(43-43a)
For this week’s study:
- Whenever you read or study the Bible, always begin with prayer, asking God to guide you so you understand God’s message and learn His methods for living.
- Read John 14:15-31 several times using your Bible and the two translations provided below to understand the boundaries, content, and flow of the study passage. (Reading the passage once a day from any of those translations is recommended.)
- Read and respond to the “Study Guide” and use the “Study Resources” provided below to learn more from this study passage.
Read the Passage
Berean Standard Bible
(BSB)
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
(John 16:5–16)
<15>If you love Me, you will keep1 My commandments. <16>And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate2 to be with you forever— <17>the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.3
<18>I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. <19>In a little while the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. <20>On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. <21>Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
<22>Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?”
<23>Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. <24>Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is from the Father who sent Me.
<25>All this I have spoken to you while I am 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 told you.
Peace I Leave with You
<27>Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; 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 rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. <29>And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.
<30>I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming, and he has no claim on Me. <31>But I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.
Get up! Let us go on from here.
Word Come Alive
(WCA)
(An extended translation)*
<15>‘If you truly love me, you will show that by eagerly keeping my commands. You will gladly obey my teaching in your attitudes and actions. <16>I will ask the Father, and he will help you by giving you another Mentor, One like me, who will continue my work in the world. He will come alongside you, help you and remain with you for ever. He will never leave you. He will be your trusted friend wherever you go. At times he will also challenge you and spur you into action.
<17>‘He is the Spirit of truth. He teaches you the truth about God. The people who reject me cannot welcome him, because they neither see him nor recognise him. The Holy Spirit is a complete mystery to them; they dismiss him as unimportant. But you, on the other hand, do recognise him, because he lives with you always and will even be in you.
<18>‘I won’t abandon you as orphans with no one to look after you. I will come back to you to keep you company. <19>Soon, the world won’t see me any more, but you will still see me. Because I live, you too will live. <20>Then, on that day, when I’ve been raised from death, you will experience me afresh and will realise that I am in my Father and you are in me, and I am in you.
‘We will make our home with you’
<21>‘Whoever has my commands and also keeps them loves me. If they love me, my Father will love them. I too will love them and show myself to them. I will reveal my true self to them more and more deeply.’
<22>Then Judas, not Judas Iscariot, but the other Judas, asked, ‘Lord, how come you want to show yourself only to us your apprentices, but not to the world, to the general public?’
<23>Jesus answered him, ‘Every person who loves me will take delight in my teaching and put it into practice. My Father will love them, and we—my Father and I—will come to them and make our home with them for ever. They will feel the warmth of our love in their hearts. <24>But anyone who doesn’t love me won’t pay any attention to my teaching nor put it into practice. Remember, the words you’re listening to aren’t my own—I didn’t come up with them myself—but they come from the Father who sent me. I received them from him.
<25>‘I’ve told you all these things while I’m still with you. <26>When I’ve left you, the Mentor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything you need to know about me. He will remind you of everything I’ve told you, giving you a deeper understanding of what you’ve forgotten or what hasn’t quite sunk in. He will fill out my teaching and urge you to put it into action. <27>I’m going soon, so I leave my peace with you. I’m passing on to you the farewell gift of my own peace. You will enjoy a sense of well-being, security and wholeness because you know and follow me. I don’t give peace to you as the world gives. Don’t become discouraged or afraid. May my peace drive out all your anxious fears.
<28>‘You heard me say, “I’m going away. I’m going back home to my Father and then I’m coming back to you.” If you loved me, you’d be happy that I’m going home to the Father, because the Father is greater than me. In becoming human, I have submitted to him. <29>I’ve told you all this now before I die, am raised to life and return to my Father—before these things happen—so that when they actually happen, you will look back and realise these things are true. You will then trust me more. <30>I haven’t got a lot more to say to you now, because the prince of this world, Satan, is coming soon. He has nothing on me. He has no power over me, <31>but he is coming so that the world may realise that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has told me to do, even giving up my life. Come on; let’s go now.’
* Words in italics are not translated from the original Greek text. They have been added to explain and at times apply the text, much as a preacher does on a Sunday or notes do at the foot of the page in a study Bible. These additions are integrated with the text itself, and are in italics, so readers can see what has been explained, changed or added.
Study the Passage
Study Guide
This is part one of two parts for John 14:15-31. The focus of this part is Holy Spirit’s relationship with people who love Jesus.
Read John 14:15-31 to understand the context of this study passage.
Based on John 14, verses 15-17 and 25-26,
- How do the people you love (whether close friends, spouse, or family members) know that you love them?
- How does Jesus show His love for you today?
- What did Jesus say His disciples would do if they loved Him?
- What are some specific ways we can express our love to Jesus today?
- What did Jesus say the Helper would do?
- How does the Helper teach and remind us of the things Jesus has told us?
Study Resources
To learn more about this study passage, go to
https://www.bibleref.com/John/14/John-14-15.html. Read the commentary for each verse in the study passage. (Also read the Context Summary and the Chapter Summary.)
If you have any questions about this passage, type the verse reference or your question in the search box at the top of
https://www.gotquestions.org/ and explore the results.
If you have a study Bible, read the footnotes and study notes and see how they help you understand this passage. Also, check out any maps, charts, and articles related to the study passage.
► Learn more about the Helper HERE. ◄
Thessalonian Faith 