The Spirit in John 16

I recently have seen some commentary from antitrinitarians about John 16:13, bolded below with the contextual verses. At this point I am neither firmly trinitarian nor antitrinitarian. I am studying.

¹² “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. ¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you. John 16:14-17, NIV

The KJV translated verse 13 this way:

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. John 16:13 KJV

The KJV leads to the interpretation that the Holy will not speak about himself. However the NIV makes the meaning of "of" clearer. The Holy Spirit will not speak of his own accord. 

The Holy spirit does not speak of his own accord, but what he is given to speak. What is said here echoes what Jesus said in John 12:49-50.

⁴⁹ For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. ⁵⁰ I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

It is clear that the Holy Spirit and Jesus both get their messages from someone else, and Jesus says His words are from the Father. It makes sense that the Holy Spirit has the same source for what he says. The Spirit referred to here could be an emanation from the Father and Son, or he could be a third person. The verse is not proof of the existence or nonexistence of a third person, though it is often used to prove the existence of a trinity.

Verses 14 & 15 may be closer to what a trinitarian needs:

¹⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you. John 16:14-17, NIV

 Those verses seem easy to explain from a trinitarian point of view, but not so easy from an antitrinitarian point of view. I haven't seen any of them trying to explain these two verses.

Further study required.

Trinity -- or not?

In my first 20+ posts I wrote about our Savior's name, and names of various characters in the Bible. I think I have worn out that topic for now, and I plan to move on to several others. A couple of topics demanding my attention right now are the trinity and the feast days. What does the Bible say about them?

I probably won't have that much to say about the trinity, because it is not a topic I've studied exhaustively, I'm not sure there is an easy answer, and I'm not sure how important it is that we know the exact answer!

The questions that I ponder are:

1. Doesn't the Bible teach the trinity? The short but somewhat evasive answer is: No, the Bible does not mention the trinity -- or at least not the word trinity.

2. Are there three separate persons in the Godhead, three-in-one, or are there two, Father and Son, and a Holy Spirit that emanates from them? I don't know. I can see arguments on both sides of this question.

3. Doesn't 1 John 5:7-8 explicitly teach there are three persons? This requires a long answer, but the shortest possible answer is that a clause has been inserted here, called the Johannine Comma. The translators added a message they felt was missing. What a lot of problems would be avoided if humanity would not add their own traditions to scripture!

Without the Johannine Comma, the verses read:

For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. ESV

With the later-added text, the Comma, the verses read (the added text in brackets):

For there are three that bear record [in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth], the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. KJV

Many use the Johannine Comma as proof that there are three-in-one, not knowing that they are not quoting the inspired words of John.

4. What about Jesus' baptism instructions in Matthew 28:19?

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

I have been told that Jesus didn't perform baptisms Himself, but I would love to have seen Him give an example of how this is done. Most baptisms include the phrase, "I now baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (or Ghost)." Have you ever noticed the sentence structure, that it sounds like there is only one name? He didn't say "in the names of," but "in the name of." I don't know if that is significant; it's just something I've thought about.

The above are the only two verses I can find that mention the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all at the same time. If believing in a trinity is of utmost importance, wouldn't there be more about it in the Bible, and wouldn't what is there be less ambiguous? The first example, with the inserted clause, is not a true example. The second implies that all three carry the same name!

Did the disciples follow Jesus' baptism instructions? I found only four verses that tell about baptisms in the name of anyone, and these examples use only the name of Jesus Christ (or Lord Jesus). I can't believe they were disobeying their beloved Master's directive. They were doing what they understood Him to have told them to do:

On the Day of Pentecost: And Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

When Peter and John went to Samaria: For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. Acts 8:16,17

Peter at the house of Cornelius: And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days. Acts 10:48

Paul at Ephesus: And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 19:5

That's all I have for now. The two commonly-used New Testament proof texts do not prove there is a trinity, but then I am not convinced there isn't some kind of three-ness there. Perhaps I am influenced by a few decades of hearing about the trinity. I do know that within my own congregation, the teaching has grown toward a more trinitarian-type belief, with a Holy Spirit who is a separate and third person, but years ago, within my lifetime, it was not so.

To me the bottom line is that I believe the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He has saved me by His sacrifice and His grace. Whether I believe the Holy Spirit is a separate person or not, will it affect my salvation? If it did, wouldn't the Bible tell us so?

Easy reading?

I was just reading a friend's post, and as I read, I wished he would not use such scholarly language. I can understand what he writes, but I get the feeling that those who write about Biblical topics feel more believable if they sound like a professor in their writing. I do know, however, that sometimes it is easier to transmit your exact meaning when you use the exact four-syllable word you want rather than searching your mind for words more commonly used.

As I read through my old posts, I see that I have used language that could be improved for readability. If I have a chance, I may go back and change some of it.