Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit, I believe, is the most misunderstood member of God’s Holy Trinity. For those unfamiliar, the Holy Trinity refers to the three persons of the biblical God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Many people lack a proper understanding of who the Holy Spirit is, largely due to a lack of true biblical knowledge about Him. This article aims to clarify that.
Firstly, the Holy Spirit is God. He is divine. Just as Jesus is God and the Father is God, so is the Holy Spirit. Additionally, the Holy Spirit is personal. He is not merely some mystical force or an impersonal power of God. Instead, He is a person with a mind (Romans 8:27), a will (1 Corinthians 12:11), and emotions (Ephesians 4:30). Jesus refers to Him as “He” (John 16:13; John 14:16–17), not “it,” as many mistakenly do.
A life in Christ is a life led by the Holy Spirit. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, his promise was to send the Holy Spirit to be our helper. We were not left alone.
'Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”' Luke 24:49.
To live a powerful impactful life as a Christian you need the Holy Spirit. God has called us to live a holy life, just like He is, but this is impossible if we do not have the Holy Spirit.
Jesus did not begin His ministry on earth 2,000 years ago until the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove after His baptism. The great miracles Jesus performed were accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is affirmed in Isaiah 11:2, which says,
“The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”
When Jesus read from the scroll in the synagogue, He declared a prophecy about Himself from Isaiah, as recorded in Luke 4:18–19:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, proceeding from God the Father through God the Son. The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of Jesus as well. As Jesus said,
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me” (John 15:26).
The Holy Spirit is fully God and has existed eternally. In Genesis, it is written,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:1–2. )
Hebrews also confirms the Spirit's eternal nature:
“how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” , (Hebrews 9:14.)
Just as God, the Holy Spirit has all divine attributes, such as omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence. Paul explains,
“But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10–11)
There is the mystery of who God is but here we learn that God sends His Spirit to help us understand him and to help us experience his fullness. It is impossible to know God without the Holy Spirit who reveals himself to us and it is fair to say the Holy Spirit understands who God is because he is God.
The Holy Spirit’s omnipresence nature is beautifully described by David in Psalms:
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:7–10).
The Holy Spirit shares the same essence with God the Father and God the Son but is distinct in His Personhood, as highlighted in Scripture. In John 14:26, it is written,
“But 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 things that I said to you.”
Similarly, John 16:7 states,
“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 depart, I will send Him to you.”
These passages reveal that the Holy Spirit is not merely a force but a Person, possessing personality traits such as a mind, emotions, and a will. He has distinct qualities, including the ability to encourage and comfort believers. This is evident in Acts 9:31:
“Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.”
Additionally, Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as a teacher in John 14:26:
“But 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 things that I said to you.”
The Holy Spirit works to fulfil the will of God. He is the power of God and was essential in the creation of the heavens, earth, and humanity, as described in Genesis 1–2.
When the Israelites were going to the promised land, it was the Holy Spirit who led them all through. We read in
Isaiah 63: 11-14: “Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying: ‘Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit within them, who led them by the right hand of Moses, with His glorious arm, dividing the water before them to make for Himself an everlasting name, who led them through the deep, as a horse in the wilderness, that they might not stumble?”
Today, the Spirit guides us as we await Christ’s return:
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” John 16:13.
The Holy Spirit guided the authors of the Bible, ensuring that the Word of God is trustworthy and true. Peter writes,
“knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20–21.)
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit indwelled the kings and the prophets, empowering them for every service.
“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah” 1 Samuel 16:13.
Micah also proclaims,
“But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin” Micah 3:8.
The good news is if you are in Christ the Holy Spirit now permanently dwells in you..
'But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 'Romans 8:9.
He is the fulfilment of the promise of Jesus.
Acts 1:8 'But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”'
Your body becomes his temple and as Paul writes,
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16.
Ephesians adds,
“in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” Ephesians 2:22.
You see why we ought to walk in Holiness! You definitely would not want to defile the temple of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit proves that Christ is in us. The Bible says ..we shall know them by their fruit. There is always evidence of the Holy Spirit when he bears his fruits in us.
Galatians 5:22-23 'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. '
Today and everyday desire to walk in the Holy Spirit, continually invite him into your life so that he manifests the glory of God in you.
The Holy Spirit intercedes for us, he reveals the word of God to us, sometimes we do not know what to pray for.
Romans 8:26 'Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. '
Again, aspire to make the Holy Spirit your friend, he comforts, he counsels, teaches, edifies, prays and rebukes us when we are wrong. He is our helper in Christ.
'John 14:26 But 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 things that I said to you. '
Seek him earnestly,.
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” Jeremiah 29:13
