The Holy Spirit is a Divine Person
Oftentimes, misconceptions arise regarding the Holy Spirit’s relation to the Father and the Son. Subconsciously, I have at times not considered the Holy Spirit an equal person in the Trinity. This wrong thinking could not be any further from the truth. I fear the reason for this misconception (at least in my case) is a lack of understanding regarding the roles of the Father, Son, and Spirit. The Father and Son are easily relatable to me in that they are clearly personal beings. God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. What about the Holy Spirit though? Is it some sort of mysterious force of nature? An emotional feeling? Or is He an actual Divine Person?
The orthodox truth which Christians affirm regarding God is that there is but one God (Duet. 6:4) and He is manifest in three distinct persons. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. Each person in the Godhead is co-equal and co-eternal. We call this the Holy Trinity. Although the roles are different within the Trinity, there is not a distinction of worth, power or glory within the Godhead.
The word "spirit" comes from the Greek word pneuma which means breath or wind and also connotes having rational thought. This definition is likely where some wrong ideas about the nature of the Holy Spirit can arise. Is the Holy Spirit an "it”? Are we talking about an abstract “team spirit” or some sort of mystical force of nature? God's Word, which was divinely breathed out by the Holy Spirit, tells a different story, a story that should bring much comfort and clarity to God's people and cause us to better worship the Triune God as a whole and the Holy Spirit in particular.
When Jesus was talking with His disciples before He was to be crucified, He stated that after He left them, He would send them a Comforter, the Spirit of truth, HE shall testify of me (John 15:26). He would go on to say about the "Spirit of truth," that "HE would guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). Notice Jesus does not refer to the Holy Spirit, as an "it," but as "He," a person.
In what is commonly known as the Great Commission, Jesus commands that baptism is to be done in the "name (singular) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matt. 28:19). Notice the Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit) is included in this sacred act of worship along with the Father and the Son.
In 2 Corinthians 13:14 when the Apostle Paul is giving his final benediction, he includes the "communion of the Holy Ghost." The word communion is the same word as fellowship. It is impossible to have real fellowship with an impersonal force. Real fellowship happens with an actual person.
In the sobering account of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-6), we see that this couple lied about how much money they would give to the church from their land that they had sold. They decided to keep some of the money for themselves, and Peter told them that they had lied to the Holy Ghost. He would go on to say they had lied to God, confirming yet again the Deity of the Holy Spirit. Just to reaffirm the point that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, one cannot lie to an "it," but to a living person.
The Holy Spirit as Creator
As Christians, we affirm the reality of Scripture that God created the world in six literal twenty-four hour days. The world did not evolve out of nothing over millions of years and become what it is today, as many wrongly believe. In affirming the truth of Creation and affirming the Triune nature of God, Scripture makes clear that the Holy Spirit played a role in the Godhead as Creator. We are told in the second verse of the Bible that the Spirit of God "moved upon the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2). Job beautifully declares that "by His spirit He (God) hath garnished (adorned or made beautiful) the heavens" (26:13). Later when speaking to Job, Elihu says, "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life" (33:4). The Genesis account of the creation of male and female would seem to affirm Elihu's statement when God said, "Let us make man in our image..." (1:26), showing that creation was a Triune work. Again, a mysterious force could not create everything out of nothing; this miracle had to be done by a personal God. The Holy Spirit is a person!
The Holy Spirit Has a Mind and Emotions
In 1 Corinthians 2:9-11 Paul speaks of the incomprehensible blessings that God has prepared for the child of God. Paul would say that no mere man could comprehend these things except that the Spirit reveals them to man. Paul would continue by saying the "things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." Therefore, not only does the Holy Spirit have a mind, but He has a perfectly all-knowing (or omniscient) mind.
In Ephesians 4:29-30 we see that the Holy Spirit displays his personhood in that He is grieved when his children are speaking and doing things that are contrary to His will.
We see further evidence of the Holy Spirit's mind and emotions in that he loves (Rom. 15:30), He intercedes for his children (Rom. 8:26-27), He comforts (John 14:16), guides (John 16:13) and convicts His children (John 16:8-11). Knowing these truths about the Holy Spirit should be cause for great confidence and comfort for the believer. The Holy Spirit does not leave you, child of God, after He has indwelt your soul. He is actively involved in the details of your life.
The Holy Spirit Speaks
Finally, it is imperative to remember that the Holy Spirit authored the Scriptures. Peter states, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Pet. 1:20-21). The Holy Scriptures are authored by forty human instruments, over a period of around 1,500 years, using three different languages and a host of different writing styles, but declaring one unified message. The message: how Jesus Christ stepped into history to redeem His people; how God will restore His perfect creation, now marred by sin, but in His perfect timing will be made new. This unified message can only be possible because the Holy Spirit is the ultimate Author and He is God. He is totally sovereign over all things, perfectly wise, and His Word is worthy of your total trust. He points us to Jesus Christ through His Word and gives us wisdom for daily living. As Paul told Timothy, the God- breathed Scriptures are “profitable for doctrine, for rebuke, for instruction in righteousness” for the purpose that we may be mature and equipped for good works (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Holy Spirit gave us His Word for the glory of Christ and for our spiritual growth. Psalm 119:89 confidently proclaims, "For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." That means His Word is fixed, unalterable, pure and is meant to transform and shape lives.
Our Response to the Holy Spirit
From everything that we have learned about who the Holy Spirit is, what then is our response? If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, this means the Holy Spirit has taken up permanent residence in you (Rom. 8:9), and you belong to Him, not yourself. Because of our belonging to Him, we are called to glorify Him with our body and mind (I Cor. 6:19-20). The Godhead is to be worshipped equally and fully. May the words of this simple chorus of consume our lives, “praise the Father, praise the Son, praise the Spirit, Three in One.”
Nathan Guess is an elder at Grace Chapel Primitive Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.