A Misunderstood Person

There’s quite a bit of confusion in the church today about the person of the Holy Spirit. People may know a lot about God the Father and Jesus Christ, but few seem to have a Biblical understanding of who the Spirit is or what He does. Some think that the Spirit is a feeling or impression that helps people get closer to God. Others believe that He is a divine power that enables Christians to experience “breakthroughs” and “deliverance.” If you’ve seen some Christian media programs, you might be tempted to think that the Spirit is some kind of a bizarre force that knocks people down and causes them lose control of their minds or bodies.

Beliefs like these are not only unbiblical, but also dangerous. If your ideas about the Spirit are divorced from the clear truths of Scripture, you could be led astray into all kinds of error and ultimately damage the cause of Christ.

Embracing the Bible’s teachings on the Holy Spirit will radically shape your Christian life. Understanding who the Holy Spirit is enables you to more fully and faithfully worship God. In today’s post, we will explore what the Bible says about the person, deity, and names of the Holy Spirit:

The Deity of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is not a force, feeling, or phenomenon. He is not a ghost or an “it.” He is a Person that we should know and love. Like all persons, He thinks, makes decisions, and feels emotions (see Ro. 8:27; 15:30; Eph. 4:30). The Bible teaches that He is the third Person of the Trinity, co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father and God the Son. Consider the following verses:

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit… You have not lied to man but to God” (Acts 5:3-4).

Notice the clear assertion Peter makes as he confronts Ananias. To lie to the Spirit is to lie to God. Why? Because the Spirit is God!

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God (I Cor. 2:10-11).

This text, along with a host of others, reveals that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit “of God.” This title for the Holy Spirit does not mean that He came from God or is a manifestation of God. Rather, the Spirit of God is one in nature and essence with God.

 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit… (Mt. 28:19).

This passage, along with 2 Cor. 13:14, contains what some call the “Trinitarian formula,” demonstrating the truth that there are three distinct Persons within the one Godhead.

The Spirit is not a mystical force or impersonal power. He is a Person – specifically, the third Person of the Godhead. He can have a relationship with you, and you can have a relationship with Him. As you grow in your understanding of the Holy Spirit, you can know the joy of walking in intimate communion with Him, daily receiving His ministry of grace, assurance, and strength.

The Names of the Holy Spirit

In the Bible, names are given to God so that we can understand important truths about His character and work. Below are a few examples of names given to the Holy Spirit that help us understand His unique responsibilities and ministry:    

The Helper

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:16).

“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” (John 15:26).

“Nevertheless, 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 16:7).

The Spirit’s ministry of assistance is so vital that Jesus said it is actually better that Christians have the indwelling Spirit than His bodily presence. So how does the Spirit help God’s people? The word translated “Helper” also means comforter, counselor, protector, or advocate. The Spirit comforts us through His ministry of guidance, instruction, and assurance, enabling us to understand and trust in the precious truths of God’s Word (see I Cor. 2:11-16). He also strengthens us so that we increasingly have more desire and power to live in obedience to God’s Word.

The Spirit of Truth

“The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17).

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13).

The Holy Spirit is not the author of confusion but the illuminator of truth. The Spirit of truth enables you to understand the meaning, significance, and application of God’s Word as you diligently study the Scriptures in dependence upon Him.

The Spirit of Life

“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Ro. 8:2).

The Spirit is author and sustainer of the believer’s spiritual life. At the moment of conversion, Christians receive the Holy Spirit and are liberated from their former bondage to sin. Through the indwelling Spirit, Christians have a new power that enables them to put sin to death (see Ro. 8:13) and walk in newness of life (see Ro. 8:4).

The Spirit of Glory

“If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (I Pet. 4:14).

The Spirit is powerfully present with believers when they suffer for Christ. The Spirit’s presence not only provides great comfort and encouragement, but also strengthens believers to continue in a life of faithfulness to Christ even though they might suffer for it.

Conclusion

I would encourage you to take a few moments to consider how these truths impact your Christian life: How does the personhood of the Holy Spirit impact the way you relate to Him? How do the names of the Spirit help you understand more about His character and work? May God grant us grace to draw near to the Person of the Holy Spirit.