Who is the Holy Spirit according to the Holy writ?

The identity of the Holy Spirit has been a subject of great contention. The nature of the Holy Spirit is misunderstood by many. Some people see the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force or power, rather than a real person. Others do not even regard the holy Spirit in anyway, to them the Holy Spirit is a myth. 

The Nicene creed gave a biblical definition of the nature of the Holy Spirit in these words, "He is the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.” I encourage you to prayerfully read  my thoughts on the person and nature of the Holy Spirit for your edification.

The Holy Spirit is God 

The Holy Spirit according to the holy writ is that He is God. Apostle Peter said this: 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? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God"-- Acts 5; 3-4.

From the passage, we can see that lying to the Holy Spirit is synonymous to lying to God. Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, but in effect he lied not to men, but to God himself.

He is a member of the Holy Trinity 

God is one, but eternally exists as three distinct persons, namely the Father, Son and Spirit. They are co-equal, co-eternal, co-powerful and they possesses equal divine nature. The Holy Spirit is as much God as the Father and the Son. 

Jesus Christ after his resurrection, and before his ascension, he gave his disciples a charge saying: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit-- Matthew 28; 19.

Jesus here places the Holy Spirit on an equal pedestal with the Father and himself. 

"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-- John 15; 26

In this text, Jesus ascribes two titles to the Holy Spirit, he calls him the Helper, and the Spirit of Truth which describes aspects of his person and work. So we can see the trinity here, the Spirit of Truth or the helper, a reference to the Holy Spirit, and the Father from whom proceeds the Spirit and Jesus Christ himself.

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all"-- 2 Corinthians 13; 14

From the prayer of the apostle, we can see that the Holy Spirit is an active member of the Godhead, and we can invoke his name in prayer.

He possesses divine attributes 

If the Holy Spirit is God, then he must possess divine attributes which makes him truly God. Let us look at some of the divine attributes of the Holy Spirit.

He is ubiquitous or omnipresent 

The psalmist said this: Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there-- Psalm 139; 7-8

From the text, we can see that the Holy Spirit is every where simultaneously, his ubiquity is evident in this verse.

Romans 8:9

"However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him"

The Holy Spirit also dwells inside believers all over around the world. Whoever has trusted in Christ Jesus for salvation is indwelt by the holy Spirit, which is an indubitable proof of his ubiquity.

He is omnipotent 

Genesis 1:2

The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

The Spirit of God was actively involved in the work of creation. He exerted his omnipotent power in bringing about creation. 

The Holy Spirit is also Eternal 

Hebrews 9:14

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The author tells us that Jesus Christ offered himself without spot unto God through the eternal Spirit. This text emphasizes the eternal nature of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit 

The Holy Spirit is invisible to the human eye, but at the baptism of Jesus by the John the Baptist, the Spirit was for the first time visible to the human eye. He manifested himself bodily in the form of a dove and he descended on Jesus, and filled him with power to fulfill his ministry, see (Luke 3; 21-22).

Jesus completely relied on the person of the Holy Spirit to fulfill his earthly ministry. All the mind blowing miracles Jesus wrought, he performed all those miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit. This same Holy Spirit was active in the life and ministry of the apostles, and he is active in the lives of all believers around the world today. God bless you 

A thought to ponder 🤔 

lying to the Holy Spirit is synonymous to lying to God

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