HoHum:
A children’s Bible School class was learning the Apostles Creed. The teacher gave each child a portion of the creed to memorize and recite the next Sunday. The next Sunday’s class began and the first one recited, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” The second one recited the next section that was quite lengthy, “And in Jesus Christ His only Son Our Lord... He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.” When this second one had completed his part, there was an embarrassing silence. Finally, one child said, “Teacher, the boy who believes in the Holy Spirit isn’t here.”
WBTU:
Who is the Holy Spirit? The bottom line answer is that the Holy Spirit is a Divine person, generally referred to as the 3rd person of the Trinity, distinct from the first and second persons, the Father and the Son.
As difficult as the Trinity is to fully grasp, we accept it on faith. Not much problem on this.
Thesis: Let’s talk about the Holy Spirit as a person, and then talk about the Holy Spirit as a Divine person
For instances:
Holy Spirit Is a Person
The Holy Spirit is a person in the fullest sense of the word. Personal characteristics are displayed by each of the 3 persons of the Trinity, including the Holy Spirit.
The concept of “Spirit”
When beings are called “spirits,” this always shows personhood. All spiritual beings are personal beings.
This is true of human beings, who are comprised of spirit and body. It is true of angelic beings, both good angels and fallen angels. And it is true of God as such: God is spirit in John 4:24. Human beings, angelic beings, and the divine being are all spirit (pneuma), and are all personal beings. There is no such thing as an impersonal being. Not talking about Force.
John 14:16-18, 26. The Greek expression for “another Counselor” is allos parakletos. This description underscores the personhood of the Spirit in 2 ways:
This expression refers to someone who is a person. Translated in various ways as Helper, Comforter, Advocate, NIV- Counselor. The word Counselor is appropriate because in the first century a parakletos was literally a “counselor for the defense,” an advocate in the sense of a defense lawyer. This is a personal concept, just as the term “lawyer” is today. Jesus was promising his disciples that the Spirit would come and stand by their sides and be with them and protect them in their future endeavors for his Kingdom. An impersonal Force will not.
Allos also points to the Spirit’s personhood. Allos means “another of the same kind.” Jesus promised to send another helper of the same kind as himself. Jesus’ promise would have been of little comfort to the apostles if his promised replacement were something less than himself, something less than a person.
Lists of persons
Matthew 28:19- the Great Commission This would not make sense is the Spirit is not person.
Acts 15:28: It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements. The writers of the letter are saying that the decision in view was made by them and by the Holy Spirit. Again, this would not make sense if the Holy Spirit were not a person who can make judgments and decisions, just as the church leaders could.
The NT word for “Spirit” is pneuma. One difficulty is that this noun is neuter. This has lead some to refer to the Holy Spirit as an “it” when talking about the Holy Spirit as a pronoun. This is not correct. On a number of occasions in the NT masculine pronouns are used to refer to the Holy Spirit where we would expect them to be neuter. Grammatically, they should be neuter but the Biblical writers deliberately refer to them as masculine. Read John 16:13-14
The most convincing testimony to the personal nature of the Holy Spirit is the fact that he is pictured over and over in the Bible as doing the kinds of things that persons do.
The Spirit engages in intellectual activity such as thinking and knowing, which is possible only for thinking, rational persons. John 16:8-11. The word for “convict” means to demonstrate or to convince through evidence, which is the activity of a personal being.
The Spirit engages in volitional activity. In other words he uses his will to decide, to choose, and to make authoritative decisions. Acts 15:28: It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.
The Spirit is often described as speaking, as in the act of revelation. He speaks to Philip, to the church at Antioch, to Paul, and to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3.
The Spirit is depicted as a teacher of men. John 14:26: will teach you all things
The Spirit experiences emotions and feelings. Romans 15:30 speaks of the “love of the Spirit.” Ephesians 4:30. Only persons can experience such emotions as love and grief.
The Holy Spirit is a Divine Person
Trinitarian texts
Matthew 28:19- The Great Commission
2 Corinthians 13:14
1 Peter 1:1-2
Divine Characteristics
Hebrews 9:14- the eternal Spirit. Only God is eternal
1 Corinthians 2:10-11- Whoever knows the very thoughts of God must himself be God.
Psalm 139:7-10- No place where we can get away from the Spirit- only God is this way.
We see that he is involved in creation- Genesis 1:2. Only God can create out of nothing.
Zechariah 4:6- Associated with power. God is all powerful.
The Spirit is Called God- Acts 5:1-4
So What?
We should train our minds to think of the Spirit as being a Divine person. Not difficult to think of God the Father as a person, Father is a personal concept. Not difficult to think of God the Son as a person, Jesus Christ was here in the flesh. We must also strive to picture the Spirit who was poured out at Pentecost and who indwells our bodies as a true and living person. We should never refer to the Spirit as “it.”
It is okay to worship the Holy Spirit.
Doxology: Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
By the way, a word about the King James Bible on this. Near the end of the fourteenth century, gost or ghost took on the meaning of “disembodied spirit of a dead person.” Since this is the predominant meaning of “ghost” today, it is misleading and confusing to use “ghost” for pneuma. The term “Holy Spirit” is much better.
Another word of caution: There are no biblical examples for addressing the Holy Spirit directly in praise or in prayer. Some groups praise the Holy Spirit but leave out Jesus Christ, the Son. This goes against what the Holy Spirit does. John 15:26.
Another word of caution: The biblical pattern for prayer seems to be that we should pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus as mediator, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Still not doing it for me. Why have you bored me to tears? Maybe this quote from R.A. Torrey will help us: “It is of the highest importance from the practical standpoint that we decide whether the Holy Spirit is merely some mysterious and wonderful power that we in our weakness and ignorance are somehow to get hold of and use, or whether the Holy Spirit is a real Person, infinitely holy, infinitely wise, infinitely mighty and infinitely tender who is to get hold of and use us. The former conception is utterly heathenish, not essentially different from the thought of the African worshipper who has His god whom he uses. The later conception is Christian. If we think of the Holy Spirit as so many do as merely a power or influence, our constant thought will be, “How can I get more of the Holy Spirit,” but if we think of Him in the Biblical way as a Divine Person, our thought will rather be, “How can the Holy Spirit have more of me?” The conception of the Holy Spirit as a Divine Influence or power that we are somehow to get hold of and use, leads to self exaltation and self sufficiency. One who so thinks of the Holy Spirit and who at the same time imagines that he has received the Holy Spirit will almost inevitably be full of spiritual pride and strut about as if he belonged to some superior order of Christians. But if we once grasp the though that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person of infinite majesty, glory and holiness and power, who in marvelous condescension has come into our hearts to make His abode there and take possession of our lives and make use of them, it will put us in the dust and keep us in the dust. I can think of no thought more humbling or more overwhelming than the thought that a person of Divine majesty and glory dwells in my heart and is ready to use even me.” Two things here:
Do I have the Holy Spirit? Romans 8:9: You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
Once we have the Spirit it is not “How can I get more of the Holy Spirit” because we have Him. No such thing as a superior order of Christians. Our thought should be, “How can the Holy Spirit have more of me?” Be filled with the Spirit. Give control over to God.
