THEOLOGY PAPER – DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ACCORDING TO JOHN’S
GOSPEL
Jessica Coole Crehan
BIBL 323 – B02
November 8, 2017
Doctrine of the Holy Spirit According to John’s Gospel
While the Synoptic Gospels do not give much mention regarding the Holy Spirit, John’s
Gospel does. John takes the reader on a journey to encounter and understand the role the Holy
Spirit plays in the believers’ lives through who the person of the Holy Spirit is, what it means to
receive the Holy Spirit, and the work of the Holy Spirit in and through Jesus and believers. Since
spiritual things can only be understood by the spiritual, being that it requires discernment by the
Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14, NIV), it only makes sense that in order to completely understand and
see the work of the Holy Spirit that John writes about, one must keep in mind that the
mentioning’s of the Holy Spirit are meant for the believers, not for the lost.1 Once a true
encounter of the Holy Spirit has been experienced and felt, there is a desire that is birthed to
know and understand him more. Unfortunately, it almost seems as though there is “a neglect”
within Christianity to seriously understand and reflect upon not only the role and the mission of
the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believer, but also in the life of Jesus as He came as a spirit-
filled man to make a way for the salvation of the world.2
Before understanding the Person of the Holy Spirit, one must realize that the Holy Spirit
is the Third Person of the Trinity, which is comprised of God the Father, God the Son Jesus, and
God the Holy Spirit. There is only one God, existing in three persons. “Although only the
Second Person of the Trinity became incarnate, it is clear that the Incarnation as the saving work
of God for the salvation of the world involved the whole Trinity,”3 making the Holy Spirit a vital
1 Leon Morris, Jesus is the Christ: studies in the theology of John. P. 145.
2 John O’Donnell, In Him and over Him: The Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus. P. 25.
3 Ibid. O’Donnell. P. 27.
important part of the Trinity to understand. So here the relationship between the Son, Jesus, and
the Holy Spirit is explored as one of the theological presentations within John’s Gospel. In order
to look at this thoroughly, it is important to keep in mind that the Holy Spirit exists as One
person, the Third Person of the Trinity, yet within many persons, as it is he who takes up
residency in the hearts and lives of believers by way of the Cross through the act of salvation or
justification. This very indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit makes the relationship a personal
one between the believer and God, and is an intimate reflection of the relationship between the
Father and the Son, the Son and the Spirit, and Spirit and the Father. Also bear in mind that while
Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are very much separate persons of the Trinity, there was never
an absence of the Holy Spirit indwelling Jesus, even at the moment of the incarnation, nor
throughout his time as Logos taken on humanity.4 Just as Jesus had come to earth as a man, lead
by the Holy Spirit, the disciple and all believers to come would also be given this Third Person of
the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. John goes on to testify of the amazing loving saving grace and power
that comes from placing one’s faith in Jesus Christ, the Son. John 3:34 says, “For the one whom
God has sent (the Son, Jesus) speaks the words of God (Jesus testifies of the Father), for God
gives the Spirit (who testifies of the Son Jesus Christ) without limit.”
“The person of the Holy Spirit refers to the attributes of emotions, will, volition,
intelligence, sensibility, and personality, which relate to humanity.”5 “When He (not an “it,”
implies a personality, not just an influence), the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into
all truth” (John 16:13).6 “We all, being human, need the help and the guidance of the Spirit of
4 Ibid. O’Donnell. P. 27.
5Elmer Towns. Theology for Today. P. 264
6 Smith Wigglesworth. Smith Wigglesworth On the Holy Spirit. P. 213.
God, and in that Jesus underwent the experience of which we read at his baptism we see that he
is one with us.”7 One of the first traits of the Holy Spirit is that He is given to believers as an
advocate, counselor, or a helper. Jesus intercedes for all believers and says, “and I will ask the
Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 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” (John 14:16-17). Back in Chapter 7, John
explained that it was impossible for the Holy Spirit to be given until Jesus was glorified and now
that He has been glorified the Spirit is given.8 The Holy Spirit as this “helping Presence”
captures the import of the term better than any other, for the following reasons: (1) this is what
Jesus was while with the disciples; (2) this encompasses the various functions laid out for the
Spirit in John 14–16.”9 With Jesus now returned to heaven and the Holy Spirit’s arrival to
indwell, He as the advocate, helper, counselor, fills the space in the hearts and lives of believers
as Jesus did when He was present on earth, fulfilling Jesus’ promise to the disciples found in
John14 and fulfilled at Pentecost in Acts 2. Remember, “Jesus and the Holy Spirit were
connected.”10
Next, the Holy Spirit also embodies the attribute of truth (John 14:6). The person of the
Holy Spirits comes to bear witness to all that is true whether it be by discerning the motive
behind the will of people or support true spiritual words that require no defense, for worshipping
God or for the ongoing sanctification process (John 4:23-24, 8:32,40, 45-46. 16:19, 17:17, 19).11
7
Morris. P. 151.
8 Andreas Kostenberger. Encountering John. Ch. 12.
9 Ibid. Kostenberger. Ch. 12.
10
Morris. P. 147.
11 Ibid.Kostenberger. Ch. 12.
By way of being the only real truth, and believers continuing to seek the Word, to be discipled
and grow, the Holy Spirit makes one free (John 8:32). Moving to the outer parameters of truth,
the Holy Spirit is also the teacher that testifies of Christ and all He has taught. 1 John 2:27 says,
“As for you, the anointing (from the Holy One (1 John 2:20)) 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.” All
that is required for believers to work out their salvation, to witness, to accomplish the will of
God, and to fulfill the commission, is provided by the Holy Spirit, and will continue to bring to
the forefront of thought those things that Christ Himself taught, did, and exemplified.
In John 20:21-22, “Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am
sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This
scriptures in John’s Gospel exemplifies One God working in three persons to commission
believers to spread the good news of Christ. The father sent His Son Jesus to earth to reestablish
the relationship between the world and Him, Jesus sends His disciples into the world to spread
the good news, and sends the promised power that is the person of the Holy Spirit to do the
equipping. Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit upon them foreshadows the rushing mighty wind that
would usher in the Holy Spirit upon the day of Pentecost.12 The person of the Holy Spirit is the
power. It was not until this point, after Jesus had died, risen, and was glorified that now the Holy
Spirit could not only move upon the Disciples, but also indwell them and believers to come. Yet
within the Gospel of John, the receiving of the Holy Spirit is about the work within believers;
12
Ibid. Smith Wigglesworth. P.65-70, 215.
“John is speaking of the way the Spirit enables believers to declare what sins are forgiven and
what sins are not.”13 Not only does the Holy Spirit declare sins forgiven and not forgiven, but He
picks up right where Jesus left this earth and He works in believers’ lives to: testify of the time
Jesus had together with his followers (15:26) and convict the world of sin, all unrighteousness,
and judgment (16:8–11), as well as the previously mentioned functions and attributes the holy
Spirit embodies.14 Receiving the Holy Spirit and then thus living a Spirit-filled and led life has a
power effect upon believers. The perfect example coms in the form of the truest surrender we see
in Jesus Christ on earth as Spirit-filled man. Jesus expressed His identity, surrender of His own
will to the Father’s and His willingness to from incarnation forward, be led by the Holy Spirit,
even unto His death upon the Cross, to redeem a lost world. That very same life changing power
lives inside of all believers who have truly accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and having so
been baptized into His death and will join in His resurrection, and are filled with the Spirit.
Smith Wigglesworth once said, “when the Holy Spirit gets possession of a person, he is a new
man entirely – his whole being becomes saturated with divine power. We become the habitation
of Him who is all light, all revelation, all power, and all love.”15
13
Ibid. Morris. P. 165.
14 Ibid. Kostengerger. Ch. 12.
15
Ibid. Wigglesworth. P. 16.
Bibliography
Köstenberger, Andreas J. Encountering John: the Gospel in historical, literary, and theological
perspective. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2013.
Morris, Leon. Jesus is the Christ: studies in the theology of John. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
1989.
O'Donnell, John. "In Him and Over Him: The Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus." Gregorianum 70,
no. 1 (1989): 25-45. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23577763.
Towns, Elmer L. Theology for today. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2008.
Wigglesworth, Smith. Smith Wigglesworth on the Holy Spirit. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker
House, 1999.
