Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. John 16:13.
Doesn't this verse prove that that Holy Spirit is an individual being different to Christ because “he” is used in reference to him?
Answer:
This is a good question. The answer depends on our understanding of how Jesus spoke sometimes. Let us look at a few examples and see what we can learn.
Matthew 13:41 “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;”
Matthew 16:27-28 “ For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
John 9:35-37 “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.”
In these examples we see Jesus speaking of Himself in the third person. He refers to Himself as "he" many times rather than saying "I". This was a common mode of speaking in those days (see also Matthew 13:37, 20:18 etc.) This is the case we have with the verse in question. Christ was referring to Himself in the third person. This is confirmed when we examine the expression “spirit of truth” and see that it could only refer to the spirit of Christ who said “I am the way, the truth and the life” John 14:6.
The Spirit of truth is the spirit of Jesus and he (Jesus by His spirit) will lead us and guide us into all truth. The Bible is very clear on that. It is Christ's spirit that dwells in us, not someone else.
“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6
It is Christ that fills our hearts: “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.” Ephesians 4:10
The Bible clearly tells us the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit: “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”
The RSV puts it this way “the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit”
Spirit of Prophecy:
While it is true that the Spirit is referred to as “he” yet the Spirit is also referred to as “it”. Such an expression could not be used if the Spirit was an individual being like the Father and Son. Here are some examples from the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy:
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God”,
“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”,
“Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”,
“And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him." Romans 8:16, 26; 1 Peter 1:11; John 1:32
“When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life.” {EGW, DA 173.1}
“The Holy Spirit seeks to abide in each soul. If it is welcomed as an honored guest, those who receive it will be made complete in Christ; the good work begun will be finished; and holy thoughts, heavenly affections, and Christlike actions will take the place of impure thoughts perverse sentiments, and rebellious acts.” {EGW, 18MR 47.3}
“Instead of being repressed and driven back, the Holy Spirit should be welcomed, and its presence encouraged.” {EGW, NPU Gleaner, May 26, 1909 par. 4}
As clearly shown both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy use "it" when talking about the Spirit, while when speaking about the Father or the Son, "it" is never used.
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