LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN JOHN’S GOSPEL

A Paper

Submitted to Dr. Wayne Cornett

of

Liberty Theological Seminary

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Course

The Gospel of John: NBST655

Allen J. Battle

M.A. Western Seminary, 1997

September 7, 2012
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE TRINITY 2

Ministry to the Son 2

Paraclete 3

Regenerator 5

Sovereignty 5

The Truth 6

Indwelling 6

Procession 7

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RELATION TO MANKIND 7

Convicting 7

Regenerating 9

Indwelling 10

Helping 10

CONCLUSIONS 12
INTRODUCTION

The Gospel of John gives a place of prominence to the Holy Spirit. While the Old

Testament has numerous references to the Spirit of God, the mystery of the Trinity was not

revealed until the Incarnation. The Gospel of John builds an airtight case for the deity of Christ,

but in doing so it also portrays the Holy Spirit as the third member of the Godhead.

Although the mentions of the Spirit are relatively few, John arguably has “the fullest

account of the Holy Spirit and his activities of any of the Gospels.”1 In this Gospel we are given

an extensive treatment of his roles in the lives of both believing and unbelieving mankind with

the clear implication that it is only as God that he can accomplish these things.

There are eight virtually undisputed passages referencing the Spirit in John (excluding, of

course, liberal theologians), two that theologians disagree whether they are about the Spirit, or

simply spirit, and one in which the extent of the passage’s reference is debated. They are as

follows:

1. 1:32-34 (the baptism of Jesus)

2. 3:5-8, disputed (born of Spirit/spirit)
3. 3:34 (Spirit given without measure)
4. 4:23-24, disputed (worship in Spirit/spirit and truth)
5. 6:63 (Spirit gives life)
6. 7:38-39 (living water, Spirit not yet given)
7. 14:16-17, but possibly through 20 (indwelling of the Helper)
8. 14:28 (Helper as teacher)
9. 15:26-27 (sent by Jesus to bear witness)
10. 16:7-15 (Helper’s extended ministry)
11. 20:22 (receive the Spirit)

This paper will explore each of these passages in an attempt to demonstrate work of the

Holy Spirit as a member of the Godhead and the ministry of the Holy Spirit to mankind as

portrayed in John’s book.

1
Pack, Frank. "The Holy Spirit in the Fourth Gospel." Restoration Quarterly 31:139-48. (1989), 139.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE TRINITY

Ministry to the Son

Isaiah prophesies of the coming Messiah in the first few verses of chapter 11:

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear (Isaiah 11:1-3 ESV)

In John we can see the fulfillment of almost every line of this passage. Although Jesus is

not identified as the Son of David in this gospel, John’s readers, Diaspora Jews2, would

immediately have recognized the reference to Isaiah 11 when John says, “He on whom you see

the Spirit descend and remain.”(1:33) In this the Spirit is joining with John and the disciples as a

witness that Jesus is the Christ. “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the

Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you

also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” (5:26-27)

Jesus is unique in this anointing because he received “the Spirit without measure.” (3:34)

Some have argued that this is referring to Jesus as the giver. Pack points out that “in context this

is not what the Evangelist is speaking here. God has in full measure, without any reservation,

given the Spirit to the Son.”3

Paraclete

2
D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (Leicester, England: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1991),
91.
3
Ibid., 140.
 That this unreserved gift is unique to Jesus is evident. “In the first place no one else has

the Spirit in any way comparable to Jesus. And in the second, there is an implied limitation when

we are told that “unto each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of

Christ…” (Eph 4:7)”4

The functions of the Spirit in Isaiah 11 are echoed in John. The wisdom, understanding,

and knowledge are all supplied to Jesus. The Father shows the Son “all that he is doing.” (5:20)

As we will see when we discuss the title parakletos, it carries both the ideas of counsel and of

might, or strength. Having established that Jesus is the one who the Spirit came to proclaim as

Christ, what is the nature of this Spirit?

We are introduced to the term parakletos by Jesus in John 14:16. Here he promises that

the Father will send at his bidding another parakletos. Three other uses of the term can be found

in the Gospel of John in the Farewell Discourse, and only once outside of the Gospel in 1 John

(14:26; 15:26; 16:7; 1Jn 2:1).

In the first use it is both self-referent to Jesus and as an alternate title for the Spirit of

Truth. (14:17) Here Jesus says that this Spirit is another (Gk. allos) which means another of the

same kind.5 This, along with the use of the masculine pronoun for the Paraclete indicates the

personhood of the Spirit.6 “The term indicates that he is a person who is called to the side (in the

case of the disciples) to help.”7

4
Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John (the New International Commentary On the New Testament)
(Leicester, England.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1971), 247.

William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary Exposition of the Gospel According to John: Two
5

Volumes Complete in One (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1983), 277.
6
W. Robert Cook, The Theology of John (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979), 62-63.

7
Ibid., 276.
 It has been translated as Companion (CEB), Comforter ( KJV), Counselor (HCSB, RSV),

Advocate (NRSV), and Helper (ESV, NASB, NKJV & GNT). Cook argues that it should be left

untranslated and simply transliterated as Paraclete.8 J.B. Phillips provides one of the least

helpful translations by replacing the title with a description, “someone else to stand by you, to be

with you always.” Other than being a presence in the life of a believer, this translation leaves out

the key role of the Spirit as an active source of help. The CEB’s Companion echoes this

meaning.

The KJV’s Comforter was helpful when it was translated into Elizabethan English when

“the verb ‘to comfort’ meant ‘to strengthen, give succor to, to encourage, to aid’.” 9 In today’s

vernacular it takes on the meaning of a shoulder to cry on, which is only one aspect of the

Spirit’s role.

Counselor is helpful if we do not understand it in the modern therapeutic sense of the

word, “focusing primarily on emotional or psychological aspects (though the legal term

Counselor is more appropriate).”10 If taken this way, it is synonymous with Advocate, yet both of

these leave out the idea of support and strength.

In the NKJV, the ESV and NASB, it is translated as Helper in all four occurrences in the

Gospel. As Carson points out, helper can connote subordination in our culture;11 however, with a

broader biblical understanding of the role of the Spirit, we can put it in the proper perspective.

The Psalmist says that Yahweh is an ever present help in the time of need. (Ps 46:1) He is called

8
Cook, 122.

9
D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (Leicester, England.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1991,
499.

Andreas J. Kostenberger, Encountering John: the Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective
10

(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 1999), 156.

11
Carson, 499.
our helper in Pss. 33:20; 70:5; 115:9. Yahweh and Jesus are our helpers, and this Spirit is another

like Jesus. This is one of the many identifications with the Godhead in John.

Regenerator

Life is a prominent theme in John. The Divine works in view here are regeneration and

sanctification, and are attributed to all three members of the Trinity. “For as the Father raises the

dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.” (5:21) Both the Father and

the Son have life in themselves. (5:26) It is only by believing in him that we can have life.(20:31)

This life is not only an initial transition from death to life, but an on-going experience of new

life. Jesus is the source of that abundant life. (10:10). He is the bread of Life. (5:35) Like Jesus,

the Spirit also gives life. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. (6:63a) This

statement is echoed (or quoted) by Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:36 that, “the spirit gives life.”

This concept of being born of the Spirit is found in the first of our three disputed

references—3:5-8. “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and

the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that

which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Kostenberger sees this not as speaking of the Spirit of God

but of spirit in general12, Carson argues that the passage is clearly teaching that the Holy Spirit is

the subject here.

Only the Spirit gives birth to spirit…the capitalization of the first Spirit
rightly preserves the thought that it is God’s Holy Spirit who produces a new
nature . . . the antithesis between flesh and spirit is therefore not the contrast
between the lower and higher aspects of human nature, but the distinction
between human beings and God.12

Sovereignty

12
Carson, 196.
 Another attribute the Spirit shares with both the Father and the Son is also seen in this

verse, that of sovereignty. In 1:13 John tells us that the children of God are not born by the will

of man, but by the will of God. The Son has the same prerogative in 5:21. “For as the Father

raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.” Just as the wind

blows where it wills, so too the Spirit decides where to alight and cause people to be born again.

“The relation of the wind to your body resembles that of the Spirit. The wind does as it pleases.

So does the Spirit. Its operation is sovereign, incomprehensible, and mysterious.”13

The Truth

As the Spirit of Truth (14:17; 15:26; 16:13) he will lead us into all truth. He is identified

with the Son and the Father. Jesus is the truth (14:6); he is full of grace and truth which comes

from him (1:14-17); and those who worship God must do so in spirit and truth (4:23-24). This is

the second of our disputed passages. Whether the reference to spirit is to God the Spirit or

regenerated human spirit matters little in the ultimate meaning of the passage. “There are not two

separable characteristics of worship that must be offered; it must be ‘in spirit and truth,’ i.e.

essentially God-centered, made possible by the gift of the Holy Spirit.”14 Morris elaborates,

“This is not truth as a philosophical concept, but the truth that has been revealed in Jesus; the

Spirit will lead them into an ever fuller understanding of what that truth means.”15 It is the work

of the Spirit to sanctify believers.

Indwelling

The Spirit is further identified with the Godhead in relation to his indwelling of the

believer. In the third of our disputed references to the Spirit, John 14:18-20 has been interpreted
William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary Exposition of the Gospel According to John: Two Volumes
13

Complete in One (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1983), 135.

14
Carson, 225.
15
Leon Morris, New Testament Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1990), 260.
as referring to the Spirit’s presence in not leaving the disciples as orphans. Carson argues that

verses 18-20 refer to Jesus’ forty day post-resurrection appearances to them.16 At first glance this

seems plausible because Jesus tells them that they will see him (14:17) but in light of the

sporadic and short-lived nature of those appearances versus the assurance of not being orphaned,

it seems better to equate this with the promise of the permanent indwelling of both the Father and

Son in v.23. Jesus continues this teaching in the vine and branches metaphor, assuring us that

those whom he abides in and reciprocate will bear much fruit (15:5). Two divine attributes are

seen in these passages: the eternity, and the ubiquity of God. He will be present in all believers

throughout all time.

Procession

A final indication of the Spirit’s deity is his procession from the Father.(15:26) In

contrast to the ψω, which refers to an act, (proceeds) is a present tense and may

well refer to an eternal relationship (understanding this as a timeless present.)17

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RELATION TO MANKIND

What are the various ministries to mankind performed by the Holy Spirit? John highlights

several. The bulk of them are outlined by Jesus in the Farewell Discourse, especially chapters 14

through 16. All of them, save the first one, are toward believers.

Convicting

16
Carson, 502.
17
Cook, 64.
 As we saw previously, regeneration is a key role for the Spirit, but prior to that he must

do the work of drawing the unbeliever to Jesus through the ministry of conviction. This is the

process of exposing a person’s thoughts and actions as sin before God. Jesus speaks of this in

16:8-11:

8. And when he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world
concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9. concerning sin, because they
do not believe in me; 10. concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father,
and you will see me no longer; 11. concerning judgment, because the ruler of this
world is judged.

This compact teaching has verses 9-11 explaining the statement of verse 8. First we

understand the world to be the unbelieving bulk of humanity that does not know Christ. “He was

in the world…yet the world did not know him.” (1:10) “When he comes” is a reference to the

promise of Pentecost, which means that this ministry is not exercised apart from believers who

are indwelt by the Spirit. So, although this ministry is to unbelievers, it is necessarily through

believers that it is exercised.

Although some commentators have taken the meaning of conviction from Classical

Greek as “putting to shame, treating with contempt, cross-examining, accusing, bringing to the

test, proving, refuting,” Carson defines the term from its usage in other biblical passages as

having to do with “showing someone his sin, usually as a summons to repentance.”18 John Alosi

supports Carson’s view in an extensive word study. He concludes, “This convicting or

convincing work involves the Holy Spirit bringing the world to a self-conscious “conviction” of

its sin and guiltiness.”19

The first element of the convicting work is to convince the world that they have sin

because they refuse to avail themselves of the only remedy of believing in Jesus. “This
18
Carson, 534.
John Alosi, “The Paraclete’s Ministry of Conviction: Another Look at John 16:8-11.” Journal of the
19

Evangelical Theological Society Volume 47. (Lynchburg, VA: The Evangelical Theological Society, 2004), 60.
convicting work of the Paraclete is therefore designed to bring men and women of the world to

recognize their need, and turn to Jesus, and thus stop being ‘the world’”.20

The second element is interpreted by Carson as exposing the so-called righteousness of

religious people as worthless and vain, à la Isaiah 64:6’s menstrous rags.21 This is now a function

of Christians because Jesus has returned to heaven. Alosi’s interpretation holds that the fact of

Jesus resurrection proves his righteousness and will bring shame to the world.22 Cook agrees,

“Both the person and the work of Christ are vindicated. The Spirit convicts men that Jesus Christ

is who He claimed to be and that He did what He claimed to do.”23

The final clause is concerning judgment. Carson proposes that this parallels the false

righteousness of unbelievers as a kind of false judgment as illustrated by Satan’s judgment of

Jesus24. Again, Alosi disagrees and suggests that it simply refers to the coming judgment of Satan

and all who follow him.25

One additional comment on the regeneration that successful conviction produces is

necessary here. For John, it is very personal. One is not simply convinced of his guilt and

forgiven; he is repentant toward a personal God who desires a relationship. “John’s emphasis,

then, is upon personal intimacy in the family rather than upon legal rights.”26 This is consonant

with Jesus’ promise in 14:18 to not leave us as orphans.

Sanctifying
20
Ibid., 537.

21
Ibid.

22
Alosi, 63.

23
Cook, 78.

24
Carson, 538.

25
Alosi, 64.
26
Cook, 84.
 From the human perspective sanctification is a daily experience of the Spirit’s work in

our lives. Jesus completes the proclamation that the Spirit gives life in 6:63 with, “The words

that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (6:63b) Here the words of Jesus are equated with

the Spirit. This leads Morris to comment that, “Only as the life-giving Spirit informs him may a

man understand these words.”27 This reminds us of Paul’s assertion that, “the natural man does

not receive the things of the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor. 2:14) It is the work of the Spirit to give us

that life on a daily basis. Although not mentioned in Jesus’ high priestly prayer in chapter 17, it

is clearly implied that the Spirit is in partnership with Jesus as the one who will “Sanctify them

in the truth.” (17:17)

Indwelling

The promise of the indwelling Spirit is something new in salvation-history. In the Old

Testament the Spirit was given in measure to certain people to accomplish God’s purposes. This

doctrine is given a prominent place in John’s Gospel. “His primary contribution to the doctrine

(as he records Jesus’ words) is that this relationship is to be distinguished from the Spirit’s

previous relationship with men. In fact, this change … is key to the believer’s knowing the Spirit

(John 14:6).”28 Again, the personal nature of the Spirit’s dealings with mankind is demonstrated.

The indwelling of the Spirit gives rise to the question of when that event could and did

take place. In chapter seven John tells us that the spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not

yet glorified. (7:39) Jesus tells the disciples that it is necessary for him to go away so that the

Spirit can come. In 20:22 Jesus “breathes” on the disciples and invites them to receive the Spirit.

Some have argued that the disciples were given the Spirit at this pre-Pentecost encounter.

27
Morris, John, 385.
28
Cook, 123.
Kostenberger is probably correct in his opinion that this “represents a symbolic promise of the

son-to-be gift of the Spirit, not the actual giving of it fifty days later at Pentecost.”29

Helping

The definition of Paraclete has already been discussed. His ministry to believers will now

be outlined.

In 14:16 Jesus tells us that the benefits of the help, strength, support, and guidance

implied by that title are a part of an eternal relationship. We still discover that this results in

blessings to the believer, as well as to those lives he touches.

All that believers do for Christ is a result of the work of the Spirit through them. Jesus

explicitly states that the Spirit will be like a river flowing from the believer. “Whoever believes

in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (7:38) The

fact that this living water is flowing out, shows that it is not for the internal benefit of the

conduit, but for those who receive the life-giving refreshment from it. “The believer is not self-

centered. As he receives the gift of God, so he passes it on to others. Or to put the same thought

in another way, when a man believes he becomes a servant of God, and God uses him to be the

means of bringing blessing to others.”30

One help the Spirit gives is the power to witness for Christ. (15:27) Believes are invited

into a partnership with the Spirit. “There is a responsibility resting on all Christians to bear their

witness to the facts of saving grace. They cannot evade this. But the really significant witness is

that of the Holy Spirit. For he alone can bring home to the ears of men the truth and significance

of all this.”31

29
Kostenberger, Theology, 399.
30
Morris, John, 426.

31
Ibid., 684.
 The term for witness is martus. The original meaning of the word was the same as our

definition of witness. In context, Jesus is warning of coming persecution. They will be put out of

the synagogue and even killed. (16:1-2) The testimony of the Church became so associated with

proclaiming Christ in the face of persecution that it took on the meaning of our present day term

martyr.

The startling reality of the Spirit’s presence is that he can provide confidence and rest in

the face of persecution and all of the other evils inherent in this life. “Peace I leave with you; my

peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled,

neither let them be afraid.” (14:27) This peace is supernatural—“not as the world gives.” “But

Jesus displays transcendent peace, his own peace, my peace, throughout his perilous hour of

death and suffering.”32

CONCLUSIONS

John’s purpose statement in 20:31 says that the Gospel was “written so that you may

believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his

name.” (20:31) The focus is rightly on Jesus. When most students of the Bible consider the major

thrust of the Gospel of John, they will almost invariably think about the themes of Jesus’ deity

beginning with “and the Word was God;” of the “I Am” statements; of the miracles; and his

exclusive place in God’s plan of salvation—“I am the Way, the Truth and Life.”(14:6)

Some may recall the Paraclete passages, but most (this author being included in that

group previous to this study) would not realize the pervasive role of the Spirit throughout the

book. Although the actual references to the Holy Spirit are few in the Gospel of John, his

presence is felt everywhere. “John, then has an exceedingly rich and full amount of teaching

32
Carson, 506.
about the Holy Spirit, considering the small amount of space he devotes to the subject.”33 Yet he

stays largely in the background, as is proper to his purpose of glorifying Christ. (16:14) In fact,

any movement whose emphasis is on the person of the Holy Spirit is necessarily misrepresenting

the Spirit because wherever he is active, he will draw attention to Jesus and not to himself.

Similarly, each believer who is being led by the Spirit will exalt Jesus as the King of kings and

Lord of lords.

33
Morris, Theology, 265.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alosi, John. “The Paraclete’s Ministry if Conviction: Another Look at John 16:8:11.”
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society Volume 47. Lynchburg, VA: The
Evangelical Theological Society, 2004.

Brown, Raymond E. The Gospel According to John I-Xii (anchor Bible Series. Vol. 29). Garden
City: Anchor Bible, 1966.

Burge, Gary M.Interpreting the Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1992.

Carson, D. A. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdman's
PublishingCompany, 1991.

Cook, W. Robert. The Theology of John. Chicago: Moody Press, 1979.

Hendriksen, William. New Testament Commentary Exposition of the Gospel According to John:
Two Volumes Complete in One. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1983.

Köstenberger, Andreas J. Encountering John: the Gospel in Historical, Literary, and

Theological Perspective. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 1999.

_________. John. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2004.

Morris, Leon. New Testament Theology. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1990.

_________. The Gospel According to John. The New International Commentary on the
NewTestament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1995.

Pack, Frank. "The Holy Spirit in the Fourth Gospel." Restoration Quarterly 31:139-48, 1989.

Towns, Elmer. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Rev. ed. Chattanooga, TN: AMG
Publishers, 2002.