1 Corinthians 2:13, “We impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The Holy Spirit is not a separate person from the Father and the Son. This is a vitally important concept. As the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is a Person and … Thus three distinct persons are still of one substance (una substantia in Latin). The Holy Spirit is probably the least understood person of the Trinity. Recommended Resource: The Holy Spirit by Charles Ryrie American King … The Holy Spirit is identified as a Person by John, using in the Greek the masculine ekeinos in Jn.16:13. The Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as a “gift” that God will “pour out” on people (Acts 2:38; Acts 2:17). Thus, in the English translation, the Holy Spirit is referred to as “He.” However, this is no more evidence that the Holy Spirit is a person than the use, in Spanish, of the feminine pronoun ella (she) to refer to a door is evidence that a door is a female person. Unfortunately, that argument likely doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. In John chapters 14, 15, and 16, for example, Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit as “He”. The Spirit apportions spiritual gifts. Second, once these spurious words are deleted, the wording that remains in 1 John 5:6-8 mentions the Holy Spirit in a list of things—not persons—that include water, blood and the Spirit. The verse is yet another proof that the Holy Spirit is a person as abstract objects can by no means become angry. This is language appropriate to use in describing a thing, rather than a person. And there are three that bear witness on earth” were not a part of the original text that the apostle John wrote, but were instead added much later (perhaps in an attempt to buttress the doctrine of the Trinity). In fact, for centuries some of the most influential religions of Christendom have attributed personality to the holy spirit. … Hebrews 10:29, “How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has . The scriptur And if we refer to the Holy Spirit as the third “person,” several Scriptures negate its “personhood” because of non-person qualities such as being: “poured out”; “quenched”; a need for “renewal”, etc. The Holy Spirit as a distinct person, however, is again absent—another inexplicable oversight if this Spirit is the third person of a triune God. The Spirit can be grieved. But what does the true source of all right doctrine tell us about the nature of the Holy Spirit? It took hundreds of years for this doctrine to develop!) A more fruitful approach is first to ask a question almost no one asks: how do we know that the Father is a person? The vast majority of places where the word “spirit” is used it is portrayed as simply a force, God’s power. The fact that the Holy Spirit is a Person … The Gospel Coalition supports the church by providing resources that are trusted and timely, winsome and wise, and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. If the Holy Spirit were a person, the apostle Paul certainly disrespected and snubbed “Him” by omitting the Holy Spirit in his typical greetings to the churches. The word, “person” has had different meanings over the course of time. It is a supernatural act. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. The Holy Spirit has emotions. In this video devo Dennis Pollock teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person, not a force or mere power, such as electricity or battery power. You have not lied to men but to God‘”, 6. by Ernest L. Martin, Ph.D., 1991. I don’t mean that He is a human. As God, the Holy Spirit can truly function as the Comforter and Counselor that Jesus promised He would be (John 14:16, 26, 15:26). The personality of the Holy Spirit has been attacked by Socinius and his followers ancient and modern who have held to the general position that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal energy proceeding from God. The Spirit can be outraged. However, the Spirit is a spiritual person, while Jesus was a flesh and blood person. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. A mere force could not possess all of these attributes, but the Holy Spirit does. The word spirit is rendered as רוּחַ (ruach) in Hebrew-language parts of the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit is a Person. In fact, for centuries some of the most influential religions of Christendom have attributed personality to the holy spirit. He can also be pleased and satisfied (Acts 15:28–30). Is the Holy Spirit Really a Person? Etymology. Since one of the major aspects of God’s nature is that he is a person, it follows that the Holy Spirit is a person. What is the holy spirit? We believe that the Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son and is of the same essence. Etymology. He most recently pastored two congregations of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, before his retirement in 2020. Finally, we note that some people are confused by the English wording of 1 John 5:6-8. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com. First, we need to notice that the Holy Spirit is a unique person and not simply a power or an influence. One of the most fundamental errors regarding the Holy Spirit is the tendency of some cults to deny his very personality. Jesus also spoke of the Spirit as the Helper in John 14 and introduced Him as “the Spirit of truth” (14:17; 16:13). The Spirit teaches and reminds. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force. The Holy Spirit is identified as a Person by John, using in the Greek the masculine ekeinos in Jn.16:13. As a person the Holy Spirit has a will, emotion, and intelligence. The Spirit of God is not a different person from the Father. The Bible provides many ways to help us understand that the Holy Spirit is truly a person—that is, He is a personal being, rather than an impersonal thing. The Holy Spirit is more than a force—He’s a Person. Why Those Who Mourn Are Blessed in God’s Kingdom, The Self-Pity and Irresponsibility of President Trump, A Simple Explanation of Divine Simplicity, What Does It Mean to Be Human? In this study, we will direct attention to some false teachings relative to the Holy Spirit. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct from one another in terms of their personal relationship. He has taught accounting and business courses at the university graduate level, and has served in the financial management of Church of God organizations. Fact: The King James version of the Bible includes at 1 John 5: 7, 8 the words “in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. Jesus also referred to the Holy Spirit as the Comforter or the Counselor (John 14:16 and 15:26). . Misconception: The “Holy Ghost,” or holy spirit, is a person and is part of the Trinity, as stated at 1 John 5: 7, 8 in the King James version of the Bible. Acts 16:6-7, “they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. Without denial of the one Essence of the Godhead, the personality of the Holy Spirit must be affirmed and is subject to proof unassailable by any who accept the Scriptures as authoritative. Seeing the Invisible. Furthermore, these passages clearly demonstrate that the Holy Ghost is God. Please make sure all fields are filled out. The proof comes from many other scriptures in the Bible. Romans 8:16, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”. For example, it is referred to as a gift (Acts 10:45Acts 10:45And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. John 16:14, “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”. • We talking about the person called the Holy Spirit. The translators of the King James Bible carried this grammatical arrangement over into the English in a number of places, such as John 14:16. 4:30). If the holy spirit were an actual person why would Jesus refer to it as God’s finger? (Hint: The early Church did not teach that the Holy Spirit is a person. The Holy Spirit’s attributes also point to His personality. the holy spirit is the active force of God. Nor is the Spirit of God a different person from the Father. apportions [spiritual gifts] to each one individually as he wills.”, 9. However, these analogies do not of and by themselves prove or disprove that the Holy Spirit is not a person. It took hundreds of years for this doctrine to develop!) In light of this, we should take note of two things. This passage only makes sense if the Holy Spirit is a person. Does the Bible teach that the holy spirit is a person? Thus, in the English translation, the Holy Spirit is referred to as “He.” However, this is no more evidence that the Holy Spirit is a person than the use, in Spanish, of the feminine pronoun ella (she) to refer to a door is evidence that a door is a female person. I think it best for me to simply say a number of things concerning the identity of this Helper with little embellishment. “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. In the Trinity doctrine, a “person” is like a personality or “mask.”. When we say that the Holy Spirit is a person some assume that He has eyes, feet, and hands. We believe that the Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son and is of the same essence. This Doctrinal Report concerns the Spirit of God. All of these characteristics or How Should a Christian Deal With the Coronavirus Pandemic? . THE holy spirit can be grieved and can speak, teach, bear witness, act as a remembrancer and serve as a helper. He can be angered, frustrated, grieved (Eph. If the Holy Spirit is a person, why is the Holy Spirit not included when Paul, Peter and John sent greetings to the churches? “The Holy Spirit is a person, for He beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God.” (Ev 616) “Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead” (DA 671) They are grammatically either feminine or masculine or neuter, whether or not they refer to living things that are female or male. Yet some other things attributed to God’s spirit … It isn’t taught elsewhere in the Scriptures. He is confused with the manifestations themselves, and has even been presented as an incidental figure that appears momentarily. The New World Encyclopedia notes, “Tertullian started to use the expression of ‘three persons’ (tres personae in Latin). In the Spanish language, this is a “feminine” noun, and it is appropriate to refer to a door by the use of a feminine pronoun (ella, which is equivalent to the English pronoun she). All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version (© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.). We have just seen over 50 verses that prove that the Holy Ghost is a Person because He exhibits the attributes of a Person. Even so … The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity–equal with the Father and Son in essence. That would make the Holy Spirit the “father” of Jesus, if the Holy Spirit were a person. Probably the most conclusive passage on this point is Ephesians 4:30. The Spirit helps us, intercedes for us, and has a mind. Mormons believe the Holy Spirit is a fully separate spiritual being from the Father and the Son. When we are sensitive to the Holy spirit, he will move inside of our lives and do things that we never even imagined that we could do but if we refuse to yield to him, then guess what happens nothing look at your partner your person say not your partner. https://www.learnreligions.com/who-is-the-holy-spirit-701504 But here’s the most amazing part of all of this: The Father and Son in the person of the Holy Spirit dwells inside of every believer. He can be angered, frustrated, grieved (Eph. How far-reaching is God’s holy spirit… Yet He is also distinct from them. The Holy Spirit Is a Person. The Spirit makes decisions. The Holy Spirit has a mind. Sign up to receive the week's latest articles, blog posts and updates. Furthermore, these passages clearly demonstrate that the Holy Ghost is God. Print subscriptions available in U.S., Canada and Europe, Article URL: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/god/holy-spirit/is-the-holy-spirit-a-person/. The Spirit searches everything and comprehends God’s thoughts. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as parakletos (a “comforter” because the power of God has a comforting and encouraging effect in the minds and lives of those who receive it). As the Father and Jesus make this distinction when speaking of Him. Hence, so the argument goes, the Spirit is a person. The Holy Spirit is spoken of in many ways that demonstrate that it is not a divine person. He is not simply “God’s active force,” as the cults suggest. The Holy Spirit has the Attributes of a Person. that the Holy Spirit is a person, there are those who understand [010] us to mean that the Holy Spirit has hands and feet and eyes and ears and mouth, and so on, but these are not the characteristics of personality but of corporeity. Like you and me, the Holy Spirit also has emotions. Paul said to Titus, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). HAVE YOU WONDERED? We have a revelation by the spirit right now in the name of Jesus, I thank you for this. 4.- The Spirit Teaches But pronoun gender in Greek is irrelevant. 11 personal characteristics of the Holy Spirit . A mere force could not possess all of these attributes, but the Holy Spirit does. The doctrine of the Trinity developed over the centuries as a human attempt to explain the nature of God. First, every pronoun used in reference to the Spirit is “he” not “it.” The original Greek language of the New Testament is explicit in confirming the person of the Holy Spirit. Yet He is also distinct from them. We know that these are the three attributes that describe a person. Something that does these personal things in relationship—like God, angels, and human beings—is a person. Again, these are matters of grammar and translation, not of biblical theology. In many languages, such as Spanish and Greek, nouns have gender. John 14:26, “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. The Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as a “gift” that God will “pour out” on people. The word spirit (from the Latin spiritus meaning "breath") appears either alone or with other words in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament.Combinations include expressions such as the "Holy Spirit", "Spirit of God", and in Christianity, "Spirit of Christ".. Acts 8:29, “the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and join this chariot.’, Acts 13:2, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. We baptize in His name as part of triune person of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19) Wrapping our minds around the Father or Son as a person seems easier. We believe in the Holy Spirit, that He is active and alive in our world and our hearts. A similar situation exists in the Greek language—the language in which the New Testament was originally written. Here’s another puzzle for someone who believes the Spirit is a person. Copyright © 2021 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. 4:30). The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. . 11. The Holy Spirit - A Person or Power? The mind of the Holy Spirit: Let’s first look at scriptures that tell us the […] Acts 15:28, “it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements.”, 3. And there are three that bear witness in earth.” Among the myths and the mistaken concepts that are shared, He has been described as a force, a ghost, and a second-class or replacement god. It is a fundamental revelation that the Holy Spirit is a Person, in the sense that the Father is a Person, and the Son is a Person. Is the Holy Spirit Really a Person? First, the fact that this nonbiblical addition is the only clear statement of the Trinity highlights the weakness of the Trinity doctrine. The Holy Spirit is a Person. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. As the Father and Jesus make this distinction when speaking of Him. There we see that the antecedent of the masculine ἐκεῖνος (a masculine word for “that person”) is πνεῦμα (a neuter word for “Spirit”). The Holy Spirit is presented as a personal being with a self-identity different from both the Father, and the Son. Holy Spirit Not a Person. The question implies that the holy spirit is never spoken of as an impersonal, active force. 1 Corinthians 12:11, “the same Spirit . He came in the person of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to live within them (Rom. The Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Trinity. Is the Holy Spirit a Person? As we turn to the Scriptures, we will see that the Holy Spirit of God is the power of God and is not (as erroneously taught and believed by many) a person—a member of a “Trinity.” The Holy Spirit is the powerful means by which the two members of the Godhead revealed in the Bible—God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Son of God—project Their will, Their influence, Their nature and Their creative power throughout the universe, including affecting the minds of human beings. The answer is that the Bible presents a person as a substance that can do personal and relational things (such as speaking, thinking, feeling, acting). He blogs at Between Two Worlds and Evangelical History. Look, if the Holy Spirit is a person alongside the Father and the Son, then he deserves to be worshipped alongside the Father and the Son. Therefore, in Greek, a masculine pronoun is appropriate in referring to parakletos. The word spirit (from the Latin spiritus meaning "breath") appears either alone or with other words in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament.Combinations include expressions such as the "Holy Spirit", "Spirit of God", and in Christianity, "Spirit of Christ".. 1. There are instances in English translations of the Bible where the pronouns “He” and “His” are used to refer to the Holy Spirit, but this is a matter of grammar and translation, not of biblical teaching. . Most modern English translations do not include these words. In the Greek language parakletos is a masculine noun. Because we are well used to the idea of the Trinity being a group of three persons, many people come to the texts of scripture with an a priori assumption that the Holy Spirit is person, and that wherever the Spirit of God is mentioned, that is understood to refer to a distinct person from the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. Science fiction stories are filled with strange beings, in solid, gas, and even a few liquid forms of sentient beings. The Holy Spirit is a living Person, one of the three Persons of the Godhead. Answers to Major Questions About the Holy Spirit (Part 2) To properly understand the basis and perspective of this article, readers are requested to read first the primary article published earlier in this website titled, 12 Reasons Why the Holy Spirit Is Not A Person (Part 1). . Why is the Trinity doctrine not taught in the Bible? This passage shows that the Spirit has a life. Some see Him as an impersonal force or influence, some deny His very existence, and others are not certain who or what the Holy Spirit is. Recommended Resource: The Holy Spirit by Charles Ryrie More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! We have just seen over 50 verses that prove that the Holy Ghost is a Person because He exhibits the attributes of a Person. And that simply is not true. . Get the latest blog posts from Life, Hope & Truth straight to your inbox. The following verses give us a beautiful picture of the Trinity in the Bible: Matthew 3:16-17. Ephesians 4:30 (New International Version) says: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. The moment we confess our sin and ask Jesus to come into our lives, we are born again, become members of God’s family, and the Spirit immediately takes up residence inside of our bodies. “Live Not By Lies” – Whether Right or Left, 7 Ways to Kill the Thanksgiving Impulse in Your Life, Life and Books and Everything: John Piper Talks Books, We Must Find a Better Way to Talk About Race. The Holy Spirit is presented as a personal being with a self-identity different from both the Father, and the Son. Romans 8:26-27, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. The Holy Spirit has life (Romans 8:2), has a will (1 Corinthians 12:11), is omniscient (1 Corinthians 2:10–11), is eternal (Hebrews 9:14), and is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7). Ephesians 4:30, “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”, 4. The personhood of the Holy Spirit is something many Christians assume. A Watchtower publication asserts that. The Holy Spirit Exhibits Attributes of a Person As we read through the New Testament, it is clearly evident that the Holy Spirit has intellect, emotion, and will. He is not simply “God’s active force,” as the cults suggest. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”, 10. These and other Bible passages have led some to conclude that the holy spirit is a person, just as God, Jesus, and the angels are individual spirit persons. The Holy Spirit has life (Romans 8:2), has a will (1 Corinthians 12:11), is omniscient (1 Corinthians 2:10–11), is eternal (Hebrews 9:14), and is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7). For further study on this topic, read the articles in this section: “Holy Spirit: What Is the Holy Spirit?”. But in English translation, door is grammatically referred to as “it,” since a door is not a female or male person, but a thing. And the Holy Spirit is the One who does the work of making you a born-again person. (Hint: The early Church did not teach that the Holy Spirit is a person. The Holy Spirit’s attributes also point to His personality. How does the Holy Spirit fare up under this criteria? This means the Holy Spirit is God, co-equal with God the Father and God the Son and is of the same essence. Many places in Scripture the holy spirit is referred to as “God’s spirit” – the apostrophe “s” denoting ownership, meaning that the spirit belongs to God. 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, “the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. These and other Bible passages have led some to conclude that the holy spirit is a person, just as God, Jesus, and the angels are individual spirit persons. Justin Taylor is executive vice president for book publishing and publisher for books at Crossway. This potential confusion of understanding is quite easily avoided by realizing that the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is not a person but the power by which the Father gave human life to Jesus in the womb of Mary. As soon as … The Holy Spirit Is a Person The fact that the Holy Spirit is a person can be observed in six ways. An Anthropology of Embodiment, Happy New Year: “All Glory Be to Christ!”. As we search the Bible, we will find that the Holy Spirit is the nature, power and essence of God. The Holy Spirit as a person is conspicuously absent from Christ's teaching in general. THE holy spirit can be grieved and can speak, teach, bear witness, act as a remembrancer and serve as a helper. How about the Son? Seeing the holy spirit for what it is —God’s powerful active force— can give you confidence that Jehovah will fulfill his promises. The Spirit bears witness to believers about their adoption The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force. Seeing the Invisible. outraged the Spirit of grace?”, Acts 5:3, 4, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? . American King James Version×; 1 Timothy 4:141 Timothy 4:14Neglect not the gift that is in you, which was given you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Because we are well used to the idea of the Trinity being a group of three persons, many people come to the texts of scripture with an a priori assumption that the Holy Spirit is person, and that wherever the Spirit of God is mentioned, that is understood to refer to a distinct person from the Father and the Son. He mentions the Father and the Son (Jesus Christ) in his greetings but consistently omits the Holy Spirit (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2; 1 Timothy 1:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; Philemon 1:3). They share a common Spirit and nature (Ephesians 4:4; John 10:30). There we see that the antecedent of the masculine ἐκεῖνος (a masculine word for “that person”) is πνεῦμα (a neuter word for “Spirit”). The Spirit bears witness to Christ. All rights reserved. We believe in the Holy Spirit, that He is active and alive in our world and our hearts. As a person the Holy Spirit has a will, emotion, and intelligence. The personhood of the Holy Spirit is something many Christians assume. The Holy Spirit is a person. . Yet some other things attributed to God’s spirit … For example, in Spanish, a door is la puerta. One potential argument that the Holy Spirit is a person is to look at the Greek words in John 14:26, 15:26, and 16:13-14. He can also be pleased and satisfied (Acts 15:28–30). The Latin word persona in the days of Tertullian never meant a self-conscious individual person, which is what is usually meant by the modern English word ‘person.’ In those days, it only meant legal ownership or a mask used at the theater. 8:9) and he will come in the parousia, known traditionally as the second coming. Pronoun is appropriate in referring to parakletos divine as the Father and God the Son and is of the.... 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From Elijah by themselves prove or disprove that the Spirit searches everything and comprehends God ’ s also! A genuine person are knowledge, feeling, and 16, for he will come in the Holy is... Leading us into all Truth how much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the.. This means the Holy Spirit is presented as a helper that describe a person is absent. Spirit – question 5 New Testament was originally written the person of a person the Holy is...