Who Is The Holy Spirit

Who Is The Holy Spirit

No question, the Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood person of the Trinity. 

As a child, I would try to imagine what the Spirit was like.

But because I could not draw him on a piece of paper, I was at a loss.

As a teenager, I began to sense his mysterious presence during worship or times of prayer. But still, my understanding and experience of the Holy Spirit needed some expansion. 

While those sort of things can certainly be markers of the Spirit’s activity, we must be careful to not limit the Holy Spirit to a particular feeling. 

The Scriptures teach us that the Spirit of God is much more than a mystical presence. And he is certainly far bigger than something we could draw on a piece of paper. The Holy Spirit is one of the three members of the godhead being God himself.

Take a look at this brief synopsis of the person of the Holy Spirit:  

The Spirit acts as a person.

  ● He speaks (2 Sam. 23:2; Acts 1:16, 28:25)

  ● He Spirit appoints (Acts 20:28)

  ● He Spirit commands (Acts 8:29, 10:19-20, 13:2, 16:6-7)

  ● The Spirit wills (1 Cor. 12:11)

The Spirt possesses sensibility as a person.

  ● He can be grieved (Eph. 4:30)

  ● He can be resisted (Acts 7:51)

  ● He can be lied to (Acts 5:3)

  ● He has an intellect (1 Cor. 2:10-11)

  ● He has emotions (Eph. 4:30)

  ● He has a will (1 Cor. 12:11)

The Spirit is referred to with a pronoun.

  ● “Him,” “he” (John 14:17) 

  The Holy Spirit is God

  ● He is expressly referred to as God (Is. 61:1)  

  ● He is equal with the Father and the Son (1 Cor. 12:4-6) 

  ● He possesses divine attributes. 

  ● He is eternal (Heb. 9:14) 

  ● He is everywhere present (1 Cor. 2:10)

  ● He is all-powerful (Lk. 1:35) 

  ● He is all-knowing (Ps. 139:7-10) 

 The Spirit has several different titles.

  ● Major Titles

  ● The Spirit (1 Jn. 3:24)  

  ● The Spirit of God (Eph. 4:30) 

  ● (from the Father, Jn. 15:26) 

  ● The Spirit of the Christ (Rom. 8:9)  

  ● (from the Son, Jn. 16:7)

  ● Various Titles 

  ● Comforter (Paraclete) (Jn. 14:16) 

  ● The Spirit of Grace (Heb. 10:29)

  ● The Spirit of Life (Rom. 8:2) 

  ● The Spirit of Adoption (Rom. 8:15) 

  ● The Spirit of Holiness (Rom. 1:4) 

  ● The Spirit of Truth (Jn. 16:13)  

  ● The Spirit of Glory (1Pet. 4:14) 

Some people have understandably remarked that in many ways, the church tends to worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Bible.

But, as you can see, the Holy Spirit plays a much larger role than simply pricking your conscience or giving you chills during a worship service. 

The Holy Spirit was at the beginning of creation hovering over the waters (Gen. 1:2); he overshadowed the Virgin Mary (Lk. 1:35), and he cries out through the Church for the second coming of Jesus to make all things new (Rev. 22:17). 

In Closing,

It is vital that we emphasize the personhood of the Holy Spirit. To view him as anything less than God—one of the persons of the Trinity alongside the Father and the Son—would be an error in worship. 

If you would like to learn about the gifts of the spirit, read this next.