THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

John: Believing On The Christ, The Son Of God, For Eternal Life

Part XXXVIII: Trusting In Christ For His Gracious Edification Of True Believers, John 14-17

H. Trusting In Christ For His Edifying Promises To Believers Persecuted For Righteousness' Sake

(John 16:5-15)

I. Introduction

A. John's Gospel claims that Jesus' disciples had received of His fullness "grace for grace" (KJV), the "constant reception of one evidence of God's grace replacing another," John 1:16; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 273.

B. This truth is clarified in Christ's John 16:5-15 edifying promises in light of one's persecution for righteousness:

II. Trusting In Christ For His Edifying Promises To Believers Persecuted For Righteousness' Sake.

A. After Jesus told His disciples of the persecution they would face from the world for righteousness' sake (John 15:18-16:4), He told of His leaving them, noting the sorrow this news gave them, John 16:5-6.

B. To address the sorrow in His disciples caused by His leaving them in addition to His teaching on their being persecuted in the world, Jesus gave edifying promises to alleviate their suffering and edify His men as follows:

1. In view of the believer's persecution for righteousness in the world, Jesus promised the coming Holy Spirit would convict the world of its need to believe in Christ, helping the disciples' ministries, John 16:7-11:

a. Jesus claimed it was "beneficial" (sumpherei, Ibid., p. 328) for His disciples to leave them for heaven, for only in His departure would the "Helper" parakletos, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 393; Theol. Dict. of the N. T., v. V, p. 804) come unto them under Christ's directive, John 16:7.

b. The benefit of the Spirit's arrival would first address the persecuting world itself with reproving the world, setting "forth the truth of the Gospel in such a clear light that men are able to accept or reject it intelligently," John 16:8a; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to John 16:8-11.

c. The Spirit would reprove the world of three things, of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, John 16:8: (1) He would reprove the world of sin because it does not believe on Christ, John 16:9; (2) He would reprove the world of righteousness in Christ's rising from the dead, proving He was approved as God's Messenger in leaving the earth and ascending to heaven, John 16:10 and (3) He would reprove the world of judgment, for at the cross Jesus defeated the devil who held the "power of death" (Hebrews 2:14), meaning that since Satan has thus been judged, all lost men will likewise face God's judgment for not repenting to trust in Christ as Savior from sin, John 16:11.

d. This ministry of the Spirit would aid believers' outreach, giving some relief from persecution pain.

2. In view of the believer's persecution for righteousness in the world, Jesus promised the coming Holy Spirit would guide the believer into all of God's truths, including truths of things yet to occur, an enlightenment that would edify and thus strengthen believers to handle persecution effectively, John 16:12-15:

a. Scripture insight equips the believer to overcome the Evil One as he applies it (1 John 2:14b; Matthew 4:1-11), it guides him in the safe path in a world of deceptive darkness (Psalm 119:105) and it provides the counsel the believer needs for his trials of life (Isaiah 8:19-22; 9:1-2, 6).

b. With His disciples threatened by spiritually draining disillusionment and fear under persecution, Jesus promised the coming Holy Spirit would guide believers into (lit.) "all the truth," John 15:13a; Ibid., p. 329.

c. The apostles would come to understand fully the meaning of Christ's suffering, death and resurrection that would initially deeply trouble them (cf. John 20:19), a fact later seen in their treatment of those events in the New Testament epistles (Ibid.), for the Spirit would not teach them on His own initiative, but only what He hears from the Father through agency of the Son, John 16:13b, 14-15.

d. Also, the Holy Spirit would show the disciples things to come, future events that would impact them and other believers, so they might have a sure guide in an uncertain future world of evil, John 16:13c.

e. [In application to us who possess a closed canon of Scripture, the divinely coded eschatological work of Revelation would also be rightly interpreted under the Holy Spirit's guidance into all the truth God has given us, a promise we can claim today as we study the book of Revelation today!]

Lesson: To help believers persecuted by the world for righteousness' sake, Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit (1) to aid their ministries by convicting the world of the believability of the Gospel and (2) to reveal edifying truths.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ to be saved, John 3:16. (2) May we rely on the Holy Spirit to (a) open the lost to the Gospel's believability (Rev. 22:17a) and (b) to guide us in understanding all of God's Biblical revelation.