The Comfort Of God - Bible Witness

The Comfort of Goddeath as His body was pierced on that cross.This scene undoubtedly had left them cringingin fear, grief, and sorrow. In their distress, theLord provides for them consolation thatcan only come from the divine Comforter.The original word that is translated asComforter (parakletos) literally means ‘tocome alongside with the express purposeof consoling and giving aid and protectionto one in need’. No one can understand oursorrows or disappointments better thanthe divine Comforter and He comes to ourside to comfort us; to sympathize, as wellas to empathize with us in our moments ofdespair.At any funeral wake, friends and relatives whocome to console the bereaved will usually leaveone by one as the night vigil wears on. Butisn’t it wonderful for believers to know thatthere is one Comforter who will remain andcontinue to provide comfort and consolation?As Jesus has said, “…that he may abide withyou for ever.” This guarantees that He will bethere not only in times of sorrows particularlybut throughout life’s ups and downs as well.And the same comfort and consolation of theHoly Spirit is available to the saints on earth inevery generation thereafter as long as the Lordtarries. Now that’s a lot of comfort indeed!Christians are Assured ofthe Comforter’s CounselThe original word for ‘Comforter’ can alsomean ‘an advocate’. In fact, that is how thesame Greek word parakletos is translated in1 John 2:1. It carries the idea of a counselloror teacher. In other words, the Holy Spirit’sministry also involves teaching and counsellingthe believers with the Word of God. That isprecisely what Jesus said in John 14:26, “Butthe Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,whom the Father will send in my name, heshall teach you all things, and bring all thingsto your remembrance, whatsoever I have saidunto you.”The Holy Spirit is the believers’ instructor inthe things of God. He teaches and enablesthem to understand spiritual truths. It is theHoly Spirit who reveals the deep things ofGod and His Word. Paul wrote of this in 1Corinthians 2:12-13, “Now we have received,not the spirit of the world, but the spirit whichis of God; that we might know the things thatare freely given to us of God. Which thingsalso we speak, not in the words which man’swisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghostteacheth; comparing spiritual things withspiritual.” The Christian has a divine instructorin the Holy Spirit who will guide him in theproper understanding of the Word of God.This assurance is based on the fact that thesame Holy Spirit is described as “the spiritof wisdom and understanding, the spirit ofcounsel and might, the spirit of knowledgeand of the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:2).Christians are Assured of theComforter’s ConfessionWhen a person is born-again as he confessesChrist as his Lord and Saviour, this confessionis actually not his own. It is the confession ofthe holy Comforter. His indwelling presence inthe lives of the believers causes them to utterthat confession of faith in Christ. The ApostlePaul helps us to understand “…that no mancan say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the HolyGhost” (1 Corinthians 12:3).The Scripture tells us that the Comforterwill not only have us to confess our faith; Healso enables us to testify it to others. Again,Jesus tells this truth to His disciples in nouncertain terms in John 15:26-27, “But whenthe Comforter is come, whom I will send untoBible Witness 7