Parakletos (The Paraclete)

The Paraclete. Paraclete comes from the Greek word parákletos—a combination of "para" (beside/alongside) and "kalein" (to call). This word appears five (5) times in the New Testament and is only used by the apostle John in his gospel and first letter. It is translated either as Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Advocate, or simply left untranslated as Paraclete. Here are the five (5) instances:

1. John 14:16: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper, to be with you forever,
2. John 14:26 (REV): And the helper, the holy spirit, which the Father will send in my name, it will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
3. John 15:25 (REV): But when the helper comes that I will send to you from the Father, the spirit of truth that comes from the Father, it will testify about me,
4. John 16:7 (REV): Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send it to you.
5. 1 John 2:1: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Introduction. Nowhere in the gospels does Jesus talk as much about the spirit as in John chapters 14-16.

• "Indeed, as Frederick Dale Bruner notes, the Spirit receives, at best, modest treatment and attention in the Synoptic Gospels [[i.e. Matthew, Mark, and Luke]]. But then, that seems to be true of the New Testament generally. It seems that the people who are the most filled with the Spirit are the same people who seem to be the least conscious of that fact. The spotlight remains on Christ, and it is the Spirit’s “job” in the economy of salvation to make sure that that spotlight remains on Jesus alone." —Scott Hoezee, John 16:12-15 Commentary

What is true of the New Testament is even more true of the Old, as a study of the word "spirit" (i.e. ruach) in the Old Testament will attest. Further, you will note that nowhere in the New Testament will you get anything approaching a systematic presentation of the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity. John chapters 14-16 is not very systematic in this way, either. Yet, John chapters 14-16 is the best that trinitarians have to offer. A proper reading and understanding of these chapters is therefore paramount for the defense (or rebuttal) of the doctrine of the Trinity.

Inconsistent translation of parakletos. Most Bible translations are inconsistent in how they translate parakletos. Typically, they will use one word in the Gospel of John (e.g. "helper," "comforter," etc.) and a different word in the first letter of John (usually, "advocate"). This inconsistency is discussed at length in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, commentary on 1 John 2. Here is one quote,

• It is unlikely that S. John would use the word in totally different senses in the two writings, especially if the Epistle was written to accompany the Gospel. —Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges commentary on 1 John 2

The commentary recommends that parakletos be translated uniformly throughout John's writings and suggests the word "advocate" be used.

Two advocates? The problem with having one translation for parakletos in the Gospel of John and another in the first Epistle of John is that it leads to the conclusion that there are two advocates—one in the Gospel (i.e. the Holy Spirit) and one in the Epistle (i.e. Jesus). But the Bible does not allow for two advocates or mediators interceding for us.

• 1 Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,"
• Romans 8:34, "Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us."
• Hebrews 7:25: Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

This problem is readily solved by simply translating the word parakletos consistently throughout. One then arrives at the rational conclusion that John is speaking of one, and only one, parakletos—the one identified in 1 John 2:1 as Jesus Christ.

• 1 John 2:1: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate [[G3875, parakletos]] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Two intercessors? The Bible also tells us that both the Spirit and the Son are intercessors:

• Romans 8:26: Moreover, in the same way the Spirit joins in to help with our infirmity, for we do not know what we need to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us along with groans too deep for words.
• Romans 8:34, "Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us."

Evidently, both the Spirit and the Son are interceding with the Father on our behalf. So it seems we have two intercessors along with two advocates. At least, that's what trinitarians would have you believe. But why the need for two intercessors when one should suffice? The answer, of course, is that there is no need when we understand the power given to the Son. To Christ is given all authority and power. The power granted to Jesus now in heaven is unimaginably great.

• Hebrews 1:3: He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
• 1 Peter 3:22: Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

And Christ's power is not limited to heaven, but extends to the earth itself. Christ is all and in all (Colossians 3:11). Christ is able to reach out to us and communicate with us and live in us.

Christ's spirit. How can Christ intercede for us when he is in heaven and we are on earth. The answer is plain from Scripture—it is by his spirit. Christ has a spirit just as we have a spirit. The communication between Christ and his people is on a Spirit-to-spirit level. As the Bible tells us:

• Romans 8:9-10: But you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if in fact the spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, this person is not his. 10 But, if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness.
• Romans 8:16: The Spirit himself bears witness together with our spirit, that we are children of God,
• 2 Corinthians 3:18 (REV): And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same appearance, from glory into glory, just as one would expect—from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Another parakletos. Jesus promised his disciples ANOTHER parakletos.

• John 14:16: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another [[G243, allos]] helper [[parakletos]], to be with you forever,

The word "another" is allos in the Greek and means "another of the SAME kind." It is not heteros [G2087], "different." Another of the SAME kind would then mean that this was not the first but the second (or subsequent) parakletos. The first parakletos would presumably be Jesus Christ himself since he was comparing himself to the coming parakletos in his dialogue with his disciples. Here is the verse in context:

• John 14:16-18: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper [[parakletos]], to be with you forever, 17 even the spirit of truth, which 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. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Thus, the second (or subsequent) parakletos would have the same characteristics as the first. Such an individual would be like Christ since he would be allos, "another of the SAME kind." He would presumably have the same experiences and compassionate understanding of one who lived in the flesh as Jesus did, who was "made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God" (Hebrews 2:17).

• Hebrews 2:18: For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

This parakletos could then be a true Helper in every sense of the word as Jesus was. However, can this be truly said of the Holy Spirit as understood by trinitarians? Not at all. At least there is no record in the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, ever experienced any of this personally in the flesh. He was never touched with our infirmities as Jesus was.

Typological language. A better explanation for the wording we find in John chapters 14-16 is to compare it to the rest of John's gospel. It is through and through written in typological language. We find Jesus being described (or describing himself) as the Logos, the Lamb of God, the Bread of Life, the Door, the Good Shepherd, the Light of the World, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the True Vine, etc. None of these titles should be taken literally, but only symbolically, as "titles" describing Jesus' nature and ministry. The title of Paraclete is just as suitable and a fitting figure for Christ as all the others. All these figures and types speak of Christ's work when he was on earth and now continues to perform in heaven.

Parakletos as a personal pronoun. Most Bible translations use the pronoun "he" in connection with parakletos since it is a masculine gender noun in the Greek. However, the reason for its use is grammatical, not theological, or spiritual. The fact that its masculine is "a linguistic accident, and no theological conclusion should be derived from it."

• "Also, the fact that parakletos is masculine does not have any implication regarding the personality (much less the masculinity) of the Spirit. The gender of parakletos, as well as that of pneuma, is nothing more than a linguistic accident, and no theological conclusion should be derived from it." —Ministry Magazine, "Another Paraclete": The Holy Spirit in John 14-17. [This is not a biased statement given the article presents a trinitarian viewpoint.]

Grammatical versus linguistic meaning. The Greek language assigns gender to nouns and associated pronouns. That is, all pronouns in Greek must agree in gender with the noun they refer to. This is also true in many other languages such as Spanish, French, German, Latin, and Hebrew. But this is not true in English where a strictly literal translation would not necessarily represent its linguistic meaning. For example, in Spanish, a "car" is masculine, el carro, while a "spoon" is feminine, la cuchara. Thus, a literal translation of a Spanish set of sentences might be, "I like this car and would like to buy him. The spoon is dirty and I need to put her in the dishwasher." A Spanish to English translator would never translate "the car, he" or "the spoon, she." Even Spanish speakers don't think of cars and spoons as male and female and certainly not persons. The gender of these nouns is simply a part of the language inherited from the past.

The gender of "spirit." Except for the five (5) occurrences of parakletos which only John uses, all New Testament writers use the word pneuma for "spirit." The word pneuma is equivalent to the Hebrew word ruach which is translated either as spirit, wind, or mind. Ruach is feminine in the Hebrew language while pneuma is grammatically NEUTER and any connection with it should be represented by the pronoun "it," not "he" or "she." However, Bible translators with a bias toward the Trinity doctrine generally translate the pronouns referring to pneuma as masculine rather than neuter. Occasionally, some will correctly use the neuter pronoun "it" (seemingly by accident) as, for example, in Romans 8:16 in the KJV:

• Romans 8:16 (KJV) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.

The fact that the word "spirit" is feminine in the Hebrew Bible did lead some to believe that the Spirit was a feminine being of the Godhead. They believed in a Trinity of the Father, the Mother and the Son. Interestingly enough, their belief was condemned by the Trinitarians who used the same kind of ploy to prove that the Spirit was a masculine being!

References

• Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges commentary on 1 John 2.
• REV Bible commentary on John 14:17. For further discussion on the grammar of "spirit" under "it...it...it...it"
• The Holy Spirit and Translation Bias. For a deeper discussion on translation bias.
• "Another Paraclete": The Holy Spirit in John 14-17. Ministry Magazine, April, 2012. A trinitarian viewpoint but with meaningful linguistic comments.

Parakletos characteristics

Here are five characteristics of the parakletos:

1. The parakletos as helper. The first reference to the parakletos is found in John 14:16 and should be read in context as follows:

• [Keep commands; dwell within] John 14:15-21: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper [[parakletos]], to be with you forever, 17 even the spirit of truth, which 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.
  • [Christ within] 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
• [Keep commands; manifest within] 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

The parakletos is first represented as the "spirit of truth" which dwells within. Given that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), then according to verse 17, he who, "dwells with you and will be in you," is Jesus himself by way of the spirit of truth. The spirit of truth is also connected to the declaration, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (verse 15). How we keep Jesus' commandments is by way of the spirit helping us keep his commandments. The spirit of truth leads us "into all the truth" (John 16:13).

2. The parakletos as a teacher. The parakletos will teach us all things and bring to our remembrance all that Jesus has taught us.

• John 14:25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 And the helper [[parakletos]], the holy spirit, which the Father will send in my name, it will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.

The "and" in the phrase, "And the helper" in verse 26 is the Greek word de (G1161) which can be translated as either "and" (small contrast) or "but" (strong contrast). The translation bias can go to "and" if you believe it corresponds to the prior verse, or it can be "but" if you believe a new thought is being expressed. Even though most (trinitarian) translations use "but" in this verse, the context suggests otherwise. The teacher is Jesus. It was Jesus when he was "still with" them and it will be Jesus when he leaves, "for it [the parakletos] will not speak on its own authority, but whatever it hears it will speak" (John 16:13).

How we are taught. With respect to how truth is communicated to us: The Father has the truth, He tells the Son. The Son reveals that truth to us by the Spirit.

• John 12:49-50: For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.
• John 14:10: Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
• 1 Peter 1:10-12: Concerning this salvation, the prophets (who prophesied of the grace that would come to you) searched diligently for and made careful inquiry, 11 inquiring about what time or what sort of circumstance the spirit of Christ in them was indicating when it testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for Christ and the glories that would come after them. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves—but you—in the things that have now been announced to you by those who proclaimed the good news to you by the holy spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

3. The parakletos as a witness of the work of Christ. This characteristic is found in the third instance of the word parakletos.

• John 15:26-27 (REV): But when the helper [[parakletos]] comes that I will send to you from the Father, the spirit of truth that comes from the Father, it will testify about me, 27 and you also must testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

4. The parakletos as a convicting prosecutor. This characteristic is found in the fourth instance of the word parakletos.

• John 16:4b-11 “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper [[parakletos]] 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 concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

The word "convict" in "he will convict the world" (verse 8) is the Greek word elegcho (G1651) and means to reprove, rebuke, convince, find fault. The parakletos is to convict the world of three matters—sin, righteousness, and judgment. That is, the parakletos lays out the truth about what is wrong (i.e. sin), what is right (i.e. righteousness), and the consequence of choicing right or wrong (i.e. judgment). All judgment is given to the Son.

• John 5:22: For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
• John 9:39: Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”
• Acts 17:31: because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.
• 1 Corinthians 4:5: Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
• 2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

5. The parakletos as revealer and guide.

• John 16:12-15: I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the spirit of truth comes, it will guide you into all the truth, for it will not speak on its own authority, but whatever it hears it will speak, and it will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 It will glorify me, for it will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that it will take what is mine and declare it to you.

God continues to speak to us today. As said previously: The Father has the truth, He tells the Son. The Son reveals that truth to us by the Spirit. When we pray it is to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit. The above text suggests there is an unfolding of truth through the ages. Not everything was revealed to the disciples and not everything has been revealed to us. It is through the spirit that God continues to reveal and guide.

Appendix

Notes

• Paraclete (Wikipedia).
• Sermon: The Five Paraklete Sayings.
• Comforter is the worst of the translations. Advocate is the best. Intercessor is also good. Abraham was a parakletos when he interceded for Sodom and for Pharaoh.
• The Catholic New American Bible says, regarding John 14:17: "The Greek word for ‘Spirit’ is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English (‘he,’ ‘his,’ ‘him’), most Greek MSS employ ‘it’" (bold supplied). Note the following Scriptural examples where the Greek pneuma is used and is referred to by the neuter pronoun "it": John 1:32—"John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him." In Rom. 8:26 (if this passage is applied to the holy Spirit)—"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us."