John 14:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

NASB: the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.

CSB: He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.

NLT: He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

KJV: Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

NKJV: the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

This passage contains teachings from Jesus as He prepares the disciples for His impending arrest and execution. In the prior verse, Jesus promised to send a "Helper" (John 14:16). Here, He specifies that this is the Holy Spirit, available only to those who believe in Christ. In fact, this Spirit "indwells" those who believe (Romans 8:9).

Recently, Jesus referred to Himself, using specific terminology, as "the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6). Each of those statements came with a definite article—translated into English as "the." Here, Jesus once again uses specific terms. In Greek, He literally calls this promised Helper "the Spirit of the Truth." This not only emphasizes that there is only one valid kind of "truth," it connects the nature of this Spirit to the nature of Jesus Himself.

The Holy Spirit permanently resides in those who express faith in Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). That indwelling will not begin until after Jesus is resurrected, which is why He says this Spirit "will be in you," rather than that it "is in you," at the moment He speaks to the disciples. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit will begin to live with all who believe in Christ (Acts 2:1–4; 10:47).

Those who do not believe do not have the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14). Scripture often uses the expression "the world" in reference to the fallen nature of man which rejects God. Those who believe in Christ know Him (John 6:69; 8:31–32; 10:14), and they know the way to salvation (John 14:4). Those who reject Christ don't see Christ, so they don't see God (John 14:8), do not know God (John 8:19), and are lost (John 8:24).

John 14:15–31 contains a prediction about the Holy Spirit. Jesus refers to this as the Spirit of Truth, and promises that the Spirit will arrive to help the disciples carry on after Jesus is ascended to heaven. Throughout this section, a person's love for Christ, their obedience to His teachings, and the indwelling of the Spirit are intertwined. As in prior statements, Jesus is focused on comfort and encouragement. He will continue to highlight the need to maintain faith, based on all He has said and done so far. Later, after advance warnings about what Christians will face, Jesus will return to describing the work and purpose of the Holy Spirit under the new covenant.

Christ reassures His followers that faith in Him is faith in God. To know Christ is to know ''the way, and the truth, and the life'' (John 14:6). The words, actions, and miracles of Jesus should give Christians confidence to trust that He will make good on His promises. Among those are His guarantee that He is preparing to come for us, so we can be where He is. Jesus also predicts the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is only available to believers, and this Helper acts to guide, teach, and remind us. Both for the disciples, and for future Christians, these words are meant to be comforting during hard times. Since Christ knew, in advance, what would happen, we can be even more confident to trust Him.

After completing His public ministry in Jerusalem (John 12:36–38), Jesus has washed the feet of the disciples (John 13:3–5), predicted His betrayal (John 13:21), and foreseen Peter's denial (John 13:37–38). Chapter 14 begins a series of remarks meant to encourage the disciples, in the face of dire warnings. Among these are reminders that Jesus is planning to bring them to be where He is, assurance that He is ''the way,'' and the first explicit promises of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 15 will continue this address, beginning with Jesus' claim to be ''the true vine.''

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.