The New Testament talks a lot about the Holy Spirit, yet many do not have a clear understanding of who or what the Holy Spirit is. However, it is important that we recognize who (not what) the Holy Spirit is and understand His work and purpose.
Who is the Holy Spirit? Let us notice four points about Him.
The Holy Spirit Is Deity
This means that the Holy Spirit is one of the persons of God – a member of the Godhead. Peter identified the Holy Spirit this way when he confronted Ananias for his sin: “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? […] You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:3-4). In lying to the Holy Spirit, Ananias was guilty of lying to God.
Yet the Holy Spirit is distinct from the other persons of God – the Father and the Son. In recording Jesus’ baptism, Matthew wrote, “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased’” (Matthew 3:16-17). The person of the Spirit was distinct from the person of the Father in heaven and the Son on the earth, yet the New Testament still refers to Him as “God.”
The Holy Spirit Guided the Apostles
The apostles were with Jesus daily, learned from Him, and would be commissioned to preach His gospel to the world. The Holy Spirit would be given to help them in this work. Notice what Jesus told them:
“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 that I said to you” (John 14:26).
“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning” (John 15:26-27).
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come” (John 16:13).
Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were able to recall, understand, and proclaim the perfect and complete will of Christ.
The Holy Spirit Inspired the Bible Writers
The Scriptures contain the words of those who were “moved by the Holy Spirit [and] spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20-21). Paul explained elsewhere that God revealed His will to us through the Spirit. Though the mysteries of God were previously hidden, Paul told the brethren in Corinth that “God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10). The result of this is that “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16) revealed to us in the New Testament.
Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). This inspiration was the work of the Holy Spirit. Through the word He revealed, we are able to be “adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
The Holy Spirit Is a “Gift”
On the day of Pentecost, Peter explained how to receive “the gift of the Holy Spirit.” He said, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Is this “gift” the Holy Spirit Himself or something we receive from the Holy Spirit? On one hand, there is a sense in which the Holy Spirit Himself has been given (like a gift) to those who keep God’s commandments (cf. 1 John 3:24).
However, it is important that we remember why salvation is necessary. Our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:2). Therefore, when we obey the gospel and our sins are forgiven, we can then have fellowship with Him. Paul described the Spirit being “given as a pledge” after we hear and respond to the gospel (Ephesians 1:13-14), representing the fellowship we now enjoy with God. This fellowship with God is the “gift of the Holy Spirit” that Peter promised on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38).
Conclusion
So who is the Holy Spirit? He (not “it”) is deity – one of the persons of the Godhead. He guided the apostles and inspired the writers of the Bible so that we can know the mind of Christ. He has been given so that we can have fellowship with God.
