O Lord, Thou art our Paraclete

ANOTHER PARACLETE

The Spirit is another Paraclete ( John 14:16 ). Paraclete is the anglicized form of the Greek word paracletos. This is a very inclusive word. It means one who serves you, who is called to your side to help you in everything. It also denotes one who is taking care of your case like an attorney, or who intercedes for you like an intercessor. It also denotes a kind of patron. Further, it denotes consoling and comforting, which is why it is rendered “Comforter. ”

The Spirit, the third of the Trinity, is the total consummation of the Triune God. He is not just one-third of the Godhead; He is the totality of the Godhead. Such a One is your Helper, Patron, Counselor, and Comforter who takes care of your needs in your daily life. The same word is used concerning the Lord Jesus in 1 John 2:1 , where it is translated “Advocate. ” These are not two; these are one. As our Advocate, He is with the Father, and as our Paraclete, He is within us. We have such a One within us taking care of all our need. If we need a helper, He is such a Helper. If we need an attorney, He is such an Attorney. If we need someone to pray for us, He is such an Intercessor. This is the Paraclete. The first part of the word para is a prefix that means “alongside” or “along with. ” Someone is alongside of us, along with us, all the time. He is like a nurse taking care of a sick person. He is like an attorney taking care of our case in the heavenly court. He is everything to us.

The Divine Dispensing of
the Divine Trinity
Chapter 13 CWWL, 1983, vol. 2
(LSM)

As Our Paraclete, Taking Care of Our Affairs on the Ground of His Propitiation for Our Sins

As our Paraclete ( 1 John 2:1 ), Christ takes care of our affairs on the ground of His propitiation for our sins ( v. 2 ). Often in our daily living we have failures and commit sins. At such times we need Christ as our Paraclete, as our heavenly attorney, to take care of our case on the basis that on the cross He made propitiation for our sins and thus can propitiate our present situation with the righteous God.

First John 2:1 says, “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. ” “Advocate” is a translation of the Greek word parakletos . This word is formed of the preposition para (used here as a prefix) and the word kletos. Put together, these words denote one who is called to another’s side to aid him, hence, a helper; one who offers legal aid or one who intercedes on behalf of someone else, hence, an advocate, counsel, or intercessor. The word denotes consoling and consolation, hence, a consoler, a comforter. Paraclete is its anglicized form. In His heavenly ministry Christ, as our Advocate, our Paraclete, with the Father, as the One who cares for our case, intercedes on our behalf ( Rom. 8:34 ) and pleads for us if we sin. This interceding and pleading is based on His propitiation.

First John 2:1 tells us specifically that Christ is our Advocate with the Father. The Greek word translated “with” is pros , with the accusative, a preposition of motion, implying living, acting, in union and communion with. The Lord Jesus as our Paraclete is living in communion with the Father.

John’s use of Father as the divine title here indicates that our case is a family affair, a case between children and the Father. Through regeneration we have been born children of God. After regeneration, in case we sin, it is a matter of children sinning against their Father. Our Advocate undertakes for our sinning to restore our interrupted fellowship with the Father so that we may abide in the enjoyment of the divine fellowship.

First John 2:2 goes on to say, “And He is a propitiation concerning our sins, and not concerning ours only, but also concerning the whole world. ” The Greek word for propitiation here is hilasmos. Our Paraclete, who shed His blood for the cleansing of our sins ( 1 John 1:7 ), is our propitiation, a word that indicates appeasing or peacemaking. The Lord Jesus offered Himself to God as a sacrifice for our sins ( Heb. 9:28 ), not only for our redemption but also for God’s satisfaction. In Him as our Substitute, through His vicarious death, God is satisfied and appeased. Hence, Christ is a propitiation between God and us. With this propitiation as the basis, He does His work as our Paraclete.

The Conclusion of the New Testament:

God, Christ, and the Spirit, Message 76

Volume 2 (LSM)

Hallelujah, nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus! Lord, we open to Your intercession. Have a way in us. Conform us to Your image! Praise the Lord! We need to be constrained by the love of Christ to be more than conquerors in all things! 😀

Amen - taking care of our entire situation!

Praise the Lord! what a wonderful hymn to enjoy His All-inclusiveness as our Paraclete! so comforting, so consoling! we cannot but praise Him! Praise the Lord!

"How wonderful to have Him as our Paraclete: In Greek, parakletos denotes someone alongside who takes care of our cause, our affairs. It is composed of two words: a preposition that means with and a form of the word for call. In ancient times a paraclete was a HELPER, ADVOCATE, COUNSEL, or INTERCESSOR. A paraclete is someone who served a particular person by taking care of his needs. As one who is always present, a paraclete may be considered a WAITER, a helper, and also an ATTORNEY. In a note on John 14:16 Darby says that a paraclete was “one who carries on the cause of any one and helps him.” In his translation of 1 John 2:1, where the same Greek word is used, Darby says that we have a “patron” with the Father. Then in a note he explains that he uses the word patron in the sense of the Roman patron, who maintained the interests of his clients in every way. We may say that the Spirit today is our PATRON. He is with us to take care of our entire situation. [The Fulfillment of the Tabernacle and the Offerings in the Writings of John; Witness Lee; Chapter 44 Section 4; more online http://www.ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?id=1BEFE11753]

HALLELUJAH!