Although the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each distinct Members of the Godhead, there is only one God, and each Person of the Godhead shares the same substance and essence. So if you see Jesus, you see the Father. By looking at Jesus, you can discover the Father's will. Jesus did and said exactly what the Father would do and say. His life, attitudes, and actions were the absolute manifested will of the Father, for the two were united in nature, in character, in thought, and in deed.
As Jesus teaches the disciples about the Holy Spirit, He takes this truth one step further. In John 14:16, for example, Jesus said, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter.…" In Greek, this translation of the word "another" is allos and means "one of the very same kind; same character; same everything; or nearly a duplicate."
Just as Jesus is the exact image of the Father in every way, now Jesus unmistakably tells the disciples that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will exactly represent Jesus in every word. That's why the word allos is used to make this point. It leaves no room for doubt that the Holy Spirit will be exactly like Jesus. The word allos tells us the Holy Spirit perfectly represents the life and nature of Jesus Christ. Jesus did only what the Heavenly Father would do, and now the Holy Spirit will do only what Jesus would do. As Jesus' Representative on earth, the Holy Spirit never acts on His own or out of character with the life of Jesus Christ.
You see, the Spirit of God was sent to bring us the life of Jesus. Just as Jesus told Philip, "If you've seen Me, you've seen the Father," now He is telling us, "If you have the Holy Spirit, it will be just as if you have Me."
I've often heard Christians ask, "I wonder what it must have been like to walk with Jesus. Wouldn't it be wonderful to walk with Him and to hear His voice and talk to Him?" But believers who ask these kinds of questions don't understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit. If they did, they'd know that having the Holy Spirit with them is just like having Jesus right at their side!
You and I must stop looking backward and grieving over what we missed by not living 2,000 years ago. Instead, we must learn to let the Holy Spirit lead and guide us, just as He did in the Early Church. Jesus' physical absence didn't stop the early believers from performing miracles, raising the dead, casting out demons, healing the sick, or bringing multitudes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Because the Holy Spirit was with them, the ministry of Jesus continued uninterrupted in their midst.
Never forget—as a child of God, you have the Holy Spirit working within you and alongside you every moment of every day. And because the Holy Spirit is the exact representation of your Lord and Savior, it's just like having Jesus right there at your side.
Jesus' last words to His disciples revolved around the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. That's how serious this message was to Jesus! Since Jesus considered this subject to be so important, why don't you open your heart to the work of the Spirit today? Let the Holy Spirit represent Jesus to you, your church, your family, your business, and your city, just as He did to believers who lived during the time of the book of Acts.
by Rick Renner
All rights reserved. Used by permission.