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Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit can seem mysterious, especially because there are many misconceptions about Him. For some, the Spirit is a mystical force or an impersonal power. But as good as Star Wars is, the Holy Spirit is not “the force.” Even for Christians, the Holy Spirit can be somewhat foreign and misunderstood. Simply put, the Holy Spirit is God. He is one of the three persons in the Trinity. The Trinity refers to the personhood of God, which includes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To understand the Spirit, we must look at the Spirit as God, the Spirit as a person, and the works of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is God

It is important to first see that the Holy Spirit is God, one of the three persons of the Trinity. Although the term “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, Scripture is clear that there is one God and that God exists eternally in three persons. We can see in the following ways that the Holy Spirit is God and equal to both the Father and the Son:

• The Holy Spirit is interchangeable with God (Acts 5:3, 4:1, 1 Cor. 3:16-17).
• The Spirit also possesses attributes of Godlike omniscience (1 Cor. 2:10-11), power (Luke 1:35; Romans 15:19), regeneration (John 3:5-8, 16:8-11), and is eternal (Hebrews 9:14).
• The Holy Spirit also does the work of God in Creation (Gen 1:2, Job 26:13), resurrection (Romans 11:8), helping to write Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21), and is equal to the Father and the Son (Matt 28:19; 2nd Cor. 13:14; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; 1 Pet. 1:2).

The Person of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is also a person. The Spirit is not just some mysterious, impersonal force. Like all three persons in the Trinity, the Spirit has attributes of a person. Some of the Spirit’s personal attributes include:

• Being a comforter (John 16:13, 14:6).
  
• He brings glory to the Father and the Son (John 16:14).
  
• He works with humanity (Acts 15:28).
  
• He has intelligence and knowledge (John 14:26), has a will (1 Cor. 12:11), and emotions.
  
• The Spirit can be lied to (Acts 5:3-4), grieved (Eph. 4:30), quenched (1 Thess. 5:19), resisted (Acts 7:51), and blasphemed (Matt. 12:31).
  

The Work of the Holy Spirit

Just like a person, the Holy Spirit also works. He is active and involved in the world from creation and through today. The work of the Spirit includes convicting (John 16:8-11), regenerating (John 3:3), baptizing (Acts 1:5), empowering (John 14:12), and indwelling (John 14:16-17). He also illuminates (John 16:13-14), teaches (John 15:26), intercedes (Romans 8:26-27), sanctifies (Romans 8:1-9), fills (Eph. 5:18; Acts 5:3, 13:52), leads (Romans 8:14), confirms (Romans 8:15-17), and enlivens (Gal. 5:22).

In the Life of a Christian

Along with the work above, the Holy Spirit also works in believers to give us gifts (Eph. 4, Romans 12,1 Peter 4, 1 Cor. 12). These gifts vary, and Scripture gives us lists of some of the gifts, including teaching, giving, helping, exhorting, etc. No matter what your gift is, it is useful and necessary and you should seek out ways to use it in the Church and in the world. God has a plan for your life, and the more you follow Him, the more the Holy Spirit will work through you.

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