“But when the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth—he will testify all about me.”
John 15:26 (NLT)
Jesus has just warned His disciples that hatred, rejection, and persecution are coming. He tells them plainly that the world will treat them the same way it treated Him. Then comes the turning point—the big but. But I will send you the Advocate.This is not an escape clause or a consolation prize. It is the provision that makes endurance possible.
Jesus explains that the Holy Spirit will testify about Him. This goes beyond teaching information. Teaching can remain conceptual, but testimony provides evidence. The Spirit of Truth would make Jesus real to each disciple personally and individually. Not just known—but known deeply. That kind of testimony transforms belief into conviction.
Then Jesus tells the disciples that they must testify too, because they have been with Him from the beginning. They were eyewitnesses. They heard His words, saw His works, and lived His ministry. Some would later write Scripture. Others would plant churches. But none of that could happen unless the Holy Spirit first testified within them.
Every disciple abandoned Jesus at the cross. Yet after Pentecost, everything changed. With the Advocate, they clung to their faith and fully committed without Jesus physically present. This is why Jesus said He told them these things so they would not abandon their faith. We cannot endure persecution in our own strength. We endure because the Advocate stands with us—making Jesus real, strengthening our faith, and empowering us to testify when we have been with Him personally.