John Calvin Commentary John 16:14

"He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall declare [it] unto you." — John 16:14 (ASV)

He will glorify me. Christ now reminds them that the Spirit will not come to erect any new kingdom, but rather to confirm the glory which has been given to him by the Father. For many foolishly imagine that Christ taught only to lay down the first lessons, and then to send the disciples to a higher school. In this way they make the Gospel of no greater value than the Law, of which it is said that it was a schoolmaster of the ancient people (Galatians 3:24).

This error is followed by another equally intolerable: that, having said farewell to Christ, as if his reign were terminated and he were now nothing at all, they substitute the Spirit in his place. From this source the sacrileges of Popery and Mahometanism have flowed. For, though those two Antichrists differ from each other in many respects, they still agree in holding a common principle: that in the Gospel we receive the earliest instructions to lead us into the right faith, but that we must seek elsewhere the perfection of doctrine to complete the course of our education. If Scripture is quoted against the Pope, he maintains that we should not confine ourselves to it, because the Spirit has come and has carried us above Scripture by many additions. Muhammad asserts that, without his Quran, men always remain children.

Thus, by a false pretense of the Spirit, the world was bewitched to depart from the simple purity of Christ; for, as soon as the Spirit is separated from the word of Christ, the door is open to all kinds of delusions and impostures. A similar method of deceiving has been attempted in the present age by many fanatics. The written doctrine appeared to them to be literal, and therefore they chose to contrive a new theology that would consist of revelations.

We now see that the information given by Christ, that he would be glorified by the Spirit whom he would send, is far from being superfluous. For it was intended to inform us that the office of the Holy Spirit was nothing other than to establish the kingdom of Christ, and to maintain and confirm forever all that was given him by the Father. Why then does he speak of the Spirit’s teaching? Not to withdraw us from the school of Christ, but rather to ratify that word by which we are commanded to listen to him; otherwise he would diminish the glory of Christ. The reason is added, Christ says:

For he will take of what is mine. By these words he means that we receive the Spirit so that we may enjoy Christ’s blessings. For what does he bestow on us? That we may be washed by the blood of Christ, that sin may be blotted out in us by his death, that our old man may be crucified (Romans 6:6), that his resurrection may be efficacious in forming us anew to newness of life (Romans 6:4); and, in short, that we may become partakers of his benefits.

Nothing, therefore, is bestowed on us by the Spirit apart from Christ; he takes it from Christ to communicate it to us. We should take the same view of his doctrine, for he does not enlighten us in order to draw us away in the smallest degree from Christ, but to fulfill what Paul says, that Christ is made to us wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30), and likewise to display those treasures which are hidden in Christ (Colossians 2:3). In a word, the Spirit enriches us with no other than the riches of Christ, so that he may display his glory in all things.