John 14:15-23 King James Version (KJV)
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and
he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but
ye know him; for he dwelleth with you
, and shall be in you.
18
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23 Jesus answered and said unto him,
If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him
Most read this and miss the treasure of information given us:
1. Christ promises the coming of "another Comforter (v.16):" in other words the Comforter that will come (which cannot come unless He leaves)...
A. Hasn't come yet (and we cannot impose a context of Him returning);
B. Is One of the same quality (allos);
C. Takes up the role Christ is performing (as the Consolation of Israel);
D. Unlike the Christ...will be with them forever (and two things to note is that He is not with them "forever" at the time of this teaching and that this "forever" contrasts the departure Christ is teaching them).
2. The Spirit of Truth, the Comforter, is with them, but, after He comes He will be in them, again...forever. (v.16). This contrasts the filling of the Spirit which has taken place since the beginning and the Eternal Indwelling which is the promise of the Father in the Old Testament (
Ezekiel 36:27; Acts 1:4-5).
3. When the Spirit, the Comforter comes, we see the Eternal Unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in that when the Comforter comes Christ also comes to those He indwells, which is the "riches of the glory of the Mystery of the Gospel...Christ in us (
Colossians 1:25-27)
4. The promise of eternal life (v.19). As Christ teaches in
John 6:53, no man had life, because no man was yet "eating of the flesh and drinking of the blood of CHrist, or in other words...believing on the Gospel (the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Christ)
5. Verse 20: "At that day..." when the Comforter comes, they will know that He is in the Father, that they are in Him (Jesus), and Jesus in them. We cannot impose an understanding that they will simply know this then and that it is already happening, because He has already stated the Comforter is with them...but not in them. The only logical conclusion one can draw is that at the time Christ teaches this to the disciples He is not in them, and they are not in Him. And one basic truth of the Church is that only those who are in Christ are the Church.
6. When He (the Comforter) comes, they will be indwelt by the Father (v.23 and implied in v.20), the Son (vv.18, 20, and 23), and the Holy Ghost (vv.16-17). Not only is this teaching the Trinity but makes the point that the disciples still await the indwelling of God in a New Covenant context.
There are numerous other passages we can look at to show that there is a distinct difference between the filling of the Spirit which took place in the Old Testament (and still takes place today) and the Eternal Indwelling of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in the New Coveant believer (which did not take place in the Old Testament.