WE, as Christians, tend to compartmentalize the tenants of our faith. FATHER, that is GOD of the Old Testament. And then the SON, Jesus born, crucified buried, resurrected in body and Spirit — walking around the earth for fifty days in the flesh — then rising into the clouds on Pentecost. Then finallythe HOLY SPIRIT sent to the Apostles of Jesus Christ to help them take the GOSPEL into all the world.
Is that about it?
Does this come close to your concept of the doctrine of TRINITY and timeline of Scripture?
If so, today I want to challenge and expand your compartmentalized view of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. For this deeper dive into Scripture we turn to the original Greek of the New Testament and the role of the Paraclete.
.. but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..
And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were watching, and a cloud took Him up, out of their sight.
Source: This post quotes the teaching of R. C. Sproul extensively. Not enough can be said to credit this mentor to many for R.C.'s concise scriptural approach to logical conclusions concerning Christ Jesus. I will provide additional information and a link to R.C.'s lifelong ministry near the conclusion of this post.
With Glory to God and gratitude to R.C. Sproul.
Roger Harned
So what is the Paraclete?
FIRST: What the Paraclete is NOT.
As R.C. Sproul states, he is not the Holy Spirit. Since I have just taught on the Holy Spirit and Pentecost we will not spend much time here.
“We sometimes miss Pentecost by idolatry of its imagery. (The Holy Spirit is NOT a dove — it descended on men and women receiving it ‘like a dove.’) – Roger@talkofJesus.com
παράκλητος – Paraclete:
The KJV translates Strong’s G3875 in the following manner:
comforter (4x), advocate (1x).
summoned, called to one’s side, esp. called to one’s aid
par-ak’-lay-tos; an intercessor, consoler:—advocate, comforter.
You’ve probably heard all of these used for the Holy Spirit.
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon adds some additional insight:
παράκλητος, παρακλητου, ὁ (παρακαλέω), properly, summoned, called to one’s side, especially called to one’s aid; hence,
“one who pleads another’s cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant; an advocate”
Consider all of these definitions of the Paraclete.
Perhaps the Holy Spirit is a Paraclete, but not our only comforter, counselor, helper or advocate.
And in the Doctrine of Trinity we must allow for some ambiguity due to the One God being Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Christ the Paraclete
Rather than looking to the Acts of the Apostles at Pentecost as we often do, R.C. Sproul suggests that we look to the Gospels.
Consider the context of the words of Jesus Himself before His crucifixion, resurrection, the glory of Jesus rising into the clouds AND the Power given to the Apostles on Pentecost.
Our soft views of contemporary ‘Christianity’ diminish the role of the Hole Spirit, which is NOT a dove nor is it TONGUES of fire or the speaker of tongues. In like manner we also misunderstand the Paraclete.
Click on the link above to John 14:16 and find the source of our misunderstanding. Translations of the Greek [ἄλλον παράκλητον] allos paraklētos vary widely. For example: another Comforter, another Helper, another Counselor or another Advocate.
We cling to very different imagery of each of these descriptions of the same Greek word spoken by Jesus Christ.
“What kind of Paraclete?” Sproul addresses this in his teaching.
“I don’t like the term counselor here.. because it smacks too much of a mentor who gives us guidance, such as the guidance counselor in school.”
more than a ‘comforter‘
We all need comfort, don’t we? Certainly Jesus’ Disciples and the five hundred first century witnesses of the risen Lord all needed the power of some comforter in view of their persecution to come. Again, to quote Sproul:
“It’s certainly true that one of the things the Holy Spirit does in the life of people of God is to bring comfort. Jesus, in fulfilling the role of the original Paraclete, was also given the title.”
“.. another Paraclete..”
R.C. points out that ‘if we’re paying attention to what Jesus says here, he promises.. “another Paraclete.” An he asks, “Who was the Paraclete?”
Christ is the Paraclete, states Dr. Sproul; and allowing for the complete unity of Trinity, so is the Holy Spirit (as ‘another’ Paraclete).
Again quoting Sproul:
“.. but when Jesus said, ‘I’m going to sent another Paraclete,’ he was not saying, ‘I’m going to send somebody whose primary purpose will be to comfort you.’”
Christians would sure like that, wouldn’t we?Yet Jesus does promise us a Paraclete even better than this.
Advocate – Someone called along side
When I hear the word ‘advocate,’ I picture the T.V. courtroom scenes of Perry Mason.
He is the advocate every innocent defendant will want to stand with them to defend against charges brought before the court. (Perry Mason always wins.)
So I like the idea that Jesus will send us a powerful advocate.
Sproul breaks down the literal Greek to Latin translation:
Para – Along side & kletos, from the verb, kaleo, which means “to call.”
Literally, a paraclete or a parakletos was somebody who was called alongside.
R.C. Sproul in Holy Spirit, Counselor
Sproul points out the Greek word was used for an attorney. Furthermore, a family attorney. He will always be there to defend you.
Again, my Perry Mason imagery, “Counsel, approach the bench.”
Jesus sends this one called alongside believers to defend us. Christ comes beside every saint to defend every time. Sproul then takes us to a scene of Stephen inActs 7, defending him before the court of Heaven.
JUDGMENT!
Do you understand that God has appointed Christ to judge the earth?
from the teaching of R.C. Sproul
Now allow me to ask you this:
Who may stand in the Presence of God?
Only Christ Jesus!
He IS holy in a way equal to God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son is perfectly holy as no other man has ever been.
A courtroom scene of Judgment now gets even better than Perry Mason.
Picture this:
Look up to heaven. The courtroom door is opened by an official who summons you to come in. At the bench as Judge sits Jesus.
You’re more than a little afraid! The Apostle John probably describes the heavenly court best in Revelation saying,
“When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last..”
‘the Judge is going to stand up from behind the bench, come around to the front, an be our defense attorney, our advocate. Isn’t it incredible that Christ will be our defender?
Christ who comes along side us
What every Christian knows is true differs from the T.V. courtroom scene. Yes, Perry Mason also wins the case; but his client is innocent. What we know for certain is that we are guilty!
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus..
Therefore, every creature in the image of God must have an Advocate to come alongside and Christ Jesus, who died for sinners, is the only One who can represent us, each mortal sinner made from dust into which God has breathed spirit.
‘and they worshipped Him.’
We’ve glanced at the scene of the Apostles looking up at Jesus as the Lord leaves them once more as Luke records in Acts 1. Yet as Sproul points out, back in Luke’s Gospel he adds an important detail.
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.
And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
Previously, back in Jerusalem He had said:
“These things I have spoken to you so that you will not be led into sin.. “But because I have said these things to you, grief has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the [paraklētos] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. – John 16:1,6-7
the Paraclete will convict the world
I would be remiss to close this case scheduled for the Highest Court with the Paraclete called to your side without presenting R.C.’s plea to the church concerning Judgment.
Sproul makes a case for the Holy Spirit you need to hear.
The Spirit will convince or convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of Judgment.
The Triune God, p.331
‘One of the things Jesus did was expose false theories of righteousness..’ ‘Perhaps what Jesus is saying is, “What I did in my earthly ministry, now the Spirit will do as my replacement –“
We have a choice, my fellow beloved sinner.Who will be your Paraclete at the last Judgment?Hear what the Spirit says to the churches. — Or not.
Are you completely convinced? OR
Will you be convicted along with the world (without Christ Jesus to represent you)?
Why are you a Christian?
In the year of our Lord 2021, the world continues to grow population currently about seven billion, nine hundred million people and increasingly continues in its sin. Yet in these last days Jesus Christ is mocked as He was on the Cross by a world embroiled in sin. Did you sign up for that?
Sproul asks: What brought you to repentance? He continues:
“In addition to the objective evidence of your sin, the Holy Spirit cut through all your deceitful barriers that kept you from coming to the cross of Christ..
And here R.C. adds a judicial foreshadowing of the heavenly court.
“.. throwing yourself at his mercy, and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ God had to melt your heart.. and it was God the Holy Spirit who brought that inner conviction.”
the Courtroom of Heaven!
And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me..
Jesus Christ IS in heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father. A call will go out from the courtroom of heaven to all mortal flesh.
We cannot see this Highest Court.. And we will not get in until, like any other defendant, we are called.
the Paraclete of Pentecost
Christ Jesus is our Advocate! (Or He may be IF you will make Him your Lord.) Sproul concludes:
The Holy Spirit will not allow the world’s view of sin, righteousness, and judgment to prevail, because he’s the Spirit of truth, sent to the world by the Father and by the Son.
R.C. Sproul – Holy Spirit, Counselor
Heaven’s courtroom door is not the gate of Eden. And we are NOT called up to see heaven until our case comes up on the JUDGE’s docket.
But our time is near — Death! OR even The End of all earthly things…
What will you see when death’s door opens?
Who will you see when your NAME is called?
Will the Judge, seated behind the bench, STAND in your defense?
Roger, [or your Name] – ‘APPROACH THE BENCH’
R.C. Sproul(1939-2017)
With gratitude for his teaching of Scripture, I thank God for the source of most of the previous material, one of the Lord’s most faithful teaching mentors of many scriptural pastors, R. C. Sproul.
For more information and many doctrinally sound sermons and teaching please visit Dr. Sproul’s lifelong library at LIGONIER MINISTRIES.
Golden Lampstands with flames from flickering faith
Darkness dominates a cold place behind the veil of the Holy of Holies – an unseen flickering faith of worshipers of the LORD.
The Temple had been Jerusalem’s replica of a former glory now departed – a white-washed façade of cleansing since the broken covenant of its faithless shepherds.
Then like a Light in the darkness their Messiah unexpectedly appears among God’s chosen. And His Sacrifice substitutes as the Passover lamb — the Lamb of forgiveness which takes away the sins of the world.
A flickering flame of hope is now the shining star of David as Scripture had proclaimed. And Jesus returns once more in Body and Spirit — in victory over death!
The Light of Life stands within the Tabernacle of this world and offers Himself as its Sacrifice.
The Son now rules from above in the Temple of Glory!
The Prophets told of His coming.
Jesus’ Disciples preached His Gospel of Light.
And now His Church must shine as a brief candle lifted into the throne room of Christ’s glory.
Revelation to Churches with Flickering Faith
Even prior to the end of the first century A.D. faith in the Church flickered in the winds of the world. And the love of the saints sometimes extinguished in false gospels of darkness.
As it was before the incarnation of Christ Jesus, so it was after the Lord’s resurrection and ascension.
Yet a risen Christ Jesus lifts the dead from their graves.
And discouraged disciples of these last days stand as brief candles in the darkness looking upon the eternal Light of glory.
a Vision from the Lord
While the world stumbles in the darkness of sin, a Personal love of God Almighty shines into the darkness (as the Prophet Isaiah had said).
And the people will be oppressed, Each one by another, and each one by his neighbor; The youth will assault the elder, And the contemptible person will assault the one honored.
Isaiah 3:5
“Make the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes blind, So that they will not see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.”
Isaiah 6:10
Exhortation from Peter
After the Lord’s resurrection and ascension the Apostles all proclaim His death, resurrection and returning again. He is the Light of the world, they preach in their letters to a growing Church as every Apostle exhorts the faithful.
Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
Sound familiar?
James and Jude, brothers of Jesus also write similar loving greetings to the church in their letters.
Before we continue in Christ’s revelation to John, hear just a bit more of what the Apostle Simon, ‘the rock’ on which Jesus promised to build His Church had to say in his second letter:.
.. For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty..
And like Isaiah and the Prophets Peter assures the church:
And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.
Message to the Seven Churches
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands..
As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
“I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne,
and you hold firmly to My name,
But I have a few things against you,
Remember:
each ‘Church’ is plural,
while every single ‘saint’ is accountable to Christ
you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam,
Doctrine is more than your ‘church vision’ taught, but not applied
Teaching among claimants of Christ may mislead others.
who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel..
In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching.
(Nicolaitans, that is “destruction of people” in your gathering, are those who listen to your teaching (preaching or doctrine) yet are easily tempted to follow false teachings they prefer.)
(Note: the root name, nikolaos, may refer to a proselyte of Antioch and one of the seven deacons of the church at Jerusalem. His name Νικόλαος means “victor of the people.”)
Christ Jesus is our ONLY teaching, for He alone is victorious over death. And from the Throne of glory Jesus warns the church:
Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly,
and I will wage war against them with the sword of My mouth..
“‘I know your works. You have[a name] the reputation of being alive,
{go ahead, substitute Your Church Name, here & see how you receive Christ’s admonition.}
but you are dead.
Wake up,
strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die;
{Some works yet to do in your church?}
for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.
{My fellow saint, our Lord Jesus says we have incomplete deeds yet to do.}
Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly.
Repent and turn to me again.
If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly..
The general exhortation is for all, yet some not in need of repentance Christ encourages specifically.
You have a few names even in Sardis .. [who] shall walk with Me in white [unsoiled garments], for they are worthy.
The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
Revelation 3:7a – note the definition of angel of the church could include any of its ‘messengers,’ as its ‘saints‘ – a most holy thing – could include any of its faithful.
He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:
The Revelation [3:7b NASB] of Jesus Christ to John – to the messenger of the church in Philadelphia
“I know your works.
See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it;
for you have a little strength,
have kept My word,
and have not denied My name.
Behold, I will make those.. who say that they are [ __ ]
Jesus calls them worshipers of Satan as the Lord refers to some Jews, BUT
could HE fill in the [ __ ] with ‘christians’ who gather in the church of the world?
and are not, but lie—
I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.
The Lord Jesus assures His friends and brothers in Philadelphia.
Because you have kept My command to persevere,
I also will keep you from the hour of trial
(Christ’s covenant with the faithful!)
which shall come upon the whole world,
to test those who dwell on the earth.
Behold, I am coming quickly!
Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
Flickering faith transformed into Pillars of Worship
The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore..
Revelation 3:12 NASB
.. and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.
The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Flickering Faith in the winds of the world
Suppose the letter to you arrives by messenger from Patmos.
Jesus’ Apostle John still resides there and occasionally Rome allows a letter from him to depart for your Roman-ruled city in a distant province of Asia.
Your own church community suffers in its own isolation, because most of your neighbors, merchants, fellow workers, Roman government officials and even some fellow worshipers seem caught up in the life of other things in your city.
NOW, as you gather for worship, a leader of your church reads a letter. (Messengers have previously brought guarded precious Good News from Mark, Luke, Matthew and even John.) You puff up a bit as your pastor begins:
This is the only time Christ uses it in Scripture, as the last warning to the last of seven churches — (to become warm, liquefy, melt)..
The Gospel which heated your faith, the cold water of your baptism which refreshed you — these no longer satisfy and Jesus is a Name seldom seen in the places where you dwell.
Lukewarm – metaphorically, of the condition of a soul wretchedly fluctuating between a torpor —
If Jesus is your Lord, if you have ears to hear and eyes to see His love — then receive Christ’s correction and discipline while your candle yet flickers with so little faith.
“Look! I stand at the door and knock.
If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne,
just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.
The Revelation of Jesus 3:20-21 NLT
AND for the 21st c. church..
“Anyone with ears to hear ..
must listen to the Spirit and
understand what he is saying to the churches.”
Revelation 3:22 NLT
ANYONE, my fellow saint of this 21st c. A.D., anyone with ears to hear Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
NOT only seven churches — not some other church — not even a flickering excuse of a saint in your own church. YOU, dear Christian — you with ears to hear what JESUS is saying to you and to His Church.
Amen.
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