The Ever-Comforting Spirit
The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, indwells all believers. We see that to be a fact based on God's word in Acts 10:43-47. Read. He is as Eternal as God the Father, and God the Son is. A believing gaze upon Jesus as He is revealed in the scriptures, the One who is the image of the invisible God (2Cor.4:4), the One in whom the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Col.2:9), and the One who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature (Heb.1:3), will bring about a kindling of love towards, and thus a prompting of obedience to. Love is the foundation of obedience, and obedience is the sure outcome and result of love.
In John 14:15, Jesus says to His disciples, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." This verse qualifies by the word if, as to what will happen in verse 16. It says, "And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever." As Jesus talks about how we should pray in the preceding verses, it is amazing that the Lord does as the servant asks, and the servant is to do as the Lord commands. If we ask, He does. If we do, He asks. His action is the answer to our prayers, and His prayers are the answer to our obedience.
Alexander MacLaren says, "I will ask and He will give, He puts it as it were, the Father's act in pledge to us, and assures us, in a tone of certainty, which is not merely the assurance of faith, but the certitude of One, is One with the Father, that His prayer brings ever it's answer." The Spirit, a helper, an advocate, is one who is called to the aid of another as a comforter who makes strong by His presence for those disciples and all others that would believe in Him through their word. And Jesus says that the Spirit will be with us forever.
He will not leave us as orphans; He will not leave us comfortless, or desolate, so Jesus departs from His people in bodily form for 'a season', that we might receive Him in a present form forever. He will be with us even unto the end of the age! MacLaren says, "If we really believed that with us there was the ever and real presence of the real Christ, how all burdens and cares would be lightened, how all perplexities would begin to smooth themselves out and be straightened, how all the force would be sucked out of temptations, and how sorrows and joys and all things would be changed in their aspect by that one conviction intensely realized and constantly with us." To finish, amazingly we will live as long as He lives, and His being is the pledge and guarantee of the immortal being of all who love Him and keep His commandments. Praise God for the Holy Spirit!
Randy Slak