Our Helper

"If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever–" John 14:15-16

I sometimes use the Amplified Bible to expand the meanings of some words, but generally I don’t like reading it because all those extras are distracting. I went with this version today, however, because that description of the Holy Spirit just can’t be beat.

The first part of this verse deserves more than a cursory glance. It would be easy to look at it, especially if taken out of context, as a manipulative statement, or a threat. But that’s not at all what it is. Jesus isn’t saying that he won’t love us if we fail to keep his commands. What he’s saying is that if we really do love and trust him, we will keep his commands because we want to, not because we have to. That “want to” may take a while to grow, but it is the evidence we have that we really have received the wonderful gift of salvation.

OK, so now we want to obey, but things are often easier said than done! How are we going to make this obeying stuff a reality? Well, left to our own power, we’d fail miserably. But God already knew that, so he made other, much better and more effective arrangements; Jesus promises to ask his Father to send us the Holy Spirit! Who is the Holy Spirit? He is our Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby! Not only that, but he will NEVER leave us! Jesus promises that this amazing Helper with remain with us forever! With that kind of promise, and that kind of divine Help, we can indeed begin to obey. We’ll all still stumble, but sin does not have the ultimate power over us after we accept Christ. Just a few years ago, I learned a life-changing truth: when Christ died for us on the cross, not only did he take the punishment for our sins, he also took sin’s power over us. That is the ultimate freedom, and that kind of freedom is what a real relationship with Jesus is all about.