John 15:26–27

Context

Chapters 13–17 of the Gospel of John contain the farewell discourse that Jesus delivered to his disciples on the night before his arrest. In John 15:18–25 Jesus says that the world will hate the disciples just as it hated him. In this passage he then promises the coming and the witness of the Holy Spirit, and in chapter 16 he foretells that the disciples will be persecuted and put out of the synagogues. The flow of thought is that, in the midst of the world's hatred, the Holy Spirit and the disciples together bear witness to Jesus.

"Comforter" translates the Greek paraklētos, meaning "one called alongside," that is, a helper or advocate. The passages in John that speak of the Paraclete are John 14:16–17, John 14:26, this passage, and John 16:7–15.

Interpretation

• The witness of the Spirit and the witness of the disciples: Most commentaries read the two witnesses as a pair: the Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus, and the disciples, having received the Spirit, carry that testimony to the world.
• Apostolic witness: On the basis of the words "because ye have been with me from the beginning," this view holds that verse 27 refers to the eyewitness testimony of the apostles, who directly observed Jesus' public ministry. Some interpreters in the Reformed tradition connect this testimony with the written record of the New Testament.
• The mission of all believers: This view holds that the mission of bearing witness continues beyond the apostles to the whole church. Pentecostal and evangelical churches often read this passage together with Acts 1:8 and emphasize evangelism empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Controversies and Issues

• "Which proceedeth from the Father" and the Filioque: Following this passage, the Nicene Creed, finalized in 381, confesses that the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father." The Western church later added "and the Son" (Latin Filioque). This phrase became one of the principal issues in the East–West Schism. The Orthodox Church holds that this passage teaches that the Spirit proceeds eternally from the Father alone, and that the Son's "sending" refers only to the Spirit's mission in history. The Catholic Church and Western Protestantism accept the Filioque on the grounds that the Son also sends the Spirit. The Westminster Confession of Faith likewise confesses that the Holy Spirit proceeds "from the Father and the Son." Because this difference bears directly on the understanding of the Trinity, it continues to be addressed in ecumenical dialogue today.
• Korean translations: Among Korean Bible versions, the Korean Common Translation renders the term for "Comforter" (bohyesa) as hyeopjoja ("Helper"), while the New Korean Standard Version retains bohyesa. The verb jeunggeohada ("to bear witness") in the Korean Revised Version was changed to jeungeonhada ("to testify") in the New Korean Revised Version.
• Use of the title "Comforter": The Korean group Shincheonji is reported to teach that its founder, Lee Man-hee, is connected with the promised "Comforter." The various denominations that have declared the group heretical refute this claim by pointing out that the passage explicitly identifies the Comforter as "the Spirit of truth."

Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.

In Korean Protestant churches, the passage is frequently cited together with Acts 1:8 in sermons for Pentecost and in sermons on evangelism and mission.

Related Passages

• John 14:16–17
• John 14:26
• John 16:7
• Acts 1:8
• Luke 24:46–49