Question
There is much talk about the Holy Spirit these days, and some people are saying that the Holy Spirit is not a separate Person, but just a power, a force, that comes from God. What does the Bible say?
Answer
Let’s start by looking at what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit.
John 14 16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 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.”
John 15 26 “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. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”
John 16 7 “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. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
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. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”
Here we have Jesus, who at that point had been on the earth for 33 years as a human being, telling the disciples that He will soon leave them, but that He will be replaced by another. Another what? Another Being just like Jesus, of course, Who would take over from Him. Jesus, while on earth as a human being, was restricted, as He could only speak to the people who were with Him. But now another Being, another Person like Jesus, would come, Who had the ability to be everywhere at the same time, to speak to everyone on earth at the same time, and so be more effective than Jesus had been. Jesus obviously sees the Holy Spirit as a Person in His own right, not just a power. Look at what Jesus said to His disciples just before He left the earth, in which He put the Holy Spirit on the same level as God the Father and God the Son.
Matthew 28 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 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, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
I’m now going to give you, from the book of Acts, some of the ways in which the Holy Spirit worked among the disciples, and can work among us today, if we allow Him to.
Acts 8 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
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.
Acts 11:12 Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.
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.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
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:
Acts 16 6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.
Acts 18:5 When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.
Acts 20:28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
Acts 21:11 When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”
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 …”
In these passages we see the Holy Spirit doing things that only a Person can do, like directing the actions of the disciples, talking to them, instructing them, stopping them from going to some places, in one instance taking Philip from one place in the desert to a town far away. And what is more, people can also do things to the Holy Spirit, like lie to Him, test and resist Him, and grieve Him.
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.
Luke 11:13 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Galatians 5 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Ephesians 1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
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.
So, to summarise, the Holy Spirit is God on earth, the Third Person of the Godhead, speaking to every person, quietly, through the mind, wooing them with His love, to try and draw them to accept God. He lives in the people who accept Him, changing their characters slowly throughout their lives, guiding them on the path to heaven. He brings to mind what Jesus did for us on earth, comforts us in our grief, helps us when we cry out for help, guides us into all spiritual truth. And when we need to explain Godly things, defend our faith, and speak up for God, He is the One who gives us the words, and when to say them. Without any doubt, the Holy Spirit is a Person, not a force or influence.
Finally, look at what is said about a person who does not have the Holy Spirit.
Jude 16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. 17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
I trust that this makes sense to you. God bless!
