What Does the Bible Teach About the Holy Spirit?
Is The Spirit of God a Person or an It? And Why It Matters.
Digging into the doctrine of the Holy Spirit has richly blessed me. Hopefully, this post blesses you too!
As a reminder, this series is a labor of love to help God’s children in the FE Movement come out of the grip of Satan, who is seeking to hold them captive to destructive doctrines as propounded by clever and deceitful men.
We are now sharing the eighth essay in the series, the ninth if you count the foundational post on the doctrine of the Trinity.
If you are just now jumping in, please read the foundational article here:
Listen to the audio version here.
You will also benefit by reading Installment #7 which summarizes the first six articles and digs into one content creator in the FE Movement that is leading people astray with doctrines of demons.
Earthen Vessels: Biblical Cosmology, the Rebirth, and the Godhead.
Now it is time to look at God the Holy Spirit.
The Person of The Holy Spirit
My goal is not to repeat too much material from my entry on the biblical doctrine of the Trinity, but I expect some overlap. In preparing for this topic, I have spent hours in prayer and the Scriptures, reading also from the Reformers. Specifically, I asked God to help me present irrefutable biblical evidence of the personhood of the Spirit. He answered.
Notice the above words: “God the Holy Spirit.” Some deride this phrase because it does not appear in the Bible. I intentionally chose the term because it is an inescapable conclusion when we identify the Holy Spirit as a Person. If the Spirit is merely an “It” or “Thing” or “Power” or “Mind” — then it would be blasphemous to call “It” God.
However, if the Spirit is a PERSON — we must refer to Him as God.
While searching the Scriptures, I played the Devil’s Advocate to see how a Trinity-denier might explain away the personhood of the Spirit. I was looking for those passages that could have no other meaning than personhood. Many useful verses came to light. However, one passage rose above all the rest. Ironically, it is from the same Chapter and Book where we find the truth of Biblical Cosmology, Genesis One.
In the Beginning Was the Holy Spirit
In Genesis 1:1, we are first introduced to God, revealed as Elohim. “In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth.”
The next verse introduces the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of God. “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 1:2).
Side note: Can a Mind or It hover or move? While this is not my point, it is helpful to consider. Here is an even more pertinent question: How does God reveal Himself at creation? Was He all alone?
In the first two verses, we are introduced to two distinct names of God: Elohim and the Spirit of Elohim. So far, we can prove nothing. Perhaps it was God’s Mind hovering over the waters after all.
Yet, we know from the New Testament, that Jesus also participated in creating the heavens and earth. “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).
However, Jesus was not named in Genesis One, only Elohim and the Spirit of Elohim.
But there is more to consider.
Was God by Himself When He Created?
The Bible also teaches that YHWH God created all things by Himself alone. “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself” (Isaiah 44:24).
Back to the question: Was God ALONE when He created the Heavens and the Earth?
Is the answer NO based on Colossians 1:16 and other NT passages? Or is it YES based on Isaiah’s teaching?
This is a mystery that only the Tri-unity of God can explain. According to the Isaiah passage, YHWH was alone when He created the firmament and spread out the Flat Earth. And yet we KNOW that Christ created all things visible and invisible.
Since the patriarchs and descendants of Abraham, even the house of Israel, did not have access to the New Testament or the Revelation of Jesus Christ, could they have known that there was more than one Person creating Heaven and Earth?
The answer is YES! God provided all the evidence they needed to recognize that God was not alone when He created the Earth in Genesis Chapter One. And they would also know that these Persons were One God according to the Isaiah passage and the Great Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD [YHWH] our God [Elohim], the LORD [YHWH] is one!”
So far, I have proved nothing of the personhood of the Spirit. We have, however, identified that more than one Person was creating, a Person so aligned with God that they were ONE.
Now let’s consider the evidence for the personhood of the Holy Spirit.
Elohim, the Holy Spirit, Us, and Our
The Church Fathers diligently studied to understand the doctrines of God by looking at ALL of Scripture to make each verse fit together as revealed.
They labored to harmonize seemingly contradictory passages like Isaiah 44:24 and Colossians 1:16. The Bible teaches that God alone created Heaven and Earth — yet it also teaches that Jesus and the Holy Spirit created too. This is why the ONENESS of the Godhead is a critical doctrine. There is only ONE God. Refer to Flat Earth, the Trinity, and Ancient Mysteries for this discussion.
The Westminster Confession of Faith speaks of the oneness of God like this: “In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity.” 1
When we look at Genesis One, we are introduced to God and the Spirit of God. In orthodoxy, They are ONE in substance. Yet, They are two distinct Persons. Therefore, Isaiah 44:24 can rightly say YHWH stretched out the heavens alone.
But can we definitively say that God and the Spirit of God are two separate Persons?
Yes!
Below are two irrefutable points of evidence from Genesis One, which, when used together, make the distinct personhood of the Holy Spirit the only possible solution. 2
Elohim, as previously noted in the foundational post, is a singular word with a plural meaning. The word is translated God. Yet, it could be translated as Gods. In Genesis One, Elohim is at work creating the world. While this alone does not prove the Holy Spirit as a distinct Person, we know that the Holy Spirit was there working, hovering, at creation. At minimum, this supports the plausibility of a plurality in the Godhead. And since there are only two names mentioned in the passage (Elohim and the Spirit of Elohim) it limits the readers’ understanding to consider no other Person creating alongside God (such as Messiah who has not yet been introduced to the original audience).
However, the evidence from day six of creation demands the personhood of the Spirit of God. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’” (Genesis 1:26). Either God is schizophrenic (a blasphemous claim) — or He was having a conversation with another Person or Persons in the Godhead. Since there are only two Persons named in the passage, we know that God intended the original audience to UNDERSTAND that the Holy Spirit was a distinct Person in the Godhead.
From Genesis One, God revealed the plurality of the Godhead, specifically naming the Person of the Holy Spirit. Later, the reader would learn of another Person involved in creating.
This evidence proves the personhood of the Holy Spirit, but it is not ALL the evidence. The knowledge that God revealed the personhood of the Spirit of God from the First Chapter makes looking at the other supporting passages more fulfilling. Plus, it leaves no room to excuse any passage away as speaking of merely a Mind, an It, or a Thing.
Other Evidence of the Personhood of the Holy Spirit
Here’s a fun question: What makes a person a person? Below are three answers that the world gives:
University of Missouri: “Here are some...commonly-suggested criteria [for metaphysical] personhood: Rationality or logical reasoning ability; Consciousness; Self-consciousness (self-awareness); Use of language; Ability to initiate action; Moral agency and the ability to engage in moral judgments; Intelligence.”3 [UM also wants to justify killing babies.]
ChatGPT: “These are the qualities that make a person a person: self-awareness, unique identity, emotions, empathy, moral understanding, and social connections.”
Wikipedia: A person … is a being who has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of property, or legal responsibility.
While I do not count these sources as reliable, they are a useful standard to ascertain if the Holy Spirit meets the basic requirements of personhood according to the world. Reminder: Genesis One establishes the personhood of the Holy Spirit. This exercise is only meant to reveal more biblical testimony about the Third Person of the Godhead.
The following categories are summarized from the three worldly sources above. Below each category are three verses that support the claims of personhood based on the criteria.
Ability to Reason/Intelligence
Acts 15:28: For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things.
Isaiah 11:2: 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.
1 Corinthians 2:13: These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Based on these verses, we can definitively say that the Holy Spirit has intelligence and the ability to reason. But does He have consciousness?
Consciousness/Self-consciousness
1 Corinthians 2:10-11: “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.
Acts 13:2: As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Romans 8:27: Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
The Spirit searches and knows the deep things of God, separates men to Himself, and has His own mind. Check. Concerning, Romans 8:27, how can the Holy Spirit be reduced merely to God’s mind if He has His own mind? He can’t. He is a distinct person. Yet, the mind of God, Christ, and the Spirit are all ONE.
Can the Holy Spirit also use language?
Use of Language
Acts 13:2: As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Mark 13:11: But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
Acts 28:25: So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers.”
We have another affirmative. The Holy Spirit speaks and uses language. BTW — these examples are not exhaustive.
Ability to Initiate Action
Matthew 4:1: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Acts 8:39: Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
1 Corinthians 12:11: But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
The Holy Spirit leads, catches, and distributes according to His will.
Moral Understanding
John 16:8: And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.
John 16:13: 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.
Galatians 5:16-17: I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
The Spirit IS the epitome of moral understanding as He is the Person who convicts us of sin, shows us what is righteous, and reminds people that Satan has been judged and we will be too if we do not follow His ways. The Holy Spirit also guides us into truth and keeps us from fulfilling the desires of the flesh.
Unique Identity
John 14:16-7: And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
Matthew 3:16-17: When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 28:19: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. When Jesus was baptized, the Father was above the firmament, Jesus was on the Flat Earth, and the Holy Spirit descended from the Father to the Son. As to the baptism in the three-fold name of God, modern heretical organizations circulate false rumors that the Roman Catholic Church changed the Matthew passage in the Fourth century AD to read Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yet, the Didache and Justin Martyr wrote of the triune baptism in the First and Second Century.
Emotions/Empathy
Ephesians 4:30: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
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.
Romans 15:30: Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me.
Let’s not debate the validity of “empathy” — remember, we are using the world’s definition. Yet, that too seems to check. The Spirit of God can grieve, sympathize with our weaknesses, and demonstrate love.
Social Connections/Relationships
2 Corinthians 13:14: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
Romans 8:14: For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
Genesis 1:26: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Not only did the Holy Spirit have fellowship with the Father and Son from the beginning, but He presently fosters fellowship among saints. Plus, He helps draw us close to the Father as our daddy.
That’s a whole lot of personing going on in the Holy Spirit — even by the world's standard. Yet, there are more things that characterize the Holy Spirit as a Person.
He Has A Living Presence
The Spirit of God hovered over the waters at creation (Genesis 1:2).
The Holy Spirit appeared in the likeness of a dove at Christ’s baptism (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:3).
The Spirit appeared as tongues of fire upon the 120 in the Upper Room (Acts 2:3).
God’s Holy Spirit baptizes and fills us with His presence (Acts 1:5; 4:31).
The Spirit of God lives in us (2 Timothy 1:14).
Astoundingly, the Holy Spirit doesn’t merely live in us, He is also the author of spiritual and physical life.
He Gives Life
The Spirit raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11).
The Holy Spirit quickens the soul (John 6:63).
The Spirit created man (Job 33:4).
Our new birth comes through the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).
We must be born of the Spirit [be regenerated] to enter heaven (John 3:5-6).
The ministry of the Spirit is manifold in our life. Apart from Him, we would have no power in the Christian life. God has ordained that the Spirit take this role in our life. Let’s look at some of the beautiful blessings of God’s Holy Spirit.
More Marvelous Things the Holy Spirit Does for the Church
Here are just a FEW — okay — more than a dozen ways the Holy Spirit ministers to the church.
The Holy Spirit:
Gives us gifts (1 Corinthians 12)
Fills us with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)
Seals us for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30)
Helps us in our time of need (Romans 8:26)
Teaches us all things (John 14:26)
Knows us intimately so He can intercede on our behalf (Romans 8:27)
Comforts us (Acts 9:31)
Opens up the Scripture to us (1 Corinthians 2:14)
Gives wisdom (1 Corinthians 12:8)
Increases our creativity (Exodus 31:3)
Empowers us (Acts 1:8)
Emboldens us (Acts 4:41)
Helps us obey (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
Sanctifies us (Romans 15:16)
Strengthens us (Ephesians 3:16)
Convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8)
I am falling in love with God all over again. What kindness to give us so many blessings in the Holy Spirit. I’m pretty sure this list is NOT exhaustive. When you study your Bible, I hope you will take a fresh look at all the benefits that we have from the Holy Spirit.
Is it any wonder Satan seeks to attack the doctrine of the personhood of the Third Person of the Godhead?
Why Attack the Holy Spirit?
Eternal life is tied up in knowing the One True God (John 17:3). Satan seeks to create a counterfeit Holy Spirit to keep men from entering the kingdom of God. Inviting an impersonal force into our lives is not the same as asking the Living God to come and make Their abode with us.
Many ex-cult believers who have turned to the True God as revealed in Scripture testify to the freedom from a yoke of bondage of not being good enough to live up to the demands of the law of God — which none can do. The Holy Spirit gives us a new heart and begins to sanctify us so that we want to live a righteous life.
One thing that stands out among cults is the need for either a prophet or a book outside the enduring Word of God to define truth. The five solas of the Reformation rightfully demand “Scripture Alone.” 4
God commands that we worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). How is that possible if we don’t KNOW who the Spirit is? We need the Person of the Spirit of God living in us to worship in Spirit and in truth.
May God deliver many souls from the egregious errors manifesting in the Flat Earth Movement.
Warnings Against Attacking the Holy Spirit
Three of the four Gospels warn against the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. While God alone knows, I suspect some in the FE Camp are guilty of this sin — particularly those who assign Jesus an unholy nature. I will not presume upon God to declare for certain. He alone knows.
Let’s take a quick look at the mentions in the three gospels to draw out some nuances:
Matthew 12:31-32: “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
Mark 3:28-30: “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Luke 12:10: “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.
Conclusions:
— All sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men (which includes against the Son and the Father), but blasphemy of the Spirit will NEVER be forgiven.
— Anyone who SPEAKS AGAINST the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.
— Those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit are subject to eternal condemnation.
— Saying Jesus has an unclean spirit is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Professing Christians would be well warned to get the doctrine of the Holy Spirit correct.
Study to Show Yourself Approved
There was a time when I questioned the doctrine of the Trinity. I had been taught so many lies in the church that I finally chose to put everything aside and study the Bible myself.
I’m so thankful that God had instilled in me a belief that the Bible is the source of all truth.
Please don’t take my word for any of this. Instead, take God at His Word. Study this topic until you are convinced and can support the reasons for what you believe with Scripture interpreting Scripture.
God desires all Christians to be unified in doctrine (Ephesians 4:13). And, He gave the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. We can trust Him to do that.
Please don’t trust a group or organization that tells you what to believe — especially if they need a prophet or extra-biblical material to support or prove their conclusions.
Let God be true and all men liars.
https://www.opc.org/wcf.html#Chapter_02
Saying that they are irrefutable is not the same as saying that no one will try to refute the evidence. There are many liars and deceivers out there who will do anything to twist the word of God and the minds of the simple. Sadly, they are demonically inspired.
https://medicine.missouri.edu/centers-institutes-labs/health-ethics/faq/personhood
In no way does that discount the use of books, commentaries, confessions, creeds, and catechisms. Literature that helps explain the Bible is much different than extra-biblical prophetic literature that is required in order to understand the Bible correctly.