19,30; 6:38; 7:16; 15:15) He will not glorify himself but Jesus, just as Jesus does not glorify himself but the Father. (7:18; 8:50,54; 17:4,6,26) As Jesus has in all his words and works glorified his Father by revealing God’s inmost godly nature and character, so will the Spirit bring to light all the grace and truth embodied in the Son. (1:14)
The foregoing analysis of the five Paraclete sayings clearly shows that they all belong together and are skillfully woven together by the author within the framework of the farewell discourses. Here the concept of the Paraclete as Jesus’ representative who will succeed Jesus on earth when he disappears is clearly brought out. As Jesus’ successor, the Paraclete has a double function. For the disciples, He will be their teacher, the one who brings to mind the teaching of Jesus, continues and finishes his work of revelation, heralds the future and reveals the glory of Jesus, and finally, is their constant companion and protector. For the world, he will serve as witness in Jesus’ cause and as prophetic attorney who reveals the truth about Jesus and about his adversary, the prince of this world, and who convicts the unbelieving world of their errors.
While the Paraclete is described as constant companion and helper of the disciples, he is in no way portrayed as intercessor on earth on behalf of the disciples in John as in the Synoptics. (Matt 10:18-20; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11-12) In Johannine view, he is not so much the advocate of the disciples in their conflict with the world as he is the advocate of Jesus, Jesus’ defender, or the representative of the absent Jesus before the tribunal of the world. Here the intercessor is much more the accuser, since accusation, conviction and strong testimony against the enemy are emphasized in the latter part of the sayings. In brief, the Paraclete is to be taken here in a general sense as witness: witness for Jesus (indirectly also for the disciples), witness before the world, and witness against the world.
Realization of the Advent of the Holy Spirit
At this moment, it is noteworthy to discuss the issue of the timing about the disciples’ possession of the Holy Spirit. There is an account in 20:22 noting that the disciples (with the exclusion of Thomas) received the Holy Spirit when the resurrected Jesus breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Is Jesus’ promise of the advent of the Paraclete fulfilled at this time? However, as we have already discussed, such promise of Jesus to his believers refers expressly to the reception of the Spirit only after Jesus’ glorification. (7:39) This view is abundantly confirmed in the Paraclete sayings, in which Jesus places the sending of the Spirit in prospect for the time after his departure. This view is also shared by the Synoptics: during the earthly life of Jesus, the disciples did not yet have the Spirit; and Jesus placed the Spirit in prospect only for the time after his exaltation (Luke 24:49)—and this course of events is a necessity according to John (7:39, 16:7).
One may take the pronouncement of the resurrected Jesus to his disciples (20:21-23) as “the Great Commission” of the Fourth Gospel, a parallel to that of the Synoptics (Matt 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:46-49). In view of the latter part of the saying (20:23—“If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”), it remains to be noted that the gift of the Holy Spirit expresses itself solely in the authority to forgive and to retain sins. It is, therefore, a specific mark of the authority of the apostles. (Matt 16:19)
In spite of the above argument, some scholars hold a different view about the receiving of the Spirit in 20:22. They claim that this scene fulfills the promise of the farewell discourse, just as the scene of Pentecost in Acts fulfills the promise made at the end of Luke’s Gospel.
Conclusion
So far we have perceived the various functions of the Holy Spirit and the special titles given Him such as the Counselor and the Spirit of truth that are unique in the Gospel of John (“the spirit of truth” also appears in I John 4:6 but is used in a more general sense by comparing it with “the spirit of error”). It is remarkable to see that the Holy Spirit shares many of Jesus’ functions, especially those associated with his role as revealer. We have also seen the role of the Holy Spirit as a witness depicted in Jesus’ farewell discourse. By disclosing the witnessing function of the Holy Spirit, Jesus, in his final stage of the training of his closest disciples, did prepare them for a time when, no longer depending upon his physical presence, they would be enabled to witness for Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Instead of being threatened by their imposing ordeal, they would enjoy the inward peace (16:33), their hearts would not be troubled nor fear, and the Spirit of God would give them sufficient endurance to withstand the trials ahead. This is exactly what we found in the early history of church development when Peter and the apostles displayed tremendous courage as Christ’s witnesses before the unbelievers as well as the adversary. (Acts 3:15, 4:8-12, 5:32)
In summary, the Holy Spirit is sent from the Father in the name of Jesus the Son. As the life-giving Spirit, He performs the role of giving eternal life. As the guardian of the believers, He performs the functions of teaching and guiding the believers into the truth, and abiding in them to make them strong witnesses themselves. As the witness of Jesus, He performs the functions of witnessing, vindicating for Jesus, and chastening the world that remains heart-hardened and sinful and fallen under judgment. All these lead us to confess that the Spirit is one with Jesus, just as Jesus is one with the Father: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (10:28-30)
Bibliography
- W. F. Howard. “Christianity according to St. John”, pp. 57-80 (Chapter III—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd, 1958.
- Hans Windisch. “The Spirit-Paraclete in the Fourth Gospel”. Translated by James W. Cox. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1968.
- John Ashton. “Understanding the Fourth Gospel”, pp. 420-425 (“the Role of the Spirit”). Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991.
[1] Bible verses are all quoted in NIV version, unless otherwise stated.