The Holy Spirit
His name
The Holy Spirit is often called the Spirit of God or just the Spirit. Sometimes He is referred to as “the Spirit of your Father,” (Matthew 10:20) or “the Spirit of Christ” (Romans 8:9) as a way of showing His relationship with the God the Father and God the Son. He is also referred to as “the Spirit of …” followed by one of His attributes. For example, He is called “the Spirit of truth” (John 15:26) or “the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph 1:13).
The Holy Spirit is a Person, not a force.
In the Word of Truth, the name “the Spirit of God” does not describe a force. The “Spirit of God” is the name of a divine person. We know He is a person because He has the characteristics of a person. He has an intellect (1 Corinthians 2:11). He makes choices (1 Corinthians 12:11). He experiences emotion (Ephesians 4:30). We are not saying that the Holy Spirit is a human being. He is a divine being with all the characteristics of personhood. Hebrews 10:29 even warns against insulting Him. If He were only a force, He could not be insulted.
The Holy Spirit is Divine, not an angel or human being.
The Word of Truth also teaches us that the Spirit of God is deity. Therefore, He is not an angel or a human being. We can see this from the fact that He has the characteristics of deity. He knows all things (1 Corinthians 2:11). He is everywhere (Psalm 139:7,8). He has all power because He is the Creator (Genesis 1:2). Hebrews 9:14 calls Him “the eternal Spirit.” Only God is eternal. The Spirit gives us life (John 6:63). All these characteristics tell us that the Spirit of God is deity, not any kind of lesser being. Finally, most clearly, the Holy Spirit is called God in Acts 5:3-4.
The Holy Spirit is not Jesus, God the Son.
The Holy Spirit is Equal to God the Son
We must understand that the Holy Spirit is a Person and truly God is important. However, we must also understand that the Spirit of God is not Jesus. In the Word of Truth, they are listed together as equals, but they are listed separately. For example, 2 Corinthians 13:14 ESV, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Another example is Matthew 28:19 ESV, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” The Spirit of God and Jesus are not the same person. This is shown by their separate identities even though both are God.
The Spirit of God and Jesus appear together. This clearly shows they are not the same person. For example, if you can picture this in your mind: At the baptism of Jesus, Jesus comes up out of the water. As He is coming up, the Spirit of God comes down from heaven like a dove and lands on Jesus! Then, God the Father speaks from heaven. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (see Matthew 3:16-17).
The Spirit helped Jesus in His earthly ministry. This shows they are distinct from one another. The Spirit made it possible for Mary to conceive Jesus (Matthew 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35). Jesus was led by the Spirit of God (Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1). Jesus was empowered by the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:18; 12:28 Luke 4:14,18). The Holy Spirit testified that Jesus was the Messiah (Mark 1:10; Luke 2:26-27). Jesus warned that those people who rejected the Spirit’s testimony concerning Jesus would never be forgiven (Matt 12:22–32). When He was crucified, Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice to God through the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 9:14). The Holy Spirit also raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 1:4; 1 Peter 3:18).
You might wonder why Jesus would need the Spirit’s help if Jesus is God in human form. That’s a good question. I think that Jesus lived a life of obedience to God in dependence on God’s Spirit as an example to us. Christ’s own deity shines through many places in the story of His life. However, He lived life in dependence on God since He was the perfect man.
Summary
The Holy Spirit is truly a person, not a force. This is proved by Him having attributes of person, such as an intellect, a will, and emotions.
The Holy Spirit is truly God, not an angel or a human being. He does the things that only God does, like giving life, or creation. He has the characteristics of God. He knows all things, and He is everywhere.
We must also understand that the Spirit of God is not the same person as Jesus, the Son of God. This is shown by them being mentioned separately in the same passages, and by the work that the Holy Spirit did in Christ’s ministry.
The Holy Spirit’s work in people today
Zechariah 12:10 calls the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of Grace” because He turns the hearts of people to God. Understanding God’s word enough to believe in Jesus takes time and thought. However, the Spirit will help you understand God’s word (John 14:26) so that you can trust in Jesus as God’s Son. Trough God’s word, the Spirit of God will tell you plainly about yourself as well. He will make it clear to you that the weight of your sins rests on you unless you believe in Jesus (John 16:8-9).
The Holy Spirit also helps those who believe in Jesus. He gives us who believe a new nature (John 3:3–8). He identifies us with the person and work of Christ (Romans 6). He makes us part of a new eternal community (1CO 12:13). The Holy Spirit lives in each believer (Romans 8:9). So, He is always with believers to give strength (2 Timothy 1:7), boldness (Acts 4:31) and guidance (Romans 8:14). In times of persecution, the Holy Spirit gives followers of Jesus the power to rejoice (Acts 13:50–52). He also gives persecuted believers wisdom when they are interrogated (Matthew 10:17–20).