John 16 - CSB Study Bible for Women

16:5-23 In this final section, Jesus returned to the subject of His departure. He began by further discussing the work of the Holy Spirit. Unless Jesus left, the Spirit would not come to them. The phrase sorrow has filled your heart (v. 6) suggests a lingering spirit of gloom and doom among the disciples, who still did not understand what would happen when Jesus departed and the Holy Spirit moved into their hearts (v. 7). The Holy Spirit will convict the world (v. 8):

• about sin, namely, its ultimate manifestation, which is an individual’s unbelief and the failure to place his trust in Christ (v. 9);

• about righteousness because Christ has returned to the Father, having conquered sin and death through His resurrection (v. 10); and

• about judgment, because the ruler of this world [the devil] has been judged in the cross and resurrection (v. 11). The Holy Spirit convicts of sins committed, righteousness forfeited, and judgment coming.

The Spirit’s assignment to guide you into all the truth certainly applied to the writing of the NT documents, but the Spirit’s guidance is not limited to the canon of Scripture (v. 13). God has not inspired subsequent revelation of the kind He has provided in Scripture, but the Spirit who inspired these writings is available to enable believers to understand the Scriptures and see their application in the believer’s life.

16:16-24 Also in this section Jesus reminded His disciples that their grief would turn to joy (v. 20). His departure would bring the coming of the Holy Spirit. His resurrection would turn their sorrow into joy (v. 22). The vivid analogy of a woman’s experience in childbirth strikes a familiar chord and is not a new image within Scripture.