The Holy Spirit

In God's Word, we must recognize that not all things should be read literally. For instance, Deut 32:15 gives God the title of "The Rock." Are we then to conclude that God is an inert mineral? Or, what about Heb 12:29, that says that "God is also a consuming fire," ought we then to suppose that God is some sort of super-heated plasma? Discerning persons recognize that the Scriptures speak to us in comparisons. Thus, we grasp the idea that God is like a Rock, or he is like a consuming fire in specific ways.

The Bible also uses a common literary device known as personification it means that things and even intangible concepts are sometimes portrayed as persons. When Jehovah tried to warn Cain of the grave moral dangers that were facing him, God personified sin saying that it was crouching at the door, as if craving to pounce upon Cain. In Proverbs, that laziness will invite poverty that will come upon us like an armed robber. Paul referred to death ruling as a king over mankind. These are biblical examples of personification.

God lives in heaven, yet by means of his dynamic holy spirit power he is able to extend his control over the vast reaches of the universe as well as our tiny earth. The holy spirit comes from God and causes His Will to be done; it being imbued with God's own character.

God's creative power can be personified at times. There are other instances, though, where God's spirit is referred to as an "it." 1 Co 12:11 says: "But all these operations the one and the same spirit performs, making a distribution to each one respectively just as it wills."If the holy spirit were a person it would be inappropriate to refer to him as an "it." Jehovah and Jesus are never referred to that way, and yet the spirit is.

The Hebrew Scriptures, the word most frequently used for "spirit" is ru'ach, meaning "breath ; wind ; spirit." In the Greek Scriptures, the word is pneu'ma, having a similar meaning. On the whole, the NT, like the OT, speaks of the spirit as a divine energy or power."

THE Bible's use of "holy spirit" indicates that it is a controlled force that Jehovah God uses to accomplish a variety of his purposes. To a certain extent, it can be likened to electricity, a force that can be adapted to perform a great variety of operations. At Ge 1:2 the Bible states that spirit of "God moved ["spirit" (Hebrew, ru'ach)] was moving to and fro over the surface of the waters." Here, God's spirit was active working to shape the earth.

God uses his spirit to enlighten those who serve him. "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Your spirit [ru'ach] is good; may it lead me in the land of uprightness." Ps 143:10 When 70 capable men were appointed to help Moses, God said to him: "I shall have to take away some of the spirit [ru'ach] that is upon you and place it upon them." Nu 11:17

Bible prophecy was recorded when men of God were "borne along by holy spirit." 2 Pe 1:20, 21. In this way the Bible was "inspired of God," the Greek word for which is The·o'pneu·stos, meaning "God-breathed." 2 Ti 3:16. And holy spirit guided certain people to see visions or to have prophetic dreams. 2 Sa 23:2; Joe 2:28, 29; Lu 1:67; Ac 1:16; 2:32, 33

The holy spirit impelled Jesus to go into the wilderness after his baptism. Mr 1:12. The spirit was like a fire within God's servants, causing them to be energized by the spirit. And it enabled them to speakout boldly and courageously. Mic 3:8; Ac 7:55-60; 18:25; Ro 12:11; 1 Th 5:19

By his spirit, God carries out his judgments on men and nations. Isa 30:27, 28; 59:18, 19. And God's spirit can reach everywhere, acting for people or against them. Ps 139:7-12

GOD'S Spirit can also supply "power beyond what is normal" to those who serve him. 2 Co 4:7. This enables them to endure trials of faith or to do things they could not otherwise do. Regarding Samson, Jug 14:6 relates: "The spirit of Yahweh seized on him, and though he had no weapon in his hand he tore the lion in pieces." Did a divine person actually enter or seize Samson, manipulating his body to do what he did? No, it was really "the power of the LORD" [that] made Samson strong."

The Bible says that when Jesus was baptized, holy spirit came down upon him appearing like a dove, not like a human form. Mr 1:10. This moving power of God enabled Jesus to heal the sick and raise the dead. Lu 5:17 says: "The Power of the Lord [God] was behind his [Jesus'] works of healing."

God's spirit also empowered the disciples of Jesus to do miraculous things. Ac 2:1-4 relates that the disciples were assembled together at Pentecost when "suddenly there occurred from heaven a noise just like that of a rushing stiff breeze, and they all became filled with holy spirit and started to speak with different tongues, just as the spirit was granting them to make utterance." So the holy spirit gave Jesus and other servants of God the power to do what humans ordinarily could not do.

Not a Person

On one occasion the holy spirit appeared as a dove. On another occasion it appeared as tongues of fire, never as a person. In the Scriptures it is not unusual for something to be personified. Wisdom is said to have children. Lu 7:35 Sin and death are called kings. Ro 5:14, 21. At Ge 4:7 says: "Sin is a demon crouching at the door," personifying sin as a wicked spirit crouching at Cain's door. But, of course, sin is not a spirit person.

Similarly, at 1 Jo 5:6-8 not only the spirit but also "the water, and the "blood" are said to be "witnesses." But water and blood are obviously not persons, and neither is the holy spirit a person.

The Bible's general usage of "holy spirit" in an impersonal way, such as paralleling it with water and fire. Mt 3:11; Mr 1:8. People are urged to become filled with holy spirit instead of with wine. Eph 5:18. They are spoken of as being filled with holy spirit in the same way they are filled with such qualities as wisdom, faith, and joy. Ac 6:3; 11:24; 13:52 at 2 Co 6:6

Bible texts say that the spirit speaks, other texts show that this was actually done through humans or angels. Mt 10:19, 20; Ac 4:24, 25; 28:25; Heb 2:2. The action of the spirit in such instances is like that of radio waves transmitting messages from one person to another far away.

Mt 28:19 reference is made to "the name of the holy spirit." But the word "name" does not always mean a personal name, either in Greek or in English. When we say "in the name of the law," we are not referring to a person. We mean that which the law stands for, its authority. The NT says: "The use of name (onoma) here is a common one and the papyri for power or authority." God functions by divine will.

The "Helper"

JESUS spoke of the holy spirit as a "helper" and he said it would teach, guide, and speak. Joh 14:16, 26; 16:13. The Greek word he used for helper (pa·ra'kle·tos) is in the masculine gender. So when Jesus referred to what the helper would do, he used masculine personal pronouns. Joh 16:7, 8. On the other hand, when the neuter Greek word for spirit (pneu'ma) is used, the neuter pronoun "it" is properly employed. The Bible admits regarding Joh 14:17: "The Greek word for 'Spirit' is neuter, and while personal pronouns in English ('he,' 'his,' 'him'), most Greek [manuscripts] employ 'it.'" So when the Bible uses masculine personal pronouns in connection with pa·ra'kle·tos at Joh 16:7, 8, it is conforming to rules of grammar, not expressing a doctrine.

"The Jews never regarded the spirit as a person; nor is there any solid evidence that any OT writers held this view. The Holy Spirit is usually presented in the Synoptics [Gospels] and in Acts as a divine force or power."

"The OT clearly does not envisage God's spirit as a person . God's spirit is simply God's power. If it is sometimes represented as the breath and life of the living God Yahweh acts exteriorly." It also says: "The majority of NT texts reveal God's spirit as something, not someone; this is especially seen in the parallelism between the spirit and the power of God."

The Jews nor the early Christians viewed the holy spirit as part of a Trinity. That teaching came centuries later. As "The third Person was asserted at a Council of Alexandria in 362 . . . and finally by the Council of Constantinople of 381" some three and a half centuries after holy spirit filled the disciples at Pentecost!


The holy spirit is God's creative power that he uses to accomplish his will.