Who is the Holy Spirit?

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

(Acts 2:1-4 - New International Version)

Not just a force or feeling

Something that needs to be understood is that the Holy Spirit has a personality. The Holy Spirit is not a simple conduit for God’s power or way of channeling God. The Holy Spirit is a being in His own right. This can be seen through scripture as the Spirit demonstrates aspects of having character. The Spirit feels emotions, thinks for himself and has a will of his own.

MIND - “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (Romans 8:27 - New International Version)

EMOTIONS – “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30 - New International Version)

WILL – “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” (1 Corinthians 12:11 - New International Version)

Again, it is also important to note the personhood denoted in the use of the pronoun “he”. The Spirit is one of the Trinity: God – Christ – Spirit. He is part of God, yet separate from God, in a similar way to how Jesus was part of God, yet separate.

The Holy Spirit IS God

The Spirit is not just a bolt-on to the Christian experience that brings us gifts; the Spirit shares the same powers and attributes of God, just as Jesus did as God made flesh in the form of man. He is a part of God, a person in the trinity. Peter clearly knew this and referred to it in the following Scripture. In lying to the Holy Spirit, Ananias was lying TO GOD. This shows that God and the Holy Spirit are one and the same, as parts of the trinity.

“Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.’”

(Acts 5:3-4 - New International Version - UK)

The Holy Spirit is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent…just like God…because he is a part of God. When the Holy Spirit comes to live in you, when you give your life to God, you quite literally have a part of God Himself living inside you. How incredible is that!

God’s Spirit lives in Christians –“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” (Romans 8:11 - New International Version)

In doing so, in living within those who believe, the Holy Spirit brings us life from God which is far greater than the life we have through our weak, limited and ultimately destined to die, flesh and blood.

The Spirit gives us life – “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life. “(John 6:63 - New International Version)

God is the only holy being in any world religion that does this. No other religion tells its followers that the one being worshipped will come and live in those who worship. Only God does this, through His Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, having given our lives to Christ, we are guaranteed ETERNAL LIFE in the presence of God.

What does the Holy Spirit do?

After the resurrection Jesus ascended to Heaven, God did not leave His people alone, without assistance. God knew that we could not do His will alone, that we would need to be guided and supported in our lives as we spread the word of Jesus’ teachings. Jesus told the Apostles that the Holy Spirit would come once He had departed.

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

(John 14:26 - New International Version)

So the Holy Spirit brings new teaching, reminds us of what Jesus taught, and is an advocate for us. Again the use of the word advocate is well chosen, as it means ‘a person who supports’.  Again this shows the personhood of the Holy Spirit, as well as defining what the Spirit would do.

The Spirit supports us when we are weak and responds to our prayers - “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (Romans 8:26 - New International Version)

The Holy Spirit also teaches us how to live. When we live spirit filled lives the world, and the desires it encourages in people, no longer have power over us. The Holy Spirit helps us to follow the will of God, not the will of the world. Jesus’ sacrifice, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit, means that we are no longer held subject to all of the laws from the Old Testament. We no longer need to make animal sacrifices as atonement for what we do wrong…Jesus paid for it all. There were so many rituals and rules which Old Testament believers had to follow as they did not have Jesus to turn to for forgiveness. We are very fortunate that our lives are no longer bound by such laws.

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

(Galatians 5:16-18 - New International Version)

A Generous Guest

The Holy Spirit, as an advocate (supporter), also brings us gifts from God so that we can be successful in the Great Commission to spread the Good News of Christ. These gifts are given according to the decision that the Holy Spirit makes, again showing his personhood, using the wisdom that comes from being part of God to decide which is best for each person and in each situation.

“To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”

(1 Corinthians 12:8-11 - New International Version)

The Holy Spirit wants to live in us all…what we need to do is dedicate our lives to Christ and invite Him in.