When the early church formulated the official creeds of the Christian faith, they initially spoke of the Holy Spirit as ‘proceeding from the Father’. But after much discussion they ended up adding to this what became known as the ‘Filioque clause’ (Filioque is Latin for ‘and the Son’). This clause stated that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Were they just being pedantic? No, they were highlighting one of the most important things about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is Christ in us. In the light of his impending death, Jesus explains to his disciples here that he is going away so that he might be present in the world in a more pervasive and intimate way. His disciples would have seen his death as a loss when, in fact, it was for their gain that he was going to his death. By his sacrificial death, Jesus cleanses us from sin so that he might inhabit our hearts by the Holy Spirit, the ‘Counsellor’. In this way Jesus is always with us as he promised (Matthew 28:20). But he is not only with us as he was with his disciples before his ascension. No, the situation is much better now. Jesus lives within his people and, in this way, he is present, in a special sense, throughout the world. The privilege that the disciples had in being with Jesus every day is a privilege that we now have too. But Jesus gets closer by his Spirit. He counsels us now, inwardly by his Spirit, and his word gets straight into our hearts, not just into our ears.
Think about what Jesus’ sacrifice has gained for you and celebrate the goodness of God.
Read John 14:15-21
