Jesus has not abandoned us | Westside Eagle Observer

"If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--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. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." John 14:15-18

On Thursday, believers around the world remember and celebrate the ascension of Jesus -- His visible ascent into heaven (Acts 1:1-12) and His exultation to the right hand of God the Father (Eph. 1:19-23), a position of power and glory in which he rules over all things for the good of His Church (made up of all who trust in Christ Jesus for forgiveness of sins and life eternal). But has He left us? Are we now on our own?

We remember Jesus' words to his disciples before his ascension, when He gave them His great commission to disciple the nations by going out, baptizing in the name of the Triune God and teaching them to observe all that He had taught and commanded: "lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20). And in the Gospel of John, Jesus told His disciples: "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." Jesus also said, in John 14:23: "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."

But how does Jesus come to us and abide with us? Jesus explains: "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--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." Jesus promises us to pray for us and to give us another Helper (paraclete in the Greek, meaning one who is called alongside of us and advocates, consoles and helps us). This Helper is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth whom the world does not know or recognize but whom believers know for He is the one who revealed to them the truth and brought them to faith in Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. He continues to teach us and open up to us the Scriptures (John 14:26).

The Holy Spirit is given to believers when they come to faith in Christ, in their Baptism -- Titus 3:4-7: "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Cf. Acts 2:38-39; Gal. 3:26-27; John 3:5-6; Eph. 1:13-14; Col. 2:11ff.

Therefore, we are not alone or left to ourselves as believers. Jesus gives to us His Holy Spirit to sanctify and keep us in the true faith unto life everlasting. And, when the Spirit dwells in us, so also the Father and the Son dwell in us and with us. We are assured that "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6).

It is, as Jesus said, to our advantage that He ascended to the right hand of God the Father (cf. John 16:7ff.), for He has sent us His Holy Spirit to dwell in us and preserve us in the saving faith unto life everlasting!

We thank You, dear Lord Jesus, that You have not abandoned or forsaken us but have given to us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to teach us, guide us, uphold us and keep us in the true faith until You come again in glory to receive us to Yourself. Amen.

Editorial on 05/24/2017