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As I was reading Bible of John I came by these verses:

John 16:7-8: "But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment."

As Jesus has gone so the second factor that an advocate will come should also take place. Who can be the advocate?

And

John 16:13-14: "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. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you."

The Spirit of truth will come according to Jesus so who could be that Spirit of truth? Thanks in anticipation.

EDIT: MUST READ If you say that it was the Holy Spirit then why pronoun "HE" is used instead of "IT". And in Bible of John it is stated:

John 14:16 "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever--"

Here it is cleared that "another advocate". If advocate means Holy Spirit then this verse shows that we today have another Holy Spirit while in time of Jesus it was other Holy Spirit? Then there comes two Holy Spirits and Trinity becomes Quadrinity(One God in four: Father, son, Holy Spirit at time of Jesus, Holy Spirit at our times)

Does Holy Spirit talk as Jesus said "He will not speak on his own but only what he hears"?

Rehan Ullah
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  • 1 Cor. 15:45 - So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam [Christ] became a life-giving spirit. – pehkay Aug 12 '15 at 09:05
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    Almost all Christians interpret these verses as referring to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity. – curiousdannii Aug 12 '15 at 09:11
  • @bruisedreed I edited the question. – Rehan Ullah Aug 12 '15 at 10:41
  • @curiousdannii I edited it and now look and help must. – Rehan Ullah Aug 12 '15 at 10:42
  • @RehanUllah It would be better to ask those questions separately, however they too may have been asked before. – curiousdannii Aug 12 '15 at 10:43
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    Is the gender of the Holy Spirit, feminine or masculine? – curiousdannii Aug 12 '15 at 10:44
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    The Holy Spirit clearly existed long before Jesus came. Jesus himself was said to be "filled with the Holy Spirit". No second or different Holy Spirit is in view here, but the Holy Spirit was to have a closer relationship with believers in the future. – Bit Chaser Aug 12 '15 at 11:11
  • @disciple Then why the word "another" is used. He could say that "I will ask from God this Advocate to be more closer to you than it is now." Why did he say another advocate. You are disciple, right? If you are present with me along my friends and I say I am going to bring another disciple then it doesn't mean you. If I meant you I would say I am going to bring disciple closer to you. Am I right? – Rehan Ullah Aug 12 '15 at 11:36
  • @RehanUllah That would be a good question to ask at [hermeneutics.se]! – curiousdannii Aug 12 '15 at 11:58
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    @RehanUllah The text says another "comfortor", not another Holy Spirit, and I don't see the two as synonymous. Presumably Jesus was a "comfortor" to them, and the comfortor He would send was the Holy Spirit. I agree this would make a good Hermaneutics question. – Bit Chaser Aug 12 '15 at 12:05
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    @disciple I am a bit confused. It is written advocate not comforter. A person above said that advocate or comforter means Holy Spirit. Same is the view of approximately all christians. And you say that the advocate is not a Holy Spirit!!! Then what is it? Then you say that the advocate would be Holy Spirit which was to be sent by Jesus? You are going round and round and round!!! – Rehan Ullah Aug 12 '15 at 12:36
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    Sorry about the confusion. Some translations have comforter, some advocate. Not a name, but a function. I see Jesus as being an advocate for and comforter to His disciples. When Jesus leaves, He assures them He will send "another" to comfort / advocate for them. Jesus was their first advocate, the Holy Spirit their second. – Bit Chaser Aug 12 '15 at 13:21
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    If you say that it was the Holy Spirit then why pronoun "HE" is used instead of "IT" Because the Holy Spirit is considered a "HE," not an "IT." – Mr. Bultitude Aug 12 '15 at 15:14

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The word translated Advocate here is Paraclete, which is sometimes also translated Comforter. It is virtually universally taken in Christianity to refer to the Holy Spirit. The pronoun "he" is used because the Holy Spirit is a person. (Christian denominations that do not believe the Holy Spirit to be a person - a minority - have other explanations for the use).

The Holy Spirit that Christians have now is the same Holy Spirit that was promised to the disciples. When Jesus talks about "another" advocate, he means "beside himself" (Note that the use of "another" in John 14 occurs before the use of "the advocate" in John 16, so "another" in John 14 cannot mean a second one as well as the one in John 16.)

DJClayworth
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