(43-47a)
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 16:4-15 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)
<4> But I have told you these things so that when their hour comes, you will remember that I told you about them. I did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
(John 14:15–26)
<5>Now, however, I am going to Him who sent Me; yet none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ <6>Instead, your hearts are filled with sorrow because I have told you these things. <7>But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate1 will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
<8>And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: <9>in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me; <10>in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; <11>and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned.
<12>I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. <13>However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. <14>He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you. <15>Everything that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take from what is Mine and disclose it to you.
Word Come Alive
(WCA)
(An extended translation)*
<4>Now I’ve told you all this so that when the time comes for these things to happen, you will remember that I warned you about them in advance. I didn’t tell you all these things at first because it wasn’t necessary then as I was with you. <5>But I’m now going back to the One who sent me.
‘Not one of you has asked me, “Where are you going?” <6>Rather, because I’ve told you all these things, your hearts are breaking. <7>But I am telling you the truth that it is better for me to go away. It’s in your best interests that I leave you. If I don’t leave you, then the Holy Spirit, the Mentor, will not come to you. But because I am going, I will send him to you to be with you and in you.
<8>‘When the Mentor comes in fresh power, he will impress on the hearts of those who are hostile to me that they’ve been wrong about sin, about what is right and about judgment.
<9>‘He will do this by impressing on them their sin, because they haven’t believed in me, in who I am and why I’ve come. He will show them that they need me as their Saviour. <10>He will impress on them what is truly right, because I’m now going back to the Father, where you won’t see me any longer. <11>He will also impress on them that their judgment about Jesus the righteous One has been false, because the prince of this world, Satan, is now condemned in my death and resurrection.
<12>‘I want to say a lot more to you, but that is more than you can now cope with. <13>But when the Holy Spirit comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you in all truth and apply it to your lives. He won’t speak on his own authority, independently of me and of the Father. He will speak only what he hears from the Father and he will declare to you about what is still to come. <14>He will honour me by revealing who I am because he will receive from me the truth that he will declare to you. <15>Everything that belongs to the Father belongs to me too. That is why I said that the Spirit will receive from me the truth that he will declare to you.’
* 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 passage presents three propositions:
1) Holy Spirit Comes to Believers (vv. 4-7 )
- Read more about this in John 14:16–17 and John 14:25–26
- Read how it was to happen in John 7:39 and Acts 1:8–9.
► Based on the above passages, how would you describe God’s plan for sending Holy Spirit to followers of Jesus?
2) Holy Spirit Convicts Non-Believers (vv. 8-11)
► What are the three things Holy Spirit convicts non-believers about? (v. 8)
► Based on verses 9, 10, and 11, why does Holy Spirit convict non-believers of these three things? (Note what follows the word “because” in each verse.)
3) Holy Spirit Counsels Believers (vv. 12-15)
► Based on these four verses, what counsel does Holy Spirit offer us?
Study Resources
To learn more about this study passage, go to
https://www.bibleref.com/John/16/John-16-4.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.
Thessalonian Faith 