John 16:7 –
But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.
Jesus is talking about the Holy Ghost or the “spirit” that helps us along the way. I cannot say if the Advocate was present before Jesus and just not active in most people lives or not, but I can say it started well before Jesus. One could argue the Advocate was our consciousness of sin, and the sins God wrote on the tablets are inscribed on all people’s hearts. Look at every society and the 10 commandments seem to be the cornerstone in one form or another.
We all “know” them to be true. So in this was one could say the Advocate was always with us. The concept of the Holy Spirit being God is much easier to understand since they both has the same “attributes” only the Holy Spirit is our personal interface to God. Think of the Advocate as the USB ports to God, you plug in and gain access to the power of that computer, where alone you are just a standalone device.
Now before you try to dismiss the Holy Spirit do you remember a time in your life when a “odd” thought came in your mind or you were overwhelmed by emotion for no apparent reason? Welcome to the Holy Spirit working in your life. The Advocate has also been described as you conscience, which everyone seems to have. Even at a young age guilt was present, even before the knowledge of God.
God works in our lives and if we give God three names or one He IS. We just have to understand and believe in His purpose in order to tap into His vast resources. Many say if He is one of three what is the difference in believing in Jesus or not. Well, Jesus is God personified so we could see Him and have a firsthand account. If you believe in the Holy Spirit and God yet dismiss Jesus, you are dismissing 1/3 of God’s being and therefore do not fully embrace God for who He IS. Can you find salvation outside Jesus? If you believe God walked this earth in the form of Jesus and therefore we must believe what Jesus said, so the answer is NO.