John 14:18 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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John 14:18

Comments

The Holy Spirit is also the assurer of God’s people. Now we know why the King James translators translated the Greek word for advocate, helper, protector; we now know why they translated it Comforter because here Christ says, ‘I will not leave you comfortless.’ The Greek word there we have in the English language; it is the word, orphan. I will not leave you orphans, says the Greek literally, parentless, comfortless. The Holy Spirit brings the presence of Christ to us. The Holy Spirit assures us of salvation.‘I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.’ Which means, I will come to you by the Holy Spirit. I will come to you – he is not referring here to his coming again. He is not referring to his brief reappearances to them, his resurrection appearances. He is referring more solidly to the abiding coming by the Holy Spirit. I will no longer be physically present with you, but I will come to you and assure you, and teach you, and guide you, and strengthen you as if I were there, but spiritually, directly to your hearts and souls by the Holy Spirit. That is the meaning. ‘I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.’

Application

It is a wonderful thing when we come to Christ and we repent of our sin and we trust in him, and then comes the deeply precious moment and experience when somehow – difficult to put your finger on it – you know your sins are forgiven. You know you have peace with God. You know he is your Lord and your master. You know you have been saved. You can come before him and cry, ‘Abba, Father’. You can pray. You trust in him and you love him. No longer are you the struggling seeker. Will I be saved, or won’t I? Will I find him or won’t I? There is a new peace and a certainty. It will be very difficult for you to describe, but it is there. ‘I will not leave you comfortless,’ says Christ to the disciples. I am going, but you will not be spiritually parentless because the Holy Spirit will work directly in your soul, and you will have the comfort of assurance, and you will know that you are his and that your soul is safe.

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John 14:18 Commentary and Bible Study