Whose Spirit Do We Receive?

Start with a question Jesus promised a Comforter. Who is the Comforter? Is it a third person sent by Jesus to manage things on earth while Jesus stays in heaven? Or is it Jesus Himself, coming to dwell directly within you? The answer to this question determines whether you possess the true Gospel, or a counterfeit.

The Comforter in John The Greek word for Comforter is parakletos (one called alongside to help, advocate, or comfort). John is the only New Testament writer who uses this word, and he uses it exactly five times.

Four of those times, Jesus uses it to describe the promised Holy Spirit:

• “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:16–17)
• “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things.” (John 14:26)
• “When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.” (John 15:26)
• “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” (John 16:7)

But look at the fifth time John uses the exact same word, parakletos:

• “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate [parakletos] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1)

The Hints in the Discourse Jesus was speaking in figures, as He later admitted: “These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father” (John 16:25).

Notice how closely His description of the Comforter matches how He speaks of Himself:

Right after speaking of the Comforter, Jesus says, “I will come to you.” And He says He will send “another Comforter.” The Greek word for “another” (allos) means another of the exact same kind. If there is another of the same kind, who is the first? Jesus is the first parakletos (1 John 2:1). The Comforter is not a substitute; He is Jesus returning in a new, spiritual mode of existence to dwell directly in His people.

The Critical Distinction: "Did Come" vs. "Is Come" To understand the magnitude of this, we must look at the Apostle John’s test for the Spirit of God. In 1 John 4:2-3, John writes: “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist...”

Notice the tense. John does not say "did come." He says "is come." Present tense.

Why does this matter? Because the demons believe Jesus did come in the flesh. When Jesus walked the earth, the unclean spirits fell down before Him and cried out with perfect theological accuracy: “Thou art Christ the Son of God” (Luke 4:41). They knew the historical fact. They knew His divinity. And yet, they were lost.

If all it took to have the Spirit of God was to admit that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and died on a cross, hell would be empty of demons. But it is not. The spirit of Antichrist admits that Jesus came then, but denies that He comes now. It denies that He is currently living in the flesh of the believer.

If a theology teaches that the Holy Spirit is a separate third person managing things on earth while Jesus stays in heaven, it has failed John’s test. It has received “another spirit” (2 Corinthians 11:4). The true Spirit of God confesses that Jesus IS come in the flesh—meaning He has come by His Spirit to dwell in our very bodies right now.

What Paul Said Paul leaves no room for ambiguity regarding the identity of the promised Spirit.

• “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) Look at that verse closely. In the exact same sentence, Paul identifies the Lord (Jesus) as the Spirit, and speaks of the Spirit of the Lord. It is the exact pattern of a person and his spirit: the Lord is that Spirit, and the Spirit belongs to the Lord.
• “God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts.” (Galatians 4:6)
• “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:19)
• “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” (Ephesians 3:17)
• “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)
• “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith... know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

And the masterpiece of clarity in Romans 8:

Read that carefully. In the space of three verses, Paul uses four phrases to describe the exact same reality: The Spirit of God, The Spirit of Christ, Christ in you, and The Spirit of him that raised up Jesus. Paul treats having the "Spirit of Christ" and having "Christ Himself in you" as the exact same thing, described two different ways. Not a proxy sent to represent Christ. Not a third, separate divine being interposed between the believer and the Son. The Spirit of Christ is Christ's own presence and power, reaching the believer directly.

What Peter Said On the day of Pentecost, Peter said: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38)

And in his very next sermon, he describes the exact same experience using entirely different words: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ.” (Acts 3:19–20)

Put them side by side. In the first sermon, the repentant receive the Holy Ghost. In the second sermon, they receive "times of refreshing" and God sends "Jesus Christ." Peter did not believe he was offering them a third person. He believed he was offering them Jesus Himself, by His Spirit.

Why Both the Father and the Son? If the Comforter is the Spirit of Jesus, why does Jesus say, “the Comforter... whom the Father will send in my name”?

Because the Father is the Source of all things (1 Corinthians 8:6), and the Son is the way to the Father:

• “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” (Ephesians 2:18)
• “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.” (2 Corinthians 5:19)

God was in Christ. Now Christ comes to dwell in us. And when He does, the Father comes too:

• “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.” (John 14:23)

“We will come,” the Father and the Son. John says the same in his letters: “he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also” (1 John 2:23) and “He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9).

So the Spirit we receive is the Spirit of the Father through the Son. “Christ in you” brings “God in you.” That is why Paul can use Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ, and Christ in you of one experience. We are not receiving a proxy. We are receiving the King.