These are words spoken by Jesus to His disciples the night of His arrest. He knew time with them was short and He had a lot to tell them before He was taken. When you’re given a tremendous amount of information in a short amount of time, it’s hard to hold it all. But Jesus wasn’t worried about it, because He knew His disciples would receive a Gift who would remind them of all He’d said. The Counselor—sometimes interpreted Comforter, Advocate, or Helper (all of which are appropriate titles)—would indwell them and speak truth to their hearts. Because the Counselor was God’s own Spirit, He would never mislead the disciples. “Testify” is an important word here. To testify is to bear witness based on personal experience or knowledge. The Counselor (God the Spirit) was one with God the Father and God the Son, so He had full knowledge of God’s plan of salvation. Just as God had sent Jesus, He would send the Spirit to continue to grow the disciples in truth and grace.
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