Fifth Sunday of Easter (1891)

John 16:5-15 The time of Easter is past; the time of Pentecost dawns. So therefore we should not, in order to devote ourselves to the Holy Spirit and to remember His good deeds, turn our attention away from the Crucified and Risen One. The Prince of Life Who was put to death shines all the more glorious in light of the day of Pentecost. The Office of the Holy Spirit, a glorification of Jesus Christ. To see this we consider 1. the reason for His office of comfort, a. if Christ would not have gone through suffering and death in obedience unto death to the Father, then there would be no office of comfort of the Holy Spirit. There would be absolutely no consolation for us miserable sinners, but vain sorrow and sadness1, b. but through Christ's going away to the Father there is now consolation against sin and death, and the fact that the Holy Spirit, sent by Christ as the Comforter and Advocate of the poor sinner, carries out His office, therefore Jesus work of salvation is glorified, from which the Holy Spirit's office of comfort is established2, 2. the purpose of His office of punishment, a. the world will certainly know nothing about Christ, His righteousness, and the glorious freedom of God's children, it is self-righteous or nefarious in sin, it holds with her prince and master, to the devil, to dishonor Jesus Christ3, b. but so that the world may become convinced that the proper chief sin that, after Christ has gone to the Father, condemns the sinner, is unbelief, that the righteousness which avails before God, that is purchased righteousness by Christ's going away, is reckoned to faith, and that the devil's claim to mankind is made obsolete by Christ, and that only those who want to remain with him, the condemned adversary of God and Christ, fall prey to his judgment, in order that Jesus may be glorified, the Holy Spirit now carries out His convincing office of punishment4;

John 16:5-6. John 16:7-8. 3 John 16:9-11. 4 John 16:8-11.

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3. the source of His teaching office, a. all teaching of men in spiritual things, all new doctrine, all alleged special revelations that differ from the teaching of Christ, redound to Christ's dishonor; the doctrines of old and new fanatics, "the pope's teaching and idolatry"; also we Christians indeed should still grow in knowledge as the first disciples should have grown5; but our growth should not flow from the sources of new doctrine; never should a new religion be set up on earth next to or against Christianity, but b. what we should learn, that we should teach the Spirit of Truth, and He teaches nothing new. He draws again and again from the inexhaustible source of Truth, Jesus Christ, where He always exercises His teaching office.6 Even the Father has nothing else that He could still teach to us through the Office of the Spirit; therefore whoever brings any one doctrine and issues for divine doctrine that which would not be the doctrine of Christ Jesus is a false prophet, because the Father and the Holy Spirit has taught us nothing else that what is the Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, to Whom be honor and praise forever! A.G.

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John 16:12. John 16:13-14.