On the night of the Last Supper where Jesus predicted that Judas would betray Him by turning Him over to the Pharisees and that Peter would deny knowing Him three times by morning, Jesus promised another advocate to help us and be with us forever. [John 14:15-31 NIV] [15] “If you love me, keep my commands. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever– [17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. [18] I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. [19] Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. [20] On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. [21] Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” [22] Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” [23] Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. [24] Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. [25] “All this I have spoken while still with you. [26] But the Advocate, 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. [27] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. [28] “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. [29] I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. [30] I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, [31] but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave. The advocate mentioned earlier is the Holy Spirit. Still, you may be wondering: Who is the Holy Spirit, how is He an advocate, why am I gendering the Holy Spirit and where was the Holy Spirit before Jesus promised Him?
God is triune (three people in one): God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We first see the spirit mentioned during creation: [Gen 1:2 NIV] [2] Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters — [Gen 1:26 NKJV] [26] Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” This shows us that God is Male and has always existed; even Jesus was there for creation: [John 1:1-2 NIV] [1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. Spirit in Hebrew is rûaḥ, which translates to wind or breath; the spirit gives life and in the Old Testament would communicate God’s messages to His people like when the Israelites were instructed in the desert [Gen 2:7 NIV] [7] Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. [Neh 9:20 NIV] [20] You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. Prior to Jesus coming and the spirit being released to everyone it was only given to spiritual leaders like David, Joshua, and Moses. [Num 27:18-20 NIV] [18] So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. [19] Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. [20] Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.
Prophets in the Old Testament spoke of a day when the Holy Spirit would be poured out on everyone [Joe 2:28 NIV] [28] “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Jesus quoted Isaiah 61 in the Synagogue of His hometown [Isa 61:1 NIV] [1] The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, and it was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost [Act 2:1-4 NIV] [1] When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. [2] Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. [3] They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. [4] All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
The Holy Spirit lives in us as mentioned in Romans and is how we have a relationship with God; as we feed our soul the Spirit speaks to us and even intercedes for us when we don’t know what to pray. [Rom 8:10-11 NIV] [10] But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. [11] And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. [Rom 8:26-27 NIV] [26] In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. [27] And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.