Who is the Holy Spirit? Is the Holy Spirit God?
You lie on the beach and a warm breeze warms your body. It feels so utterly relaxing. All cares in the world disappear from your mind. Have you ever felt like that?
The work of the Holy Spirit is compared to a refreshing breeze in the Bible.
So is the Holy Spirit God? In this study we will explore Biblical information about the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
Absolutely!
Notice how in the following texts the Holy Spirit is addressed with the personal pronoun “He.” In the original language, Greek, Holy Spirit is neuter, but the masculine pronoun “He” is used, instead of the neuter “it.” This gender disagreement is deliberate and is probably intended to underline the fact that the Spirit is a person.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26).
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me” (John 15:26).
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:13).
Clarification. Some observe that since in the original Greek the word “Helper” is masculine, the pronoun “He” refers to Helper and not to Spirit, and therefore it is no indication of person-hood.
This is not true. In both John 14:26 and 15:26, the pronoun “He” follows the noun Spirit, more so than the noun “Helper.” In John 16:13 the noun “Helper” does not even appear. So, we conclude that the masculine pronoun “He,” though it can refer to “Helper,” primarily refers to “Spirit” highlighting that the Spirit is a person.
Absolutely!
“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11).
1 Corinthians 12 is about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In verse 11 we read that the Spirit distributes these gifts “as He wills.” In other words, the Holy Spirit analyses the needs of congregations and individuals and grants gifts according to how He knows will be best for believers.
Such an ability can only come from a person, not an impersonal force.
Absolutely!
“Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go near and overtake this chariot’” (Acts 8:29).
The fact that the Holy Spirit can speak indicates He is a person.
Yes.
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
Only a personal being can be grieved. The Holy Spirit has reasoning powers and emotions and therefore is grieved when He sees wrong things.
Absolutely!
“For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things” (Acts 15:28).
The early church was facing a challenge on how to deal with believers from a Gentile background who were not circumcised. In the council that ensued the Holy Spirit directed the leaders of the church how to deal with this. Only a personal being can analyse, think, and offer a solution to a problem.
Absolutely!
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).
Such is His love for us that He intercedes on our behalf very intensely! Only a personal being with feelings and understandings could do something like that.
Absolutely!
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26).
Only a personal intelligent being can teach because teaching requires discernment and logical abilities.
So, is the Holy Spirit God?
Absolutely!
All believers accept the divinity of the Father, and we studied in the previous study about the divinity of Jesus, but what about the Spirit? The Holy Spirit is truly God too.
“But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit… You have not lied to men but to God’” (Acts 5:3-4).
Here, lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God.
Absolutely!
“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11).
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).
To be able to distribute gifts to every believer or to understand at every moment the needs of all believers indicates that He is omnipresent, because believers are scattered all over the world!
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:31-32).
In this text blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is weightier than blasphemy against the Son of Man!
NOTE: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit means to consciously, repeatedly, and over a prolonged period of time, reject His call to repentance.
“And the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years’” (Genesis 6:3).
This text is about the antediluvians, a most sinful generation. And yet the Holy Spirit continued to strive with them for another 120 years. But when the years were completed and the Spirit was removed, they were left to their doom.
Absolutely! We first meet the Holy Spirit at Creation:
“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).
And we meet the Holy Spirit in the last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22:
“And the Spirit and the bride say ‘Come’” (Revelation 22:17).
Notice how the Holy Spirit is with the bride. The bride represents God’s people. The Holy Spirit is with God’s people always.
We will deal with this topic at more depth in a subsequent study. Suffice it here to say that His focus is to work with every human being on earth. He is the One who calls unbelievers to repentance. And when a person believes, the Holy Spirit lives in the person and will guide him/her in the path of sanctification.
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).
So, is the Holy Spirit God?
The Holy Spirit is a personal being. And yes, He is God. He is the One who drew me to Jesus and who encourages me along the path of faith.
Father never withdraw Your Spirit from me, but guide me safely into your kingdom.
Home: Adventist Beliefs: Is the Holy Spirit God