G. B. THOMPSON by G. B. Thompson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 27, 1913

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 90, No. 9.

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G. B. THOMPSON

By G. B. Thompson

The Holy Spirit — No. 7

G. B. THOMPSON

The Paraclete

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” John 14: 16.

The word from which Comforter is translated is the Greek word paraclete. The first instance of its use in the Bible is in the above text. This word is used five times in the New Testament, four times by Jesus in the upper room discourse to his disciples (John 14: 16, 26; 15: 26; 16: 7), where it refers to the Holy Spirit, and once in 1 John 2: 1, where it is translated advocate and refers to Christ: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate [paraclete] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

The Holy Spirit is not merely an influence, or power, or some enthusiasm; but, as the word paraclete suggests, a personality exerting an influence, wielding a power, awakening enthusiasm.

I am aware that we should tread softly here. We are dealing with One whose nature is a mystery, where we have been instructed that no “fanciful views” or “human construction” of Scripture should be given. We have no desire, nor do we deem it wise or profitable, to seek to define and analyze the personality of either God the Son or the Holy Spirit. When it comes to definitions here, silence is indeed golden. The Godhead is incomprehensible to man. But the Spirit himself, speaking to the church through his chosen instrument, calls the Holy Spirit the “third person of the Godhead,” and it is manifestly proper to carefully study the statements of the Word of God and seek for light, and rejoice in what we find, whether we can fully understand it or not, for the “things which are revealed belong unto us and unto our children forever.”

Much light is thrown on the subject of the position and work of the Holy Spirit by a careful study of the word paraclete, which our Saviour used in the upper room discourse, and which is translated Comforter. “I will send another Paraclete,” said the Master. “If any man sin, we have a paraclete,” says the beloved disciple. In the Revised Versions the word Comforter is given in the text John 14: 16. The margin, however, reads, “or Advocate, or Helper, Gr., Paraclete.”

Scholars tell us that the word paraclete is really an untranslatable word, it being difficult to find any word in the English tongue which fully expresses the meaning. The word advocate, as given in 1 John 2: 1, perhaps comes nearer to

conveying the real meaning than any other word.

That we may arrive as nearly as possible at the true meaning of this word, I shall quote several definitions from recognized authorities.

Grimm-Thayer defines it as “summoned, called to one’s side (esp. called to one’s aid). 1. One who pleads another’s cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, advocate. 2. (Universally) one who pleads another’s cause with one, an intercessor. 3. (In the widest sense) a helper, a succorer, aider, assistant.”

Liddell and Scott: “1. Paraclete, called to one’s aid, assisting, especially in a court of justice. Latin, advocatus: hence as substitute, a legal assistant, advocate. 2. Generally a helper.”

“Another Comforter, or ‘Paraclete.’ This word is used not only of a person called in to plead another’s cause, but of one who is a helper in any matter, or generally a patron.”—Henry and Scott, comments on John 14: 16.

“This word paraclete, like its Latin equivalent, advocate, which is once used to translate it, seems to embody mainly the conception of being called to one’s aid or summoned to act as a substitute; as, in a court of law, an advocate offers to conduct a case or cause in another’s behalf and as his representative.”—“Acts of the Holy Spirit,” by A. T. Pierson, page 14.

It is quite clear from the definitions of the word paraclete given above, that it carries with it the idea of personality. The word means a “helper,” an “advocate,” one who “comforts,” all of which are titles of persons. “Another Comforter” does not mean simply the influence of the same “Comforter.” It is another, who is called in the spirit of prophecy “the third person of the Godhead.” Our paraclete in heaven is Jesus Christ the righteous; our paraclete on earth is the Holy Spirit. With God the Father in heaven there is the Man Christ Jesus to plead the cause of men; with man on earth there is the Holy Spirit to plead the cause of God.

“Paraclete is composed of two words — clete, which means ‘called,’ and para, which means ‘along with.’ It thus means exactly ‘one who is called along with another,’ or ‘one who is called to another’s aid.’ More definitely, the paraclete is one who is called along with the clete to aid him. And to understand the work of the paraclete, we need to understand the position of the clete.

“A man is called to appear before a court of justice to answer a charge made against him. He is clete, or ‘called.’ But he is ignorant of the law, and unable to plead well before his judges; therefore another is called to help him. There is no charge against this other; but he knows the law, and he is able to state the case well; therefore he is ‘called to help’ the former; he is his para-clete. In this case the word ad-vocate corresponds both in etymology and in meaning with the Greek word, and expresses the function which the paraclete is expected to perform.

“Or again, a man is called on to do a certain piece of work required of him; he is clete. He finds that it is utterly beyond his power to do it alone; so another of greater strength is ‘called to aid’ him in that work; he is his para-clete.

“The word thus means, not merely a helper, but one who is called or appointed to help another. He may be called to help by comforting as a comforter, by pleading as an advocate, by aiding as a fellow worker, or in some other way, according to the needs of the case. The name does not belong to him till the office or work is assigned to him, and the office or work depends on the requirements of those whom he is called to aid.”—“The Holy Spirit the Paraclete,” pages 6, 7.

This understanding of the meaning of the word paraclete will help us to more fully comprehend the statement in John 7: 39. “The Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.” Had not the Spirit been in the world before? — Certainly.

It is through the work of the Holy Spirit on the heart that we are converted. Without the influence of the Spirit of God on the heart there would be no conversion. He produces conviction of sin. He awakens godly sorrow, and leads us to repentance. All who have been converted and experienced a change of heart since the fall of man have been moved by the Spirit of God. He had been striving with sinners everywhere. Why then the statement, “not yet given.” In “Desire of Ages,” page 671, the Holy Spirit is called the “third person of the Godhead.” On page 669 we are told that this “third person of the Godhead” is “Christ’s representative,” and sent “to be his successor on earth.” The Holy Spirit, then, and not the Pope, is Christ’s special representative, successor, or vicar in the church on earth. The blasphemous claim of the papal church, therefore, unseats the true representative of the throne of God and seats a man instead.

It is evident, in the proper order of things, that the Holy Spirit could not take his official position in the church as the “successor” of Christ until after the ascension. As one writer says, “The divine Artist could not fitly descend to make the copy before the original had been provided.” In the sense of his official capacity the Spirit was “not yet given.” But on the day of Pentecost he descended in fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel and the promise of Jesus, and took his official seat in the church, to remain with the church as the representative of Christ, who is the great Head of the church. Another has stated this so well that I quote his words: —

“Had the Holy Spirit not been among them? Had there been no divine guidance, no spiritual life? — Yes, there had. The Holy Spirit had worked in the world, but he had not been given to the world. He had inspired prophets; he had helped those who believed and obeyed, but he had not been given as a ‘gift not to be withdrawn.’

“We can understand this by comparing it with the gift of Jesus Christ. Had the eternal Word done nothing in the world before his incarnation? — Certainly he had; not only had he spoken in creation and in conscience, he had guided his people as the angel of the covenant. He had given the message to the prophets which the Spirit had inspired them to comprehend. He had worked; but he had not been given. He had come as a presence that might come or go at pleasure. But when he came in the flesh, he was given not to be withdrawn. Nothing can now cancel or reverse the fact that the eternal Word has become a partaker of human nature, has passed through the course of human existence from birth to death, has done the work necessary to redeem mankind, and is in glorified humanity a partaker of our nature to all eternity.

“So, too, the Holy Spirit had worked before the coming of Jesus Christ, but it was not till Jesus Christ had been given and had finished his work, that the Holy Spirit was given, an abiding presence with man, to carry out Christ’s work in all generations. Had he been given previously, there would not have been the same full revelation of God and his purpose to apply to man, there would have been a waste of divine energy for want of a purpose on which to work. Not till the one Paraclete was given in his fulness, could the other Paraclete be given in his full power to apply the work.”—“The Holy Spirit the Paraclete,” pages 22, 23.

We greatly fear that we have lost much through a failure to recognize that the Holy Spirit is here, as one in our midst. It may be questioned whose loss is the greater, his who thinks that the Holy Spirit is present with him when he is not, or his who thinks not that the Spirit is present with him when he is.

Takoma Park, D. C.