Day 7: The Holy Spirit’s Presence

The Scripture presents a twofold picture of the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. First of all, He indwells the church, the corporate body of Christ; but second, it’s also God’s purpose that He indwells the body of each individual believer. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19:

“Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?”

I’m always staggered by that thought, that God Himself, the infinite God, the Creator of the entire universe, wants to dwell in the physical body of each believer.

In John 14 verses 16–18 Jesus says:

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor [paraclete] to 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. [You see that this is a promise only for believers, it’s not for the world. And then Jesus concludes:] I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

That word paraclete comes from a Greek source and it means literally, “someone who’s called in alongside to help you, to do something for you that you can’t do for yourself.”

Interestingly, the same word is used in the first epistle of John, chapter 2 and verse 1, where John says this:

“My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

That word “advocate” is the same word, paraclete. The word “advocate” is derived from Latin and it means, “somebody called in.” Interestingly, in almost all the languages in the world today derived from Latin, that word “advocate” in its particular form is the word for a lawyer. It means someone who speaks in our defence.

So, look at the beautiful picture that the Scripture unfolds, we have two advocates. On earth, the Holy Spirit pleads our cause. The things that we can’t say right He says for us. The things that we don’t understand He interprets for us.

And then in heaven, Jesus is our Advocate with the Father, He pleads our cause. So just think, we have the two greatest Advocates in the universe. My comment on that is with two such advocates or attorneys, how could we ever lose the case?

Another Counsellor

Let me go back to John 14 verses 16–18 where Jesus said. He said the Father will give you another Counsellor. You have to understand the importance of that word “another.” Jesus said, “When I go, another person will come. Another helper. He will stay with you forever.”

There’s a contrast. He said, “I’ve been with you three and a half years, I’m leaving you. But don’t be heartbroken because there’s someone else coming in my place and He’ll never leave you. He’ll be with you forever.”

And then He says, “He lives with you and will be in you.” There’s importance in that phrase “in you.” This advocate, this paraclete, this comforter, He’s going to live in us. We’re going to be His resident address.

And finally, He said, “I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.” Christ comes back to His disciples in the Holy Spirit. You see, while He was on earth in His body, He could only be in one place at one time, He could only be talking to Peter or to John or to Mary Magdalene but He couldn’t be talking to all three of them a different conversation at the same time. He was limited by time and space. But now when He comes back to His people in the Holy Spirit, He’s free from the limitations of time and space. He can be in Australia, talking to a child of God in need there; He can be in the United States anointing a preacher; He can be somewhere in the deserts or the jungles of Africa, strengthening or healing some missionary. He’s not limited. So He’s come back, but He’s come back unlimited, no longer subject to the limitations of time or space.