The Godhead, or the Trinity, is described as God in three Persons. Some teach that the Holy Spirit is NOT God. However, the Bible reveals that He is called God (Acts 5:3-44, II Corinthians 3:17), and is compared to the Father and the Son in equality. Though described as equal, He does have His own unique personality. The Holy Spirit of God is a Person, just as much as the Father and Son are Persons. He experiences all of the elements involved within a personality. Below we will share a few examples with biblical reference.
First, He is male (John 16:13). Several years ago the book “The Shack” (a fictional work) used female descriptors in reference to the Holy Spirit. This is nothing new. An argument is frequently used that since the grammatical term used to reference the gender of the Holy Spirit is a feminine Hebrew word, then the Holy Spirit must be a feminine form of God. The LDS church and some religious people also site Solomon’s female references to Wisdom, the works of Theophilus (180 AD), Irenaeus (202 AD), and other “church fathers” leading up to the present Pope of the Catholic church. This is a false teaching.
The word in Greek (New Testament and the Septuagint version of the Old Testament) actually use a neutral term or a masculine term. Regardless of the wording in LDS Bibles, or the Catholic Catechism, even the Latin used masculine terms when referencing the Holy Spirit. Jesus called the Holy Spirit “He,” “Him,” or “Himself” 20 times in John 14-16. We also find how He is referred to in the male gender in Acts 13:2, 1 Corinthians 12:11, II Thessalonians 2:7, Hebrews 10:15, and other texts.
Second, the Holy Spirit has both a mind (Romans 8:27) and a will (1 Corinthians 12:11). He is individually seen working but it is clearly in conjunction with Father and the Son. This adds gravity when He forbids things (Acts 16:6-7) and permits other things (Acts 16:10). He also speaks for Himself (Acts 8:29, 10:19, 13:2, Revelation 2:7, 3:6, 13, 22, 11:17, 29) and works with our own spirit in prayer (Romans 8:26).
Finally, it is evident that the Holy Spirit is full of emotion. Previously we noted that He loves (Romans 15:30) and He grieves (Ephesians 4:30). He can lead our spirit (Romans 8:14, Galatians 5:18) and regenerate us (John 3:5-8, Titus 3:5). Paul teaches us that it is the Holy Spirit that dispenses the Father’s love into our hearts (Romans 5:5).
In previous blogs we noted specific personality traits of the Holy Spirit, but next week we will note specific examples about His heart. Have a great week.
You are loved.
Dr. Ray Reynolds
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