The Multifaceted Spirit

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.
John 14:16

Why do future pastors and missionaries study New Testament Greek when preparing for ministry? For reasons best illustrated by the Greek word Jesus used to describe the Spirit whom God would send to the disciples after Jesus’ departure from earth.

Four times Jesus referred to the Spirit by the Greek word parakletos(John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). Understanding parakletos reveals the role the Spirit would play in the Church. Parakletos is a compound word. Para means along, alongside, among, beside, in the sight of, and more. Kaleo means to call or summon. Put the two together and you have parakletos—someone who is called alongside or among others. For what purpose? To help (NKJV), to counsel (ESV notes), to intercede (NASB notes), to befriend (MSG), to comfort (AMP), to advocate (NLT, second edition), and more. As modern translations reveal, it is hard to choose one English word that captures everything the Holy Spirit came to be and do.

In short, the Holy Spirit came to be to us what Jesus was to His disciples (John 14:26). When we are full of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), we are full of Christ Himself.

The Holy Spirit is the heavenly Lover’s engagement ring given to us.
Michael Green