The Holy Spirit of God Lives in Us

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever… John 14:16

In John 14, Jesus is preparing His disciples for the fact that He will soon be leaving them. The next several chapters contain many different promises that Jesus makes to the disciples (and, by extension, to us). One of the most important of those promises is in this verse. Jesus, the Son, asks God the Father to send the Holy Spirit to permanently indwell believers. Walking with Jesus must have been amazing! Who can fathom what that was like? Yet, now, the comfort of the believer is not just that Jesus is with him, but the Holy Spirit lives in him! Let’s take a look at a very important word here. In the Greek language, there are two words for “another.” One is heteros–another of a different kind. “I’d like another sandwich. This one is terrible.” The second is allos–another of the same kind. “I’d like another bowl of ice cream. That was delicious!” It is the second word, allos, which Jesus uses. The Holy Spirit is “another of the same kind.” Or, the Holy Spirit is the same as Jesus in wisdom, power, grace and mercy. There was no “drop off” for the disciples when Jesus returned to heaven after His resurrection! They had the precious, powerful, personal guidance of the Spirit, who lived in them. Likewise, Christ follower–Jesus may no longer walk among us, but the Holy Spirit of God lives in us!

-Pastor Mike