Who Is the Holy Spirit? What Jesus Promised in John 14 and 16

Many Christians believe in the Holy Spirit but aren't sure who He is or what difference He makes on a Tuesday. Jesus answered that before He went to the cross. In John 14, He promised another Advocate who would live with you and in you. The Holy Spirit is a person, the third person of the Trinity, and all of God's power lives in every believer through Him.

What did Jesus promise about the Holy Spirit?

Jesus promised that the Spirit would come and stay. He spoke these words as His earthly ministry was coming to an end.

If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever, the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

John 14:15 to 17

Pastor Shannon O'Dell pointed to two phrases. "With you" describes the Spirit's presence around you. "In you" describes His power inside you. An advocate is a counselor in the legal sense, like an attorney who stands up for you. Through the blood of Jesus, the Spirit speaks on your behalf before the Father.

Conviction is the Spirit's inner nudge that shows you sin and calls you back to God. Notice also what the world can't do. It cannot accept the Spirit, because it doesn't know Him. Pastor Shannon's challenge was pointed. Instead of boycotting or unfriending people, live in the Spirit with that same passion, because they can't receive Him until they see Him in you and hear the gospel from you.

What does the Holy Spirit do?

The Spirit teaches you, reminds you, convicts you, guides you into truth, and glorifies Jesus. In John 16, Jesus told His disciples it was for their good that He was going away, because then the Advocate would come.

He teaches you when Scripture feels hard to understand. He reminds you of commitments you've made and nudges you to share your faith. He convicts you of sin. Pastor Shannon said it plainly: if you are never convicted, there's a great chance you don't know God. He doesn't expect perfection, but he does expect consistency.

Above all, the Spirit glorifies Christ. People should see Jesus in your marriage, your parenting, and your work.

Is the Holy Spirit a person or a force?

The Holy Spirit is a person. Pastor Shannon listed what Scripture shows about Him.

• He is a person. All of God lives in you if you are saved. So why live with a small God in your day-to-day life?
• He is God. When Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, Peter told him he had lied to God (Acts 5:3 to 4).
• He is holy. Your body is His temple.
• He has emotions. Ephesians 4:30 says not to grieve the Holy Spirit, which means you can break His heart.
• He has a will. He gives gifts to each one "just as he determines" (1 Corinthians 12:11).

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:19 to 20

For example, Pastor Shannon told how God prompted him in April 2024 to fast. He had been asking God to fill a building, and God asked him to empty himself out instead. The surprise was what to give up: bread and sugar. He said yes and was nearly two years in when he preached. He also kept a commitment from his tenth anniversary to pray with his wife every night, for 22 years now. He admitted he doesn't always feel like it. That's discipleship.

How does the Spirit help you every day?

He gives you what you need for ordinary life. Pastor Shannon walked through several everyday ways.

• He gives you words in tough moments, and sometimes He helps you keep your mouth shut.
• He gives you power to be a witness. Acts 1:8 doesn't say you'll be trained first. It says you will be His witnesses.
• He sets you free from sin you can't break on your own. Titus 2:12 says God's grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness.
• He brings freedom instead of fear, and He grows self-control, the fruit of the Spirit many people forget to mention (Galatians 5:22 to 23).
• He prays for you when you don't know what to say.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Romans 8:26

Why don't I experience more of the Holy Spirit?

Often it's because you've gotten comfortable. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told Peter, James, and John to stay and keep watch.

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.

Mark 14:35

In the very next verse Jesus prays, "Abba, Father" (Mark 14:36). Romans 8:15 says the Spirit we received brought us adoption, so we cry the same words. Pastor Shannon noted that Father and farther are one letter apart: more of Jesus is just beyond where you have stopped before.

Many believers are in a "stay here" season. Same quiet time, same routines, same testimony from years ago. Jesus went a little farther, and He invites you to do the same. Pastor Shannon named the barriers: comfort, embarrassment, and convenience.

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

Romans 8:11

Consider the people in the Gospels who went farther. Zacchaeus climbed a tree. A woman pushed through a crowd to touch Jesus' cloak. Friends cut a hole in a roof. Peter stepped out of a boat. None of it was convenient.

Common questions

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. Jesus promised Him in John 14 as an Advocate who lives with and in every believer forever. He is a person with emotions and a will.

What does it mean to grieve the Holy Spirit?

Ephesians 4:30 tells believers not to grieve the Holy Spirit. Because He is a person, disobedience and habitual sin break His heart. Choosing to do what God says, even when it's hard, honors Him.

Why is the Holy Spirit called the Advocate?

The word in John 14:16 can mean counselor or advocate, like an attorney who represents you. Through the shed blood of Jesus, the Spirit stands on your behalf and helps you live for God.

How can I experience more of the Holy Spirit?

Ask Him to fill you, read Scripture so you know His voice, and obey what He prompts you to do. Like Jesus in Mark 14:35, be willing to go a little farther than comfort and convenience allow.