Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity.

The Holy Spirit is a Distinct Person
Luke 11:13: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Here the Father is spoken of as distinct from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given by the Father to those who ask him.

John 14:26: Jesus says, “But the Counselor, 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.” Here all three of the persons are distinguished. There is the Holy Spirit who is given by the Father in the name of the Son. The three persons are mentioned in this single saying as distinct persons.

John 15:26 is a very interesting verse. Again Jesus is speaking: “When the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me.” Again there are all three of the persons mentioned. There is the Father, the Holy Spirit who will bear witness to the Son – to Jesus. What is especially interesting about this verse is that John emphasizes the personhood of the Holy Spirit by using the masculine pronoun for him even though the word “Spirit” (pneuma in the Greek) is neuter. So when he says “the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father” he actually violates Greek grammar. Instead of saying “the Spirit who proceeds from the Father; it will bear witness to me,” he uses the masculine pronoun “he” - “he will bear witness to me” - in order to underline that what is being talked about here is a person, not a thing. The Holy Spirit is a person just like the Father and the Son.

Romans 8:26-27. Paul says,

''Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.''

Here Paul describes the intercessory ministry of the Holy Spirit to the Father on people’s behalf. People do not know what to pray many times. Humans have limited wisdom and insight. But the Holy Spirit intercedes with the Father on people’s behalf, and the Father knows the mind of the Spirit and knows how to answer people’s prayers because the Spirit intercedes according to God's will. So here there is this very interesting ministry of the Holy Spirit on people’s behalf in prayer or intercession before the Father so that he converts as it were people’s prayers into God's will.

Matthew 28:19 is one of the famous trinitarian verses in the New Testament where all three of the persons are mentioned. Jesus says to them, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Here you have this formula for baptism where all three of the persons are mentioned. Converts to Christianity are to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 13:14 also mentions all three of the persons of the Trinity. A wonderful benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Here you have the grace of Christ, the love of God (that is the Father), and then the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. So all three of the persons are mentioned in this benediction just as they are in the baptismal formula.

Finally, 1 Peter 1:1-2 also mentions all three of the trinitarian persons.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood, may grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Here there are all three of the persons: God the Father who has chosen and destined the believers, the Spirit who sanctifies them for obedience to Jesus Christ.

So there are a number of passages in which the Holy Spirit is distinguished from both the Father and the Son. He is a distinct person.

A note also needs to made about how the New Testament uses terminology. Very often the word “God” simply refers to the Father. When it comes to the Holy Spirit, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come in his place and in his name. He would continue to carry out the ministry of Jesus in the absence of Jesus after Jesus had ascended to the Father. John 14:26: “The Counselor, 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.” Here the Holy Spirit is sent in the name of Christ, and he serves to bring Christ's teaching to recollection on the part of the disciples.

Also at John 16:13-14: Jesus says,

''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. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.''

Here the subordination of the Holy Spirit in the plan of salvation to the Son can be seen. The Holy Spirit does not speak on his own authority. Rather he comes in the name of the Son – in the name of Christ – and then he will declare to the disciples the things that he receives – the things concerning Jesus Christ. The role of the Holy Spirit is that of attesting to and continuing the ministry of Jesus, acting in his name and authority, and in his place.

So in the New Testament the Holy Spirit becomes so closely identified with Jesus Christ that he is often spoken of as the Spirit of Christ – not the Spirit of God but the Spirit of Christ, or even sometimes he is simply called Christ. For example, at the very interesting passage in Romans 8:9-11, Paul says,

''But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you.''

Was the terminology here and the progression noticed? It goes from the Spirit of God to the Spirit of Christ to simply Christ! If Christ is in you (meaning the Spirit of Christ, that is to say the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit). Here there is the identification of the Spirit so completely with Christ that he is actually referred to as Christ.

So very often today, people will talk about how, in order to be born again, a person needs to receive Christ as their Savior, and that it is receiving Christ that will produce the new birth and a relationship with God. Technically, it is really the Holy Spirit that the person receives. When a person places his faith in Christ, he receives the Holy Spirit who now continues the ministry of Christ and that will produce the spiritual re-birth – the new birth – that will put him into a relationship with God. But because the Holy Spirit is so closely identified with Christ, people will often talk about receiving Christ. There is nothing wrong with that so long as it is kept in mind and understood that Christ in terms of his human nature is with the Father. He is absent from this world. Some day he will return again when Christ comes back, but in his absence it is the Holy Spirit who continues the ministry to the world and to the church as well.

It can be noted that the Holy Spirit is not the ghost of Jesus Christ. When they talk about the Holy Ghost they do mean mean it is the ghost of Jesus. Nor do they mean by the Holy Spirit some sort of a thing, a neutral force or impersonal object. The Holy Spirit is a person just like the Son and the Father who is now at work in the world and in the church to carry on the ministry of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is a person who is distinct from the Father and the Son.

The Holy Spirit is God
The Holy Spirit, like the Father and Son, is God.

Here it would be easy to find passages attesting to the deity of the Holy Spirit. At Matthew 12:28, for example, Jesus says: “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Here he refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of God who brings the Kingdom of God to Earth.

Acts 5:3-4 is a very interesting passage from the story about Ananias and Sapphira and God's judgment upon them in the early church. Here Peter is rebuking Ananias for his deception. Peter says,

''But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”''

In verse 3, Peter says to Ananias, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit,” and then in verse 4 he says, “You have not lied to men but to God.” So the equation there is made of the Holy Spirit with God. The Holy Spirit is deity.

Romans 8:9 reads: “You are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.” Here the Holy Spirit is, again, referred to as the Spirit of God.

So the Holy Spirit is God and yet at the same time the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and the Son. There are the same truths about the Holy Spirit that is seen with regard to the Father and the Son. He is a distinct person and he is divine.

Powers & Abilities

 * Same powers as God
 * Abrahamic Deity Physiology
 * Personal Deity Physiology
 * Transcendent Spirit Physiology
 * Benevolent / Divine Spirit Physiology
 * Divine Force Manipulation
 * Eternal Soul / Almighty Soul
 * Demon/Devil Slayer
 * Divine Empowerment
 * Divinity
 * Light Divinity
 * Spirit Divinity
 * Supreme Divinity
 * Divine Aura
 * Divine Authority
 * Positive Forces Manipulation
 * Supernatural Law Manipulation
 * Virtue Embodiment
 * Truth Embodiment
 * Hope Embodiment
 * Hope Derivation
 * Compassion Embodiment
 * Compassion Derivation
 * Honesty Embodiment
 * Charity Embodiment
 * Temperance Embodiment
 * Patience Embodiment
 * Omnibenevolence
 * Benefic Force Manipulation
 * Sin Immunity
 * Living Conduit (with Jesus Christ)
 * Healing
 * Divine-Angelic Physiology: sometimes, the Holy Spirit of God can be known as the Angel of the Lord.
 * Angel Lordship
 * Godly Incarnation: The Holy Spirit is sometimes known as the Angel of The Lord.
 * Immortality
 * Heaven Deity Physiology / Heavenly Ruler
 * Patron Saint Physiology (maybe)
 * Peace Deity Physiology
 * Knowledge Deity Physiology
 * Wisdom Deity Physiology
 * Precognition
 * Positive Forces Manipulation
 * Triple Deity Physiology / Trinity Deity Physiology
 * Trinity Force
 * Compassion Deity Physiology
 * Absolute Soul Manipulation
 * Selective Omniscience
 * Precognition
 * Anthroscience
 * Metapotence
 * Meta Miracle Manipulation
 * Absolute Spirituality
 * Existential Manifestations
 * Good Elohim Physiology
 * Fortune Deity Physiology: sometimes, God's Holy Spirit may be Lady Wisdom
 * Patron God (Good/Holy Version)
 * Derivation
 * Allspeak

Related sites

 * Holy Spirit & Holy Spirit in Christianity from Wikipedia
 * Holy Spirit from Bible Wikia
 * Holy Spirit from Religion Wikia
 * Holy Spirit from Bible Narratives Wikia
 * Holy Spirit from Marvel Wikia
 * Holy Spirit from The Demonic Paradise Wikia
 * God the Holy Spirit from Fear World Wikia
 * Holy Spirit from The Church of God in Christ Wikia
 * Holy Spirit from Gods & Demons Wikia
 * Holy Spirit from Conservapedia
 * Holy Spirit from The Bible Wikia