John 16:14

16:7-15 Christ's departure was necessary to the Comforter's coming. Sending the Spirit was to be the fruit of Christ's death, which was his going away. His bodily presence could be only in one place at one time, but his Spirit is every where, in all places, at all times, wherever two or three are gathered together in his name. See here the office of the Spirit, first to reprove, or to convince. Convincing work is the Spirit's work; he can do it effectually, and none but he. It is the method the Holy Spirit takes, first to convince, and then to comfort. The Spirit shall convince the world, of sin; not merely tell them of it. The Spirit convinces of the fact of sin; of the fault of sin; of the folly of sin; of the filth of sin, that by it we are become hateful to God; of the fountain of sin, the corrupt nature; and lastly, of the fruit of sin, that the end thereof is death. The Holy Spirit proves that all the world is guilty before God. He convinces the world of righteousness; that Jesus of Nazareth was Christ the righteous. Also, of Christ's righteousness, imparted to us for justification and salvation. He will show them where it is to be had, and how they may be accepted as righteous in God's sight. Christ's ascension proves the ransom was accepted, and the righteousness finished, through which believers were to be justified. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. All will be well, when his power is broken, who made all the mischief.

As Satan is subdued by Christ, this gives us confidence, for no other power can stand before him. And of the day of judgment. The coming of the Spirit would be of unspeakable advantage to the disciples. The Holy Spirit is our Guide, not only to show us the way, but to go with us by continued aids and influences. To be led into a truth is more than barely to know it; it is not only to have the notion of it in our heads, but the relish, and savour, and power of it in our hearts. He shall teach all truth, and keep back nothing profitable, for he will show things to come. All the gifts and graces of the Spirit, all the preaching, and all the writing of the apostles, under the influence of the Spirit, all the tongues, and miracles, were to glorify Christ. It behoves every one to ask, whether the Holy Spirit has begun a good work in his heart? Without clear discovery of our guilt and danger, we never shall understand the value of Christ's salvation; but when brought to know ourselves aright, we begin to see the value of the Redeemer. We should have fuller views of the Redeemer, and more lively affections to him, if we more prayed for, and depended on the Holy Spirit.

John 16:14 . ἐκεῖνος ἐμὲ δόξασει , “He will glorify me”. The fulfilment of this promise is found in every action and word of the Apostles. Under the Spirit’s guidance they lived wholly for Christ: the dispensation of the Spirit was the Christian dispensation. This is further explained in ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ λήψεται … “because He shall take of that which is mine, and declare it unto you”. The Spirit draws from no other source of information or inspiration. It is always “out of that which is Christ’s” He furnishes the Church. So only could He glorify Christ. Not by taking the Church beyond Christ, but by more fully exhibiting the fulness of Christ, does He fulfil His mission.

14. He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine and show it unto you—Thus the whole design of the Spirit's office is to glorify Christ—not in His own Person, for this was done by the Father when He exalted Him to His own right hand—but in the view and estimation of men. For this purpose He was to "receive of Christ"—all the truth relating to Christ—"and show it unto them," or make them to discern it in its own light. The subjective nature of the Spirit's teaching—the discovery to the souls of men of what is Christ outwardly—is here very clearly expressed; and, at the same time, the vanity of looking for revelations of the Spirit which shall do anything beyond throwing light in the soul upon what Christ Himself is, and taught, and did upon earth.

That is, he shall make me famous in the world; as by the extraordinary gifts which he shall dispense and give out, so particularly by showing you things to come: for he shall guide and lead you into no other truth, but that which I have revealed, or which it is my will he should make known and reveal.

14 . He shall glorify me ] Both pronouns are emphatic; ‘Me shall that Spirit of truth glorify.’ Just as the Son glorifies the Father by revealing Him ( John 1:18 ; John 17:4 ) both in word and work, so does the Spirit glorify the Son by revealing Him. In both cases to reveal is necessarily to glorify: the more the Truth is known, the more it is loved and adored. for he shall receive … unto you ] Better, because He shall take of Mine and shall declare it to you . The verb rendered ‘receive’ is the same as that rendered ‘take’ in John 16:15 , and ‘take’ is better, as implying that the recipient is not wholly passive ( lambanein , not dechesthai ). Comp. John 10:17 , John 12:48 , John 20:22 .

John 16:14 . Ἐκεῖνος ἐμὲ δοξάσει , He shall glorify me ) This is the economy of the Three Witnesses: the Son glorifies the Father; the Holy Spirit glorifies the Son. See ch. John 14:13 , “Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son;” John 17:4 , “I have glorified Thee on the earth”— ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ , of Mine ) Hence it was the Holy Spirit who taught the apostles to say and do all things in the name of Jesus Christ.

(14) He shall glorify me. —The pronoun is here full of emphasis. The thought is that the future guidance of the Spirit promised in John 16:13 , will be the revelation of the many things of Christ Himself which they cannot bear now ( John 16:12 ). For he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.—Better, as in John 16:13, . . . . announce it unto you. This is the test of the Spirit, “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God.” (Comp. Notes on 1John 4:1-2.) The revelation of Christ is not an imperfect revelation which the Holy Spirit is to supplement. It is a full revelation imperfectly received, and His office is to illumine the heart, and bring home to it the things of Christ.

Shall glorify me - Shall honor me. The nature of his influence shall be such as to exalt my character and work in view of the mind. Shall receive of mine - Literally, "shall take of or from me." He shall receive his commission and instructions as an ambassador from me, to do my will and complete my work. Shall show it - Shall announce or communicate it to you. This is always the work of the Spirit. All serious impressions produced by him lead to the Lord Jesus 1 Corinthians 12:3, and by this we may easily test our feelings. If we have been truly convicted of sin and renewed by the Holy Spirit, the tendency of all his influences has been to lead us to the Saviour; to show us our need of him; to reveal to us the loveliness of his character, and the fitness of his work to our needs; and to incline us to cast our eternal interests on his almighty arm, and commit all to his hands.

John 16:14-15 . For me , with a view to glorify me ( ἐμέ , with emphasis), will the Paraclete, as is said in John 16:13 , operate, for the advancement of my δόξα among men, since He will announce to you nothing else than what is mine , what according to the identity of substance is my truth, of which I am the possessor and disposer.[179] Justly do I designate the divine truth, which He is to announce, as my property, since all that the Father has, i.e . according to the context, the whole truth possessed by the Father ( Colossians 2:3 ), belongs properly to me , as to the Son, who was in intuitive fellowship with the Father ( John 1:18 ), went forth from the Father ( John 8:42 ), was consecrated ( John 10:36 ) and sent for the accomplishment of His work, and, moreover, continually lives and moves in the Father, and the Father in Him. Comp. John 17:10 .