Chapter 11

The Holy Spirit

His Personality

A correct understanding of the biblical teaching of the Holy Spirit can revolutionize your life. Like the other basic doctrines we have been studying, a good grasp of the personality and work of the Holy Spirit is essential for consistent Christian growth and living because it is through Him that we are empowered for Christian life and service. We need to know how this empowerment takes place in the lives of those who know and love Jesus.

In discussing the Holy Spirit, two basic teachings of Scripture will be studied: first, He is a person, like God the Father and Jesus Christ are persons; and second, He is Himself deity, being part of the eternal Godhead. We start by seeing that the Holy Spirit is a distinct person.

HE IS MORE THAN AN INFLUENCE

The Holy Spirit is a Person

He Can Be Grieved — The Scripture teaches in many places and in many ways that the Holy Spirit is a person. For example, Ephesians 4:30 is an exhortation to Christians which says, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." This shows that the Holy Spirit has emotional feelings. He is grieved when we do things that are wrong. It is impossible to grieve a dead object — a mere force which flows from God. Only a person can be grieved, not a thing. When the Word of God says, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God," it gives us a definite understanding of the personality of the Holy Spirit.

Notice carefully the context of Ephesians 4 that speaks of the Holy Spirit being grieved. In this passage Paul tells us about some of the things that grieve Him.

Ephesians 4:25-32

25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.

28 Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.

29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Did you notice that the sins which grieve the Holy Spirit are not just corrupt language and the acts of overt violence and immorality? The more deceptive sins of heart attitude also bring grief to Him. Among those sins are bitterness, anger, and malice. Our wicked hearts grieve the Holy Spirit as much as overt sin.

He Maintains Relationships

He Can Fellowship — Not only can the Holy Spirit be grieved, He also has personal dealings and relationships with other people. The Apostle's blessing in 2 Corinthians 13:14 says, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." The word "fellowship" implies a warm, personal relationship between individuals. The dictionary says that fellowship is "the companionship of individuals" in a friendly atmosphere. Therefore, the Holy Spirit's fellowship with us is a proof of His personal being.

He Leads Us — Likewise, as a person, the Holy Spirit leads us to do good works, and shows us the best course of action to take. In the early Church a problem arose over circumcision and keeping the Law of Moses. Some taught that the Gentiles, in addition to having faith in Jesus, must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses in order to be saved. A discussion in the first Church council recorded in Acts 15 came to a settled conclusion. A letter was written to Gentile believers stating in part:

Acts 15:28-29

28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials:

29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well.

In this instance, the apostles acknowledged the leadership of the Holy Spirit in arriving at their conclusion. They knew they were in agreement with the Holy Spirit in making that exact declaration. "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit," as well as to the apostles, to lay no greater burden on the Gentiles than the four essentials mentioned in the passage.

He Speaks to Men — In Acts 13 the Holy Spirit spoke to the church in Antioch. The Scripture says:

Acts 13:2-4

2 And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their 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.

It is obvious from the wording of this Scripture that the Holy Spirit is Himself a real person because He is able to communicate. He used the personal word "Me" and said He was the one who called Barnabas and Saul to a particular work.

We saw that the Holy Spirit spoke to the churches in Acts 15 when He agreed to send the letter with the apostles. In Revelation 2 the Holy Spirit also speaks directly to the churches. Verse seven says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

He Has a Mind — There are a number of other ways the Scripture indicates we may see that the Holy Spirit is a person. For example, other personal characteristics are ascribed to Him. Paul taught that the Spirit has a mind to reason. He said, "He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:27). Thus, God, who searches the hearts, knows what the mind of the Holy Spirit is. To put it plainly, the Holy Spirit has a mind.

He Has a Will — Now, moving on to 1 Corinthians 12, we find that He distributes spiritual gifts as He wills. Paul wrote in verse 11, "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills." The Holy Spirit has a definite will and He exercises it in distributing gifts to the body of Christ for the common good.

He Prays for Us — We learn much from the Apostle Paul. He said in Romans 8, "And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" (Romans 8:26). The Holy Spirit prays on our behalf just as we saw in an earlier study that Jesus Christ prays on our behalf. It is important to note that He "intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." Some of our brethren say this means speaking in tongues. I would like to point out that the Scripture says it is "too deep for words," but speaking in tongues is indeed a use of words. This is a groaning which goes so deep, it is beyond any words our tongues can employ. The Holy Spirit is the one who intercedes for us in such a way with God.

He Can Be Insulted — Do you know that the Holy Spirit can be insulted? Have you ever insulted Him? Let's read about that in Hebrews 10:29, "How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?" People insult the Spirit of God when they reject His testimony to Jesus. My, what an awful thing it is to insult the Spirit of God. The first part of the above verse gives us some idea!

He Can Be Told a Lie — In Acts chapter five we find that a person can lie to the Holy Spirit. You may know the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Peter asked Ananias, "why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land?" (Acts 5:3). Sapphira was in agreement with Ananias, conspiring with him to lie about the price of the land. As a result, both paid with their lives; they dropped dead in the assembly and had to be carried out.

Has the Holy Spirit ever convicted you of a sin and you denied it? It is certainly possible for a believer to lie to the Holy Spirit. Do not be guilty of such a terrible thing!

Make It Personal

The importance of recognizing that the Holy Spirit is a person can hardly be overstated. Once we realize that the Spirit of God is a person, it should make us more careful not to grieve Him through our sin, or insult Him by refusing His work of grace in our lives. When the Holy Spirit convicts of sin through God's Word, we must listen with an open heart. His conviction is clear and gentle, always pointing to Jesus and Calvary for forgiveness and cleansing.

It is only as we cooperate with Him that we come to experience the full blessing which God intends for us. Before the crucifixion and ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:39). The coming of the Spirit of God had to await the ascension and glorification of Jesus Christ. Once Jesus paid for our sin and was glorified, the Holy Spirit could take up His residence in the innermost being of those who believe.

If you have already believed on Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, but did not realize that God has placed His Spirit within you, you should take a moment now to thank God for His gift. Invite the Holy Spirit to take control of your life for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. You will find a great difference as He gives you power over sin and power to witness about Jesus.

If you have never trusted in Jesus Christ, then you are missing the most blessed relationship you could ever have with another person. The Holy Spirit is waiting for you to trust Jesus. When you do, you will also have His help and fellowship day by day. I urge you to trust Jesus Christ right now for the forgiveness of your sins.

John 15:26

26 "When the Helper comes, whom I [Jesus] will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me."

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