Deity of the Holy Spirit

A) The Holy Spirit is called God: (Acts 5:3-4) (2 Cor 3:17-18) (1Cor15:45)

B) Has the incommunicable attributes of God:
1. He is eternal: (Heb 9:14)
2. He is Omnipresent: (Psalm 139:7-10)
3. He is Omniscient: (1Cor 2:10-11) (Isaiah 40:13)
4. He is Omnipotent: (Zechariah 4:6)

C) Divine works are ascribed to Him:
1. Creation (Gen. 1:2) ( Psalms. 104:30) (Job26:13; 33:4)
2. Incarnation: (Matt. 1:18,20) (Luke 1:35)
3. Resurrection: (Rom. 1:4; 8:11)
4. Salvation, redemption, regeneration and sanctification: (Rom. 8:1-27) ( 2Thess 2:13) (1Peter1:2) (2Cor3:18) (John 3:5-8) (Rom 8:11)

D) He is a person; He exercises the attributes of Personality: That which possesses intelligence, feeling and will; Personality does not necessarily require a body (Lack of definite form is no argument against reality)

His personality is indicated by the fact that He was manifested in the visible form of a dove (Matt3:16) and also by the fact that He is distinguished from His gifts (1Cor 12:11)

a. Has a name: (Matt. 28:19) note that even though "name" might be used of a non-person, here, in conjunction with the Father and the Son, it must be used of a person.
b. Has a mind (Rom8:27)
c. Has a will (1Cor12:11)
d. Has Feeling and can be grieved or vexed ( Eph 4:30) (Isaiah63:10)

E) Personal activities are ascribed to Him:
a. He reveals (2Peter 1:21) (Eph 3:3-5) (1Cor2:9-12)
b. Teaches (John 14:26) (1 Cor 2:13)
c. Witnesses (Gal 4:6) (Rom 8:9,16)
d. Intercedes ( Rom 8:26-27)
e. Speaks ( Rev 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22;14:13) (Acts 13:2) (1Tim 4:1)(2Samuel23:2-3) (Matthew10:20) fJohn16:13) (Acts8:29; 10:19)
g. Commands (Acts 16:6-7)
h. Testifies (John 15:26) (1Pet1:11)
i. He directs (Acts 16:6-7)
j. He appoints ( Acts 5:3-4)
k. Can be Lied to and tempted (Acts 5:3-9)
l. Can be blasphemed ( Matt 12:31-32)
m. can give wisdom understanding and knowledge. (Acts6:10) (Exodus35:31) (Exodus28:3, 31:3) (Duet34:9)
n. Can Prophesy and show the future (Numbers11:25-27,27) (1Samuel 10:6,10; 19:20) (Joel2:28) (Acts2:17-18; 11:28) (John16:13-14)
o. He can make mighty signs, wonders and miracles to happen (Rom 15:19) (Gal3:5)
p. Can physically transport a person to another place (Acts8:29-40)
q. He leads us and helps us to overcome sin(Rom8:13-14)(Gal5:16-17)
r. He adopts us as sons into God’s family (Rom8:15-17) (Gal4:6-7)
s. Can be quenched (1Thess5:19)

F) Is the "Helper" or “Comforter”.
a. Is another Helper: (John 14:16) (1 John 2:1) note also that "Helper" (parakletos) was used in Greek always or almost always of persons
b. Is sent in Jesus' name, to teach: (John 14:26)
c. Will arrive, and then bear witness: (John 15:26-27)
d. Is sent by Christ to convict of sin, will speak not on his own but on behalf of Christ (John16:8-15)
e. Will glorify Christ, thus exhibiting humility: (John 16:7-14)
f. He helps us to obey the truth (1Peter1:22)
g. He comforts and is glorified in the persecuted suffering Christians(1Pet4:14)
h. He can give us supernatural gifts (Acts2:4) (1Cor12:4-11)
i. He helps us to pray (Eph6:18)
j. He gives us power, love and a sound mind (2Tim1:7) (Eph3:16)

Other names, titles and functions

F) Is the Holy Spirit, in contrast to unholy spirits: (Mark 3:22-30) (Matt. 12:32) (1 Tim. 4:1) ( 1 John 3:24) (1John4:2-6)

G) Symbols of the Holy Spirit:
a. The Holy Spirit as fire: (Isa4:4) (Matt. 3;11) ( Luke 3:16) (Ex. 3:2-4) ( Deut. 4;24; 9:3) ( Heb. 12:29)
b. Wind (Ezek37:7-10) (John3:8) (Actsa2:2)
c. Water (Ex17:6) (Ezek36:25-27; 47:1) (John3:5; 4:14; 7:38-39)
d. Seal (Eph1:13) (2Tim2:19) (Eph4:30)
e. Dove (Matt3:16) The Jewish tradition translates this verse as follows “ The Spirit of God like a dove brooded over the waters”. (Gen1:2)
f. Oil; perhaps the most familiar and common symbol of the Holy Spirit.
g. He is also called the finger of God (Luke 11:20)

H) He is the Spirit of Grace (Hebrews10:29) (Zech12:10)

I) He is also called the Spirit of Truth: (John14:17; 15:26; 16:13)(1John5:6)

J) He is the Spirit of promise; (Ezek36:27) (Joel 2:28) (Luke24:49) (Gal 3:14)

K) Spirit of Life: (Rom8:2) (Rev11;11)

L) Spirit of Adoption: (Rom8:15)

M) Creative Spirit: (Gen2:7) (Job 26:13; 33:40) (Psalm33:6; 104:30) (Dan5:23) (Acts17:28) (John1:13)

N) Other functions of the Holy Spirit related to preparing believers for service:
a. The Holy Spirit poured out: (Acts 2:17, 33) (Isa. 53:12) ( Phil. 2:17) ( 2 Tim. 4:6 )
b. Being filled with the Holy Spirit: (Eph. 5:18 etc) (Eph. 3:17, 19; 4:10)
c. He dwells in all believers (Rom8:9) (1Cor3:16)(James4:5) (1John3:24) (1John4:13)
d. Miracles (Acts5:12-15; 19:11-12)
e. The Gifts of the Spirit (1Cor12:4-10) (Acts2:33)

P) He is in co-ordinate rank with the Father and the Son:
a. (1Cor 12:4-6) (2Cor 13:14) (Matt 28:19) (Rev 1:4)
b. He is called the Spirit of God and also the Spirit of Christ in (Rom8:9-11)
c. The “Spirit of the Lord” and the “Spirit of God” (Judges11:29; 13:25; 14:6,19; 15:19) (1Samuel16:13; 19:23)
d. "the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit": use of definite article before each personal noun indicates distinct persons unless explicitly stated otherwise; compare (Rev. 1:17; 2:8, 26)

Q) Jesus is not the Holy Spirit:

1. The Holy Spirit is "another Comforter (Helper)" (John 14:16; 15:26) compare an “Advocate “(1 John 2:1).
2. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit (John 15:26; 16:7) (Rom8:9-11).
3. The Holy Spirit exhibits humility (John 16:13) always does the will of God, never draws attention to Himself and always seeks to glorify Jesus Christ (John 16:14).
4. The Son and the Holy Spirit are distinguished as two persons in (Matt. 28:19).
5. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus (Luke 3:22).
6. Jesus is the one that baptizes with the holy Ghost, He is not Himself the Holy Ghost (John1:33).

7. Arguments commonly used to try and prove that Jesus is the Holy Spirit:

a. (2 Cor 3:17) the Spirit is here called "Lord" in the sense of being Yahweh or God, not Jesus; note (Acts 28:25-27) cf. (Isa.6:8-10) The context suggests that the Lord is the spirit of the OT just as “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10). All the types and shadows of the OT find their fulfillment in Christ. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty means that wherever Jesus Christ is recognized as Lord or Jehovah, there is liberty, that is, freedom from the bondage of the law, freedom from obscurity in reading the Scriptures, and freedom to gaze upon His face without a veil between.


b. (1 Cor15:45) Jesus is "a life-giving Spirit," not in the sense that He is the Holy Spirit whom He sent at Pentecost, but in the sense that He is the glorified God-man; and as God He is Spirit by nature. All three persons of the Trinity are Spirit, though there are not three divine Spirits; and only one person is designated "the Holy Spirit." (2 Cor. 3:6) (John6:63) He is alive in the Spirit (see 1 Pet. 3:18), to give life to all who believe. This is why Paul speaks of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:2)

c. (Rom 8:27, 34) The fact that two persons intercede for us is consistent with the fact that we have two Advocates (John 14:16) (1 John 2:1).

d. (John14:18) Jesus here refers to His appearances to the disciples after the resurrection (compare14:19), not to the coming of the Spirit.

R) The Father is not the Holy Spirit:

1. The Father sent and gives us the Holy Spirit (John 14:15; 15:26) (1Thess4:8).
2. The Holy Spirit intercedes with the Father for us (Rom. 8:26-27).
3. The Father and the Holy Spirit are distinguished as two persons in (Matt. 28:19) (Luke11:13).
4. The Holy Spirit gives us access to the Father (Eph2:18)

5. Arguments commonly used to try and prove that the Father is the Holy Spirit:

a. (Matt. 1:18) (Luke 1:35) It is argued that the Holy Spirit is the Father of the incarnate Son of God; this argument ignores the fact that the "conception" is not a product of physical union between a man and a woman!

b. The Father and the Holy Spirit are both said to be active in various activities; the resurrection of Jesus (Gal 1:1) (Rom. 8:11), comforting Christians (2 Cor1:3-4) (John 14:26), sanctifying Christians (1 Peter 1:2) (Jude 1), etc: The most these facts prove is that the two work together; they do not prove the two are one person.

Just like the son is God so the Holy Spirit is also God, He is the ‘active’ one of the Godhead so to speak, He caries out the will of the Father having been send by the Son.