Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Getting to Know the "Paraclete"

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There is an interesting story that goes back to the days when missionaries were translating the New Testament into the Karre language, which is spoken among several tribes in Central Africa. Karre proved to be difficult for the translators of the New Testament, especially when it came to the word Paraclete, which is often rendered “Helper” in our English Bibles.

The translators searched for ways they could describe the Holy Spirit in the Karre language, but struggled to find the right words. One day the translators came across a group of men going off into the bush carrying bundles on their heads. They noticed that in the line of men there was always one who didn't carry anything, and they assumed he was the boss, there to make sure that the others did their work. However, they discovered he wasn't the boss; he had a special job. He was there should anyone fall over with exhaustion; he would come and pick up the man’s load and carry it for him. In the Karre language the word for this man was translated as “the one who falls down beside us.” The missionaries instantly had their word picture for paraclete

In Jesus’ Upper Room discourse, He referred to the Holy Spirit as the Paraclete. “16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper [Paraclete], to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17).

The origin of the paraclete has its roots in ancient Greek warfare. When Greek warriors went onto the battle field, they went out in pairs, so when the enemy attacked they could stand back-to-back, covering each other's blind side. The battle partner in Greek was called a “paraclete”— he was there to watch his partner’s back and pick him up if he was wounded.     

Later in that same teaching scene, Jesus explained to his disciples the various ministries of the Holy Spirit—He would indwell them with God’s presence (John 14:17); He would instruct them in the truth (16:13); He would incriminate the world of sin (16:8); He would intensify the glory of the Son (16:14). In the epistles we also learn that the Holy Spirit incorporates all believers into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13); He insures our salvation as a finished transaction (Eph. 1:13); He intercedes for us when we pray (Rom. 8:26-27); He impresses upon us the will of God (Acts 16:7) and He imparts to the church spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:11).    

I leave you with the insights of Charles R. Swindoll, “Every believer in Christ should be intrigued by the Holy Spirit. Like moths, we are attracted to the warmth and the light of His flame. Our desire is to come closer . . . to draw nearer, to know Him more fully and intimately, to enter into new and stimulating dimensions of His workings. The Spirit is interested in transforming us from the inside out. Flying closer to the flame sets that in motion. He is at work in dozens of different ways, some of them supernatural. Flying closer to the flame makes us acutely aware of that. The Spirit is the comforting Helper. He is the Truth-Teacher, the will-of-the-Father Revealer, the Gift-Giver, the Hurt-Healer. He is the inextinguishable flame of God, my friend. HE IS GOD. To remain at a distance from Him is worse than wrong; it is downright tragic. Flying closer to the flame, therefore, is better than good; it is absolutely magnificent.”[1]



[1] Charles R. Swindoll, Flying Closer to the Flame: A Passion for the Holy Spirit (Dallas, TX: Word, 1993), 14-15, 21, 26-27. 

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