But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Here the Holy Spirit is identified with the Paraclete. He is given His full title as in (Mark 3:29; Matt 12:32; Luke 12:10). This title does not draw attention to His power or greatness, but to His holiness. “Holy” (hagios) means separated. When used of men, it indicates a separation in two directions: separated from sin and to God. When used of the Spirit of God, it indicates His character and nature. Why is it so important for us that the Spirit is holy?
Mark 3:29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.”
Matthew 12:32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Luke 12:10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
the Holy Spirit (14:16; Acts 2:33), but so will the Son (John 15:26; 16:7; Luke 24:49), and Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon the disciples (John 20:22). The Spirit’s mission comes from both the Son and the Father, since their missions for the Spirit are one and the same.
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever—
Acts 2:33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
John 15:26 “When the Counsellor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
John 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
Luke 24:49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
John 20:22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
“in my name” = could mean that Jesus Himself will ask the Father to send the Spirit, or it could mean that the Spirit will be sent to stand in the place of Jesus and continue His work.
“he” (KJV) is omitted in NIV but is present in the Greek. It is not grammatically necessary and Westcott thinks that “The emphatic masculine pronoun brings out the personality of the Advocate.” This pronoun shows that the Holy Spirit is not a thing, but a Person.
This verse is also one that speaks of the triune nature of God. Here all three persons of the Godhead are spoken of as completely distinct from each other. God the Father is going to send the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus, the Son, Who has already spoken things to the disciples. Three separate entities of God doing three separate things.
The Holy Spirit knows “the deep things of God” (1 Cor 2:10) and will teach them “all things” which probably means “everything they need to know”. We have seen in the book of John how clueless the disciples have been about the meaning of the teachings and miracles of Jesus. They are in deep need of the teaching and reminding of the Holy Spirit. Notice that He is also going to give them new revelations from God such as in (Acts 10:9-20). Does the Holy Spirit give us new revelations today? See (1 John 2:20, 27). How do we know if any so-called “new revelations” come from God? By seeing if they line up with God’s written Word (1 Thes 5:19-21, 1 John 4:1-3).
1 Corinthians 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
Acts 10:9-20 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
1 John 2:27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good.
1 John 4:1-3 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognise the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
The role of the Holy Spirit is to lead us into an ever-increasingly deeper knowledge of God and walk with Him. He takes what Christ showed and spoke and reveals the meanings in His acts and words. The Holy Spirit is the Teacher, but Jesus is the lesson book. The only work He does is building upon the life of Christ while He was on this planet. Thus it is necessary for us to speak of Christ while witnessing to others.
This scripture was fulfilled and is being fulfilled. The entire New Testament is proof that the words of Jesus given here did indeed come about, for the writers of the New Testament could never have written what they did without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
This brings up a question. If the Holy Spirit is bringing us into all knowledge of Christ, then why are there so many denominations with so many differing theologies, and why is it so difficult for any Christians to seem to agree on anything about God? It is our fault, of course. We have let prejudice, personal desires, personal opinions, and the fear of what others think to keep us from waiting on God and hearing what His Holy Spirit has to say to us. If God wanted to change some of your thinking today, would you let Him?