John 16:7 - Meaning and Application

As the Old Testament prophets often comforted God’s people in hard times with the promise of the Messiah, as in (Isaiah 9:6; Micah 5:6; Zechariah 3:8), so after the Messiah has come, the promise of the Spirit is the great comfort, and it still is. Here we are given three things about the Comforter’s coming. First, Christ’s departure was absolutely necessary for the Comforter to come, according to (John 16:7).

The disciples were so unwilling to believe this that Christ solemnly said, “I am telling you the truth.” We can trust everything Christ told us, because he has no plan to deceive us. To calm them, he tells them in general that it was better for them that he should go away. This sounded strange, but if it was true, it was comforting and showed how unreasonable their sorrow was. It was good, not only for him, but for them as well, though they could not see it and did not want to accept it.

We often think the things that hurt us are actually the things that help us most, especially when our time on earth is ending. Our Lord Jesus always chooses what is best for us, whether we agree or not. He does not treat us according to our foolish choices. Instead, he kindly overrules them and gives us the medicine we are reluctant to take, because he knows it is good for us.

It was also better because it made way for the sending of the Spirit. Christ’s going was ordered toward the Comforter’s coming. This is said negatively: if Christ did not go away, the Comforter would not come. Why not? First, it had been settled in God’s plan, and that order was not to be changed. Second, it fit the situation for the special messenger to be withdrawn before the Spirit came as the one who would remain. Third, the sending of the Spirit was the result of Christ’s purchase, and that purchase was made through his death, which was his going away. Fourth, it would answer Christ’s intercession within the veil, that is, in the heavenly presence of God, as in (John 14:16). In this way, our Lord Jesus both paid for this gift and prayed for it, so we would value it more highly.

Fifth, the Spirit’s great work of convincing the world would rest on Christ’s ascension into heaven and his welcome there, as in (John 16:10; John 7:39). Last, the disciples needed to be weaned from his bodily presence, which they were too inclined to cling to, before they were ready for the spiritual help and comfort of the new covenant, that is, God’s new way of dealing with his people through Christ. Christ’s going was therefore not a loss, but a gain, because he would send the Spirit in his place.

Christ’s Spirit in the church is far better and more useful than his bodily presence, so it was truly better for us that he should go away in order to send the Comforter. His physical presence could be in only one place at one time, but his Spirit is everywhere, at all times, wherever two or three are gathered in his name. Christ’s bodily presence drew people’s eyes, but his Spirit draws their hearts. That old outward ministry was like a letter that kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Second, the coming of the Spirit was absolutely necessary for carrying on Christ’s work on earth, as in (John 16:8). When he comes, he will reprove, or, as the margin says, convince the world, through the apostles’ ministry, concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is sent willingly, and from the start he will do this work.

Here we see the Spirit’s office, the work he is sent to do. He reproves, meaning he corrects and exposes wrong. The Spirit does this through the word and through conscience. Ministers also reprove by their calling, and the Spirit works through them. He also convinces. That is a legal word. It means he brings all the evidence together and puts a matter into clear and true light after it has long been argued over. He will silence Christ’s opponents by showing that what they claimed was false and weak, and that what they opposed is true and sure.

Convincing work belongs to the Spirit. He can do it powerfully, and no one else can do it in the same way. A person may present the case, but only the Spirit can open the heart. The Spirit is called the Comforter in (John 16:7), yet here it says he will convince. That may sound less comforting, but this is the Spirit’s way: first he convinces, then he comforts. First he lays open the wound, then he applies healing medicine. Or, if we take conviction in a broader sense, as showing what is right, it teaches us that the Spirit’s comforts are solid and built on truth.

He is to reprove and convince the world, both Jews and Gentiles. He will give the world the strongest means of conviction, because the apostles will go into all the world, backed by the Spirit, to preach the fully confirmed gospel. He will also remove and silence the world’s objections and prejudices against the gospel. Many unbelievers were convicted by what they heard and judged by it, as in (1 Corinthians 14:24). And he will effectively and savingly convince many people in the world, in every age and in every place, leading them to faith in Christ.

This was an encouragement to the disciples, because of the difficulties they would face. They would see good done, Satan’s kingdom falling like lightning, and that would be their joy, as it was Christ’s. Even this hostile world would be worked on by the Spirit, and the conversion of sinners is a comfort to faithful ministers. They would also know that their service and suffering would help bring about this great work.

The Spirit will convince the world of sin, as in (John 16:9), because they do not believe in Christ. The Spirit is sent not merely to tell sinners that they are guilty, but to convict them of it. Conviction is more than hearing the charge. It is when the truth is pressed on them so strongly that they must admit it, as in (John 8:9), where people were convicted by their own consciences. He makes them know their sins and abominations.

The Spirit convicts people of the fact of sin, that they have really done wrong. He also convicts them of the guilt of sin, that they have acted badly in doing it. He shows the folly of sin, that they have acted against sound reason and their own good. He reveals the filth of sin, that by it they have become hateful to God. He points to the source of sin, the corrupt nature within. And finally, he shows the result of sin, that its end is death. In this way, the Spirit exposes the corruption and ruin of the whole world, proving that all the world stands guilty before God.

The Spirit especially presses on the sin of unbelief, the refusal to believe in Christ. He does this first as the great ruling sin. There has always been, and still is, a world full of people who do not believe in Jesus Christ, and they do not feel that this is sin. Natural conscience tells people that murder and theft are sins, but only the Spirit can show them that it is sin to withhold faith from the gospel and reject the salvation it offers. Even natural religion, after it has given all the guidance it can, still leaves us under this further duty, that if God later gives a message with clear proof that it is from him, we must receive it and obey it. Those who refuse the One who speaks when God speaks through his Son break this rule, and so they commit sin.

Unbelief is also the great ruin-bringing sin. Every sin is ruinous by its nature, but unbelief is the sin that damns sinners, because it keeps them from Christ. It is because of unbelief that they cannot enter God’s rest and cannot escape his wrath. It is a sin against the only remedy. Calvin rightly takes it even further: unbelief is at the root of all other sin. The Spirit convinces the world that the real reason sin rules among them is that they are not united to Christ by faith. As Calvin says, we must not think that apart from Christ we have even a drop of righteousness.

The Spirit also convicts of righteousness, because Christ says, “I go to my Father, and you will see me no more” (John 16:10). We can understand this in two ways. First, it points to Christ’s own personal righteousness. The Spirit will convince the world that Jesus of Nazareth was the righteous one, as even the centurion said, “Certainly this was a righteous man” (Luke 23:47). His enemies gave him the worst possible reputation, and many were not convinced, or would not be convinced, that he was good. That only strengthened their prejudice against his teaching. But the Spirit proves him righteous, and not a deceiver, and that settles the matter. He is either the great Redeemer or a great cheat, and we know he is no cheat.

How does the Spirit bring people to see the sincerity of the Lord Jesus? In part, by their no longer seeing him in the likeness of sinful flesh, in the form of a servant, which had made many despise him. Moses was more respected after he was taken away than before. But Christ’s going to the Father gives full proof. The gift of the Spirit, promised after his departure, showed that Christ had been lifted up to God’s right hand (Acts 2:33). That was strong evidence of his righteousness, because the holy God would never place a deceiver at his right hand.

Second, this righteousness includes the righteousness Christ gives us for our justification and salvation, that everlasting righteousness the Messiah was to bring in (Daniel 9:24). The Spirit convinces people of this righteousness too. Once he has shown them their sin and their need for righteousness, he does not leave them in despair. He shows them where righteousness can be found, and how, by believing, they may be cleared of guilt and accepted as righteous in God’s sight. It was hard to persuade those who were trying to establish their own righteousness (Romans 10:3), but the Spirit can do it. Christ’s ascension is the great proof of this righteousness: “I go to the Father,” and because he is welcomed there, you will see me no more. If Christ had left any part of his work unfinished, he would have been sent back. But since we know he is at God’s right hand, we may be sure we are justified through him.

The Spirit also convicts of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged (John 16:11). Here the devil, the prince of this world, is shown to be a great deceiver and destroyer. Judgment has been passed against him, and part of the sentence has already been carried out. He was cast out of the Gentile world when his oracles were silenced and his altars were abandoned. He was cast out of many bodies in Christ’s name, and that power continued for a long time in the church. He was cast out of people’s hearts by God’s grace working through the gospel of Christ. He fell like lightning from heaven.

This is also a strong argument the Spirit uses to convince the world about judgment. First, it shows inherent holiness, that is, a life made holy and set apart for God. If the prince of this world has been judged, then Christ is stronger than Satan and can strip him of his power, drive him out, and build his throne on the ruin of Satan’s. Second, it shows that Christ has brought in a new and better order. The Spirit shows that Christ came into the world to set things right and begin a time of reform and new life. He proves this by showing that the prince of this world, the great master of disorder, has been judged and expelled. All will be well when the one who caused the trouble has his power broken.

Third, it shows the power and rule of the Lord Jesus. The Spirit convinces the world that all judgment has been given to him and that he is Lord of all. This is plain from the fact that he has judged the prince of this world, crushed the serpent’s head, destroyed the one who had the power of death, and stripped the powers and rulers. If Satan has been brought low by Christ, we can be sure no other power can stand against him. Fourth, it points to the final day of judgment. All stubborn enemies of Christ’s gospel and kingdom will surely be called to account in the end, because the devil, their leader, has already been judged.

The coming of the Spirit would also be of great benefit to the disciples themselves. The Spirit has work to do not only among Christ’s enemies, to humble and convict them, but also among his servants, to teach and comfort them. That is why it was better for the disciples that Christ should go away. He gently reminds them of their present weakness: “I still have many things to say to you” not things that should have been said before, but things he could and would have said, “but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12). This shows what a teacher Christ is. No one is like him in fullness of teaching, for even after he has said much, he still has much more to say. Treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in him, if we are not limited by our own narrow hearts.

Jesus had more compassionate things to tell them about the kingdom of God, especially the rejection of the Jews and the calling of the Gentiles, but they were not ready for it. It would have confused them and made them stumble, instead of giving them comfort. After his resurrection, when they asked about restoring the kingdom to Israel, he pointed them to the coming of the Holy Spirit, by whom they would gain power to accept truths that now seemed too hard to bear.

He also promised them enough help through the outpouring of the Spirit. They knew their own dullness and many mistakes, and they must have wondered what they would do when their Master was leaving them. But he answered, in effect, that when the Spirit of truth came, all would be well. The Spirit would guide the apostles and glorify Christ.

The Spirit would guide the apostles so they would not lose their way. He would lead them, as the pillar of cloud and fire led Israel through the wilderness. He would guide their speech and their writing, keeping them from error. The Spirit is given to us as a guide (Romans 8:14), not only to show us the way, but to stay with us through his continued help and influence.

He would also guide them so they would reach the right end. He would guide them into all truth, like a skilled pilot bringing a ship into its harbor. To be led into a truth means more than simply knowing it. It means knowing it deeply, feeling its power, and being shaped by it in the heart, not just having it in the mind. It also means a steady growth in understanding, as one truth leads to another, from what is clear and easy to what is more difficult.

This means, first, that he would lead them into the whole truth needed for their work. Whatever they needed to know to carry out their mission fully, he would teach them. The truths they were to teach others, the Spirit would first teach them, giving them understanding so they could explain and defend them. Second, he would lead them into nothing but the truth. Everything he guided them into would be true (John 2:27). The anointing is truth.

Jesus then shows why this is so. The Spirit would teach only the truth, because he would not speak on his own. He would speak only what he heard, what he knew to be the Father’s mind. This means we can trust the Spirit’s witness in the Word and through the apostles. The Spirit knows all things, even the deep things of God, and the apostles received that Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10, 1 Corinthians 2:11). So we may safely trust our souls to the Spirit’s word.

It also means the Spirit’s witness always agrees with Christ’s word. He does not speak from a separate plan or interest of his own. In essence, and in the records he gives, he is one with the Father and the Son (John 5:7). Human words and human spirits often differ, but the eternal Word and the eternal Spirit never do.

He would teach them all truth and keep back nothing useful, for he would also show them things to come. The Spirit was given to the apostles as a Spirit of prophecy, just as Joel foretold (Joel 2:28). He did this when he showed them future events, as in Acts 11:28, Acts 20:23, and Acts 21:11. He also spoke about the falling away of later times (1 Timothy 4:1). John, when he was in the Spirit, also saw future things in vision.

This was a great comfort to the apostles themselves and helped them in their conduct. It was also a strong proof that their mission was from God. Jansenius wisely noted that we should not complain that the Spirit does not show us future events in this world, as he did for the apostles. It is enough that, in the Word, the Spirit has shown us the things to come in the next world, which matter most to us.

The Spirit would also glorify Christ, as Jesus says in John 16:14, John 16:15. Even the sending of the Spirit was part of Christ’s glory. The Father glorified him in heaven, and the Spirit glorified him on earth. It honored the Redeemer that the Spirit came in his name and on his mission, to carry on and complete his work. All the gifts and graces of the Spirit, and all the apostles’ preaching and writing under the Spirit’s influence, along with tongues and miracles, were meant to glorify Christ.

The Spirit glorifies Christ by leading his followers into the truth as it is in Jesus (Ephesians 4:21). Jesus says, first, that the Spirit would communicate Christ’s things to them: “He will take what is mine and declare it to you.” As he proceeds from the Son in essence, so in work and power he comes from him. All that the Spirit shows us for our instruction and comfort, all he gives us for strength and renewal, and all he seals to us, belongs to Christ and comes from him.

It belongs to Christ because he bought it at great cost. It also belongs to him because he first received it as the head of the church, so that he could pass it on to all his members. The Spirit did not come to set up a new kingdom, but to advance and establish the kingdom Christ had already set up. He came to carry out the same purpose and support the same cause. So those who claim the Spirit while putting down Christ are proving themselves false, because the Spirit came to glorify Christ.

Second, Jesus shows that through this work the things of God would be given to us. To keep anyone from thinking this would not make them much richer, he adds, “All that the Father has is mine.” As God, Christ has all the Father’s self-existing light and self-sufficient happiness. As Mediator, that is, as the one who stands between God and humanity, the Father has given all things into his hands (Matthew 11:27). All the grace and truth God meant to show us were placed with the Lord Jesus (Colossians 1:19).

These spiritual blessings in heavenly things are given by the Father to the Son for us, and the Son sends the Spirit to bring them to us. Some understand this line in connection with what comes just before: the Spirit would show them things to come. That is how Revelation 1:1 explains it. God gave the revelation to Christ, and Christ made it known to John, who wrote what the Spirit said (Revelation 1:1).