John Calvin Commentary John 16:1

"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be caused to stumble." — John 16:1 (ASV)

These things I have spoken to you. He again states that none of the things He has spoken are superfluous; for since wars and conflicts await them, they must be provided beforehand with the necessary weapons. Yet He also means that if they meditate deeply on this doctrine, they will be fully prepared to resist.

Let us remember that what He then said to the disciples is also spoken to us. And, first, we should understand that Christ does not send His followers into the field unarmed, and therefore, if anyone fails in this warfare, their own laziness alone is to blame.

And yet we should not wait until the struggle actually begins, but should rather strive to become well acquainted with these teachings of Christ, and to make them familiar to our minds, so that we may march into the field of battle as soon as it is necessary; for we must not doubt that the victory is in our hands, as long as those admonitions of Christ are deeply imprinted on our minds.

For, when He says THAT YOU MAY NOT be offended, He means that there is no danger that anything will turn us aside from the right course.

But how few there are who learn this doctrine properly is evident from the fact that those who think they know it by heart when they are beyond arrow-shot, are no sooner obliged to enter into actual combat than they give way, as if they were completely ignorant and had never received any instruction. Let us, therefore, accustom ourselves to use this armor in such a way that it may never drop from our hands.