In the previous issue we have seen the demonstration of one of the basic tenets of Christianity, the claim that Jesus Christ is God. Now let's move on to another of the cornerstones of Christianity, which is the affirmation and reality of the deity of the Holy Spirit and his person (the third person of the Trinity). The Bible emphatically declares these truths to us and leaves no room for doubt.

 

Note: For a more advanced study, we recommend reading topic with the same name in "Are you a long time Christian."

 

The Holy Spirit is God

 

The first thing we must realize is that the Holy Spirit is God. God speaks in many occasions of His Spirit (Holy Spirit) throughout the Bible. The Holy Spirit is therefore the Spirit of God, and as such, proceeds from the Father and shares all the deity, attributes and glory that come from Him (infinite, immortality, omniscience, omnipotence, etc ....). The clarity of the deity of the Holy Spirit is immense. God shows him on numerous occasions. There are many, but let's see some examples where God says that His Holy Spirit comes from Him:

 

Ezekiel 36:27

27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

 

Joel 2:28

28 “It will come about after this
That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.

 

Genesis 1:2

2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God wasmoving over the surface of the waters.

 

Isaiah 48:16

 

16 Draw near to me, hear this:    from the beginning I have not spoken in secret,    from the time it came to be I have been there.”And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit.

 

 (some verses amongts many include: Isaiah 44:2-4, Isaiah 42:1-3, Isaiah 11:2, Zechariah 4:6 etc ....)

 

The Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) contains the fullness of God. Therefore the Holy Spirit is Eternal (Corinthians 3:17, John 4:24). It has never been created and just as God the Father and God the Son have always been (John 1:1), the Holy Spirit has always been. The Holy Spirit knows all the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-12). It is neither superior nor inferior to any of the other two persons of the Trinity. All three share the same deity.

 

The Spirit contains the essence of God

 

Here we see some verses that show us how the essence and entirety of God is possessed by the Holy Spirit:

 

John 15:26

26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,

 

Ezekiel 36:27

27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

 

 (Other verses: Haggai 2:5, Matthew 10:20, John 4:24, Genesis 6:3, 2 ​​Corinthians 3:17)

 

In John 16:7, Jesus Christ himself (second person of the Trinity) speaks of the Holy Spirit as someone so important that we would be better suited to have Jesus himself leave so that the Holy Spirit could dwell among us. No one but God could have thus been exalted by Jesus Christ:

 

John 16:7

7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

 

Another clear example where we see that the Holy Spirit is God, is seen in the claims of the apostles concerning the authorship of the Bible. Peter says that the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit in 2 Peter 1:21: "for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” Later, Paul says that the Bible is inspired by God in 2 Timothy 3:16, which says that "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;" Here we see a clear example of how the apostles identified God and the Holy Spirit in the same way, making them both possessors of the same deity and the same glory for the wonderful record that they left us.

 

One more example of the deity of the Holy Spirit is that water baptism is done in the name of the Father (God the Father) the Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). The name of the three persons of the Trinity is shared by all three because they have the same title of deity.

 

Peter also recognizes that the Holy Spirit is God when he accuses Ananias of lying to the Holy Spirit in Acts 5:3, and then says in verse 4 that he lied to God. Peter makes no difference because the Holy Spirit is God and contains all his deity and fullness:

 

Acts 5:3-5

3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why hasSatan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it.

 

The Holy Spirit is a person (not an impersonal force)

 

Some beliefs or religions mistakenly believe that the Holy Spirit is only an impersonal force or an active force that acts on impulse. This statement or belief is not true. The Bible shows us that the Holy Spirit is a person who has feelings, attributes and functions within the Trinity.

 

- Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as a person and not a thing;

 

John 14:16

16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;

 

John 14:26

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit,whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, andbring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

 

John 15:26

26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,

 

John 16:7

7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

 

John 16 :13-15

13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will discloseit to you.

 

- Jesus and Paul mentioned three divine persons very clearly:

 

2 Corinthians 13:14

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and thefellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

 

Matthew 28:19

19 Go therefore and make disciples ofall the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

 

- Jesus also tells us that the Holy Spirit is a Teacher:

 

John 14:26

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit,whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, andbring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

 

- Paul also shows us that the Holy Spirit is a person and not a thing. An active force can not grieve, but a person can:

 

Ephesians 4:30

30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

 

We could never change "the Holy Spirit" by a force (e.g., electricity). We could never say not to grieve electricity because electricity, by not being a person, can never be grieved, whereas if the Holy Spirit can be grieved it shows clearly that it is a person. We could also apply the verse in Romans 15:30. We could change the phrase "for the love of the Spirit" by some impersonal thing as electricity.

 

The same could apply to the lie of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:3-5. You cannot lie to a thing, or blaspheme a thing  (Mark 3:28) or attempt to entice a thing (Acts 5:9).

 

- Paul also shows us that the Holy Spirit has the power of decision and will and does as he wants (also seen in Acts 15:8):

 

1 Corinthians 12 :11

11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

 

Acts 15:28

28 “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials:

 

- The Baptism of Christ shows us that the Holy Spirit is another person in the Trinity:

 

We also see how the Holy Spirit is a Person as Jesus' baptism happens. The Trinity shows us himself in all its glory. The Father (the speaker) the Son (Jesus Christ, who was baptized) and the Holy Spirit (a dove). All this is revealed in the Bible in Matthew 3:16-17, Mark 1:9-11 and Luke 3:21-22.

 

- The Holy Spirit speaks to Peter in Acts 10:19 (the Holy Spirit speaks more times such as in Acts 13:2). It is impossible for an active force to speak, the Holy Spirit as a person, has words for his servants and to whom he pleases:

 

Acts 10:19

19 While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold,three men are looking for you.

 

Many of the people who think that the Holy Spirit is simply God's power and not a person, base their claims among others in Acts 10:38 and Luke 1:35:

 

Luke 1:35

35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be calledthe Son of God.

 

Acts 10:38

38 You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

 

However,  1 Corinthians 1:24 reads:

 

1 Corinthians 1 :24

24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

 

Therefore, if Jesus (Christ) is the power and is also a person, how can it not be possible to use the same parallel with the Holy Spirit?. Those verses listed above do not replace the person of the Holy Spirit nor does 1 Corinthians 1:24 cancel out the person of Jesus Christ.

 

The importance of the Holy Spirit

 

The Holy Spirit has made done one of the most important tasks for us Christians. While we know that He is the Comforter sent by God (Jesus Christ), who intercedes for us (Romans 8:26-27), produces fruit (Galatians 5:22-23) and other virtues to be discussed later, few times is the Holy Spirit identified and vindicated for the most important record we can have and by which we can know God: the Bible.

 

If it were not for the Holy Spirit, we would never have known of Jesus Christ, of God, of salvation or of anything else that is in the Bible. The Holy Spirit is who inspired the writers, so that we may have the Bible today. The Holy Spirit wrote the Bible and is rarely recognized for such a crucial and important act:

 

2 Peter 1:20-21

20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

 

The Holy Spirit is so important that Jesus said that all blasphemy and sin would be forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This shows the great importance and the strong role of the Holy Spirit:

 

Matthew 12:31

31 “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.

 

Other important works of the Holy Spirit will be outlined here (these do not include all, but are just a few examples):

 

It is the Holy Spirit who comes upon Mary to allow for Jesus (who is God) to arrive without an earthly father (Matthew 1:18 and Luke 1:35). He is the one who filled Jesus Christ and was in Him (Luke 4:1, Acts 10:38, Matthew 12:17-18). It was he who guided Jesus Christ (Luke 4:1). The Holy Spirit is who works through Jesus (Hebrews 9:14, Matthew 12:28). The Holy Spirit is who raised Jesus (Romans 8:11). Jesus Christ gave commandments to his disciples through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:2). To deny the power of Jesus is to clearly blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

 

Attributes of the Holy Spirit

 

Once we have seen that the Holy Spirit is God, that he is also a person and have understood how important and crucial he has been and is, we will see some of the attributes that the Bible declares to us:

 

• The Holy Spirit is who regenerates every believer (Ezekiel 36:26-27, John 3:8, Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 4:30, John 14:17)

• Intercedes for us (Romans 8:26-27)

• Produces fruit in us (Galatians 5:22-23)

• Provides spiritual virtue (Galatians 5:16-18 and verse 25)

• Restrains and convicts of sin (John 16:8)

• Sanctifies (Romans 15:16, 1 Corinthians 6:11, 2 Thessalonians 2:13)

• He seals us (Ephesians 4:30)

• He is a source of freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

• Source of power (Ephesians 3:16)

• Is the source union (Ephesians 4:3-4)

• Is the source of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

• He teaches us (John 14:26, Acts 15:28)

• He testifies of Jesus (John 15:26, Mark 12:36)

 

Divine qualities of the Holy Spirit

 

At this point we will mention some of the divine qualities of the Holy Spirit that the Bible shows us:

 

 (SPECIAL NOTE: It is important to note that with just one of the following points that we will name, it is already enough to prove the deity of the Holy Spirit, please read topic 12 "The deity and person of the Holy Spirit" as we expose a total of 24 points)

 

1. He is the truth: We have seen how Jesus Christ is the truth (John 14:6), and God is truth (Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 31:5 etc ....). The Bible shows us how the Holy Spirit also shares that divine quality:

 

John 15:26

26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,

 

2. He is omniscient: Paul shows us in Romans 8:26-27 that the Holy Spirit is omniscient, the prophet Isaiah also says this:

 

Romans 8:26-27

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, butthe Spirit Himself intercedes for uswith groanings too deep for words;27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

 

Isaiah 40 :13-14

13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has informed Him?
14 With whom did He consult andwho gave Him understanding?
And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge
And informed Him of the way of understanding?

 

3. He is Omnipresent: Psalm 139:7 "Where can I go from your Spirit? And where can I flee from your presence? "

 

4.  He is the creator: Job 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty gave me life.

 

Conclusion

 

In this study we have proven without a doubt that the Holy Spirit is God and is a person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit does not merely refer to an active force or to a representation or manifestation of God. He is the third person of the Trinity. All points and reasonings have been based on the Bible. Now there is no room for doubt that the deity of the Holy Spirit is a reality.

 

Note: This is a brief explanation of the topic in matter. If you need the explanation of a verse or have any other questions, please contact us and we will explain it gladly.

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