Called Alongside

A Word From The Word

By its very nature the gospel is relational—the relationship between God and His creation: Humanity. Throughout scripture there are indications of how important this is to us—and to God Himself. My favorite of these words is found throughout the New Testament. It is translated “help”, “comfort”, “encouragement”, “exhortation” among other words. The two most important examples of it are found in John 14:16 and 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.

In John, Jesus is in the middle of what we call the farewell discourse—His last group teaching to His disciples before the events of the last supper and subsequent arrest. Jesus tells his followers:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. (John 14:16, NIV, emphasis mine.) In this passage, Jesus uses the noun parakletos—one called alongside—as the description for the Holy Spirit. He is called to be alongside them—and us. The different translations of this term into English give a window into the richness of the meaning of the word: helper, counselor, comforter, encourager among others. All things someone who is called alongside another does! The word isn’t limited to a specific task but is a reflection of what the Holy Spirit does as He is stands with us.

In his introduction to his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul uses both the noun (paraklesis) and verb (parakaleo) forms of this word a total of ten times in five verses.  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7, NIV, emphasis mine. In vs. 4, the NIV translates “are comforted” with “received” in an attempt to make it sound less awkward.)

The clear message of the Holy Spirit is that, just as He is called to stand by us comforting, encouraging, counseling, and generally being there for us, we are called to do the same for and with one another. A willingness to stand by each other providing whatever is needed—even if it is simply to be there—is key to living out the gospel.

So, know that you are not alone—whether there are people with you or not, if you belong to Jesus you have the Holy Spirit with you providing what you need (not necessarily what you want!). Because of this, we are motivated to do the same for one another—to be with one another just as He is with us, providing whatever we can, even if it is just being with the other. We need to practice both the awareness of the Holy Spirit’s presence, and the appropriate response to His presence—being present for one another.

I hope understanding this word and the importance the Holy Spirit gives it in scripture helps you as you follow the King. If so, let others know about this blog and feel free to share it. Look over the resources provided by The Essential Faith Project and let others know about them. Above all, Know Jesus and Be Faithful!