READ: JOHN 14:15-31; 15:26; 16:5-15

What could be better than God with skin on, walking the planet, in the person of Jesus Christ? On the night before Jesus went to the cross, He told us. Jesus knew that He was going to die, be raised from the dead three days later, and after a short while, ascend into heaven. But first, He told His disciples, “When the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you…It is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you” (John 14:26; 16:7).

So what’s even better than Jesus in the flesh, walking around on our planet? God, inside of us, His believers. Jesus is fully human, and He is God with us (Matthew 1:23). The Holy Spirit is God in us (John 14:17). Today, through the Holy Spirit, we can know God personally.

While we wait for Jesus to return and restore creation, His body is us. He is the head, and we—His church—are all members of His body (1 Corinthians 12). As the body of Christ, we are meant to follow our head and do the work He calls us to do. So where does the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, come in?

The Greek word translated as Advocate in John 14–16 is Paraclete, which can also be translated as Comforter, Helper, or Counselor. God knew that we couldn’t follow Him on our own. Until Jesus’s return, we would continue to mess up, and we’d need the Holy Spirit’s kind correction. He knew that we would need Him as our Helper, our Counselor, our Advocate, and our Comforter too. We would need God Himself, living within us.

God the Father not only sent His own Son to come in the flesh to die and rise again to make the way for us to know God, but then He also sent His own Spirit to all who believe in Jesus. He is with us for the entire journey! What a wonderful God! • Kristen Merrill

• If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, then you have His Spirit indwelling you! What questions do you have about the Holy Spirit? The Bible is full of verses that mention the Spirit. Who are trusted Christians in your life who can help you dig into Scripture and find out more?

[Jesus said,] “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.” John 16:7 (NLT)