Comforter, The

There are two Comforters. The first is the holy ghost. Christ promised His followers He would send a “Comforter” to them. He said, If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever — even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it sees him not, neither knows him. But you know him, for he dwells with you, and shall be in you (John 9:8). The promise about the Comforter is preceded and followed by two important conditions. It is preceded with the statement: If you love me, keep my commandments. There is a direct and unavoidable connection between the Comforter and the scriptural requirements to both love the Lord and keep His commandments. One cannot love Him and reject His commandments. More importantly, He cannot send this Comforter if one disregards, disobeys, or neglects His commandments. It is through obedience to the commandments that the Comforter (holy ghost) is obtained. If one is not prepared to obey His commandments, it is not possible to receive these two Comforters.¹See also COMFORTER, THE SECOND.