Jesus Discourses on Mission of Holy Ghost
John 16:5-6; 5-6. Jesus is going away, going to be with his Father. Already he has told this to the Jews. (John 8:21-23.) Earlier in this same discourse he has spoken of it to the disciples; has answered Peter's query, "Whither goest thou?" by telling where and why; and has invited them all to follow him to the same place. (John 13:33, 36; 14:2-6.) Now it is as though he were gently chiding them for not seeking to know more about his departure.
John 16:5-6; 'Instead of being sorrowful and silent because I said I am going to the Father, why don't you ask me more about it and learn the great gospel truths which are involved.'
John 16:7; 7. Just as Jesus and the Father are so much alike in appearance, and so completely united in doctrine and in all the attributes of godliness, that he who has seen one has in effect seen the other, so there is a similar unity between Jesus and the Holy Ghost. They are one in that they both would say and do the same thing under the same circumstances. Hence, as long as Jesus was with the disciples in person, there was not the full need for them to have the constant companionship of the Spirit that there would be after Jesus left. The disciples had on occasions felt the promptings of the Spirit. Peter, for one, had received a revelation from the Father, given by the power of the Holy Ghost, certifying that Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16.) But the enjoyment of the gift of the Holy Ghost, that is the actual and continuing companionship of that holy being, was yet future.
John 16:7; I will send him unto you] Earlier Jesus had said he would ask the Father to send the Holy Ghost. (John 14:16, 26.) Now he says he will do it himself. Both statements are descriptive of the fact. The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead and as such does the bidding of both the Father and the Son.
John 16:8; 8. Reprove] The Greek word means to prove a person in the wrong, hence to convict.
John 16:9-11; 9-11. These are difficult verses which have come to us in such a condensed and abridged form as to make interpretation difficult. The seeming meaning is: 'When you receive the companionship of the Spirit, so that you speak forth what he reveals to you, then your teachings will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. The world will be convicted of sin for rejecting me, for not believing your Spirit-inspired testimony that I am the Son of God through whom salvation comes. They will be convicted for rejecting your testimony of my righteousness—for supposing I am a blasphemer, a deceiver, and an imposter—when in fact I have gone to my Father, a thing I could not do unless my works were true and righteous altogether. They will be convicted of false judgment for rejecting your testimony against the religions of the day, and for choosing instead to follow Satan, the prince of this world, who himself, with all his religious philosophies, will be judged and found wanting.'
John 16:12; 12. Ye cannot bear them now] The things of God can only be understood by the power of the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:11-16.) Until the disciples received that Spirit, they would not be able to "bear" or understand all the mysteries of the kingdom.
John 16:13; 13. The Spirit of truth] See John 14:17.
John 16:13; He will guide you into all truth] This promise is made to the saints, not to the world. Jesus had just told them that the world could not receive the Holy Ghost, meaning the gift or the companionship of that member of the Godhead. (John 14:17.) Now our Lord is saying that the saints can have that companionship, and through it can come to a knowledge of all things. People outside the Church can and do receive revelation from the Holy Ghost telling them of the divinity of the Lord's work. It is in this way that sincere investigators get to know that the Book of Mormon is true, for instance. And if they, then, come into the Church and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, they have made available to them the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit. Then the promise of Moroni can be fulfilled: "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:4-5.)
John 16:13; Joseph Smith said: "No man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations. The Holy Ghost is a revelator." (Teachings, p. 328.) Also: "A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; that is, those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning [to recognize] the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus." (Teachings, p. 151.)
John 16:13; "I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation." (D&C 8:2-3.)
John 16:13; He shall not speak of himself] The Father knows all things, the Son also. Jesus "received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth," and was "glorified in truth" and knew "all things." (D&C 93:26-28.) As their minister, the Holy Ghost speaks for the Father and the Son, revealing what they know, which is "all things," and "all truth."
John 16:13; He will shew you things to come] "And to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom. Yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know, and things to come will I show them, even the things of many generations. And their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven; and before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the understanding of the prudent shall come to naught. For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will—yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man." (D&C 76:7-10.)
John 16:13; He shall testify of me (John 14:26)] Salvation centers in Christ. The Holy Ghost is Christ's revelator to bear witness of his divine Sonship and of the saving truths of his gospel. "The Holy Ghost," Nephi said, "witnesses of the Father and the Son." (2 Nephi 31:18.) In Abraham's record this third member of the Godhead was called "God the third, the witness or Testator." (Teachings, p. 190.) As a Spirit personage, the Holy Spirit, by laws which are ordained, has power to speak to the spirit within man and to convey truth with absolute certainty. This revealed knowledge becomes a personal testimony to the recipient. By definition a testimony of the gospel is to know by personal revelation from the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ through whom salvation comes; that Joseph Smith is the prophet who revealed anew to the world the saving truths of the gospel; and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on earth.
John 16:14; 14. He shall glorify me] The Father and the Son, through their ministries, as Jesus has just announced, glorify each other. (John 13:31-32; John 14:13.) Now Jesus says the Holy Ghost shall glorify the Son—a thing which comes to pass because men believe the testimony of the Holy Ghost, so live as to gain exaltation, and thereby add dominions and kingdoms to the endless domains of the Father and the Son. See John 13:31-35.
John 16:15; 15. All things that the Father hath are mine] This is true of Christ and of all exalted beings; it is the doctrine of joint-heirship. (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 361-362.) Each person who magnifies his calling in the Melchizedek Priesthood receives this promise: "All that my Father hath shall be given unto him." (D&C 84:38.)