THE SIGN OF ANOTHER PARACLETE
Thus far, we have covered four signs in chapters fourteen through seventeen of the Gospel of John: the sign of the Father’s house, the sign of the Son’s going and coming, the sign of the way, the reality, and the life, and the sign of the divine Trinity. Let us now proceed to the fifth sign, the sign of another Paraclete (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7).
In John 14:16 the Lord Jesus says, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever.” The Greek word rendered “Comforter” here is parakletos. Paraclete is the anglicized form of this Greek word. This word is a figure; hence, it also is a sign.
In Greek, parakletos denotes someone alongside who takes care of our cause, our affairs. It is composed of two words: a preposition that means with and a form of the word for call. In ancient times a paraclete was a helper, advocate, counsel, or intercessor. A paraclete was someone who served a particular person by taking care of his needs. As one who is always present, a paraclete may be considered a waiter, a helper, and also an attorney. In a note on John 14:16 Darby says that a paraclete was “one who carries on the cause of any one and helps him.” In his translation of 1 John 2:1, where the same Greek word is used, Darby says that we have a “patron” with the Father. Then in a note he explains that he uses the word patron in the sense of the Roman patron, who maintained the interests of his clients in every way. We may say that the Spirit today is our Patron. He is with us to take care of our entire situation.
One Called to Another’s Side to Help Him
The Paraclete signifies one called to another’s side to help him. Hence, the Paraclete is a Helper. The Spirit as another Paraclete is always available to help us.
One Offering Legal Aid or One Interceding on Behalf of Someone Else
The Paraclete also signifies one offering legal aid or one interceding on behalf of someone else; hence, the Spirit as another Paraclete is an Advocate, a Counsel, or an Intercessor. We may say that this Paraclete is our divine Attorney, who counsels us in relation to our need.
For Consoling
The Paraclete is also one who consoles us. He is the Consoler, the Comforter. How marvelous that the Spirit always consoles and comforts us!
The Spirit of Reality
The Spirit as another Paraclete is the Spirit of reality. When we compare John 14:16 and 17, it is clear that this Paraclete, this Comforter, is the Spirit of reality. John 15:26 also indicates that the Comforter is the Spirit of reality. Furthermore in John 16:13 the Lord Jesus says, “But when He, the Spirit of reality, comes, He will guide you into all the reality; for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” In addition, according to 1 John 5:6, the Spirit is the truth, the reality.
As the Spirit of reality, the Spirit is the reality of God and of the Son. The Spirit is the reality of every divine thing, and, as such, He is the reality of eternal life. Eventually, because He is the reality, He is God, the Son, and eternal life. Without the Spirit of reality, eternal life would be empty, vain. Therefore, the Spirit is the reality of God, of the Son, of eternal life, and of every divine matter. Therefore, He is called the Spirit of reality.
(The Fulfillment of the Tabernacle and the Offerings in the Writings of John, Chapter 44, by Witness Lee)
