On the evening before the day He would pay the penalty for all the sins of mankind by His death on the cross, Jesus told His followers what would happen to Him. He explained what He was going to do for them—and us—in the future.

After Jesus observed the Passover—which Christians are still to observe as an annual memorial of His death—He told His disciples that He would answer their prayers asked in His name. Jesus also reminded them to show their love for Him by keeping His commandments (John 14:13-15).

Jesus then made this astounding promise: "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you" (verses 16-17, New American Bible).

Many translations use the pronouns "He" and "Him" in reference to the Holy Spirit in these verses, but this is an error in translation. The flaw springs from the mistaken idea that the Holy Spirit is the third person in the Godhead. The doctrine of the Trinity, which describes this common belief, is nowhere found in the Bible.

Instead, the Bible reveals the Holy Spirit to be the "power" of God (Luke 1:35; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; Romans 15:13)—as well as His life force through which He imparts life to others, His mind and His very essence (compare John 5:26; 6:63; Romans 8:27; 1 Corinthians 2:16; John 4:24). For more information on the fallacy of the Trinity and what Scripture reveals about God's true nature, see the booklet offered at the end.

An advocate is a helper or comforter. While on earth, Jesus was an advocate for His disciples. Various translations of the Bible also use the terms "Helper" and "Comforter" to describe this additional Advocate—the "Holy Spirit" (John 14:26)—that was going to come from God and reside in Christians.

What's so important about having the Holy Spirit?

The Bible reveals several important benefits that come to us if we have the Holy Spirit. These benefits include:

• Understanding God's truth. Jesus called the Holy Spirit "the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17) and added that it would teach us all things (verse 26).

• Being identified as Christians. Although well-intentioned people throughout the centuries have come up with various humanly-devised checklists to determine who is a Christian, the Bible says that having the Holy Spirit within us is what identifies us as "children of God" (Romans 8:14-16).

• The promise of eternal life. Romans 8:11 says, "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you" (New Revised Standard Version).

How can we receive the Holy Spirit?

During another of God's annual festivals—the Day of Pentecost—Jesus' disciples, who had been waiting in Jerusalem as He had commanded, received the Holy Spirit in a miraculous way (Acts 2:1-4). Peter then explained how others could also receive it:

"Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call'" (Acts 2:38-39).

For more information about the Holy Spirit and how you can receive it, download or request our free booklets Who Is God? and The Road to Eternal Life and Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion. VT