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The Person of the Holy Spirit · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking. We're glad you're joining us for
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this deep dive. Today we're tuning our focus to
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a really critical figure in Christian belief, one that's
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maybe often misunderstood the Holy Spirit.
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This is definitely a topic that shapes so much of how we
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understand God and, well, how He interacts with us and the world.
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Yeah, that's true. For many people, the Holy Spirit
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can seem a bit hazy. Maybe it's often easier to
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picture God the Father you know as Creator, or Jesus the Son,
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the Redeemer who walked the earth.
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The Spirit can feel less distinct.
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But really the Spirit is right at the heart of your personal
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experience with God. So our goal today, using the
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theological texts and church history notes you've gathered,
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is to try and unveil the biblical teachings.
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This historical understanding basically off you a clearer
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picture of who the Spirit is and what he does both in the world
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and importantly in your life. OK, so let's unpack this for
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you. We'll get into why looking
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closely at the Spirit matters so much.
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We'll also touch on what makes understanding him maybe
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particularly challenging sometimes.
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And then we'll trace how the church is understanding
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developed over the centuries. And crucially, we want to look
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at the clear biblical evidence for his divine nature, his
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godhood, and also his personhood.
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Is he a person? Let's find out why studying the
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Holy Spirit called such significance.
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All right, First things first, why dedicate this time?
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Why is the Holy Spirit so central to, you know, the
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Christian walk? It's not just abstract theology,
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is it? No, not at all.
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What's really compelling here, I think, is that the Holy Spirit
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acts as the direct point of contact.
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He's the one who makes the Triune Godhead personal for you,
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the believer. Think about it, the Father,
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sometimes he can see maybe vast, the Architect maybe a little
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distant conceptually for some, and the sun's earthly ministry,
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while absolutely central, it's a historical event, happened in a
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specific time and place. But the Holy Spirit, he is
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active within believers right now, today.
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He is the specific person of the Trinity through whom the entire
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Godhead is currently operating in us.
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He's not some add on. He's the very presence of God
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with you, making God tangible in your daily life.
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That's a really critical point. Many people might not fully
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grasp just how prominent the spirits work is right now.
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Can you maybe unpack that a bit more?
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Why is this era so unique, characterized by his activity?
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Sure we are. You could say, living in the age
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of the Spirit. His activities is in many ways
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more visible now than that of the other members of the
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Trinity. If you look through the Bible,
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the Father's work was perhaps most apparent in the Old
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Testament creation, the covenants establishing his law.
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The Son's work was obviously front and center during the
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Gospels, His life, death, resurrection, ascension, that
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specific period. But the Holy Spirit, he really
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steps onto the mainstage, you might say, from Pentecost
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onward. That covers Acts, the epistles,
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and really all of church histories since then, right up
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to this moment. This is, in a real sense, the
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Spirit's time to apply Christ's work.
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And that connects directly to experience, doesn't it?
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For you, living today, maybe in a culture that really values
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felt experience, this brings a certain tangibility to faith.
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It seems to move faith beyond just intellectual agreement or
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knowing historical facts. It becomes something you can
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personally engage with. Yes, exactly.
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And that really addresses a core desire many have for a real
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connection with God. It's primarily through the Holy
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Spirit's work that believers perceive God's presence within
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them, that inner witness, that sense of God's nearness, his
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actual indwelling. This is what gives Christian
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life. That's specific, tangible
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quality. It's shifted from just abstract
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belief to, well, a lived experience.
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It's about sensing the reality of God, not just knowing
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concepts about Him. This active personal presence is
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why he's so central. 2 obstacles to a full grasp of the Holy
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Spirit's being. OK, so he's central, He's active
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now, He makes faith tangible. Yet it seems like understanding
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the doctrine of the Holy Spirit can still be quite difficult,
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often maybe more incomplete or even confused compared to how we
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think about the Father of the Son.
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Why do you think that is? What makes him harder to sort of
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pin down? Yeah, that's a common
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observation, and there's several reasons.
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Is simply that there's less direct biblical revelation
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focused solely on the Holy Spirit compared to the Father or
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the Son. The Father's deity is often
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assumed foundational. The Son's deity is explicitly
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stated, argued for, demonstrated throughout the Gospels and
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epistles with the Holy Spirit. His divine nature is often
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something we infer from various statements, His actions, his
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associations, rather than long direct declarations about Him.
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A big part of his ministry, remember, is to point to and
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glorify the Son. So ironically, his focus on
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Christ means Scripture sometimes focuses less directly on him,
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and you don't find, say, a whole epistle dedicated to explain to
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the Holy Spirit systematically. Jesus is teaching in John 14 to
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16 is really the main extended block.
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Mostly he's mentioned in connection with something else,
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a gift, an action, inspiration. So it's more like putting
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together pieces from all over scripture, not reading a single
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chapter explaining it all. Right, It's not laid out like a
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systematic theology textbook chapter.
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And then there's the challenge of picturing him, isn't there?
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That seems like a big hurdle. We have ways to conceptualize
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the Father, and obviously the Son became human.
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But the Spirit. Exactly.
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That's another major factor, the lack of concrete imagery.
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God, the fault. We have the concept of
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fatherhood, even with his human limitations, it gives us a
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framework, power, care, authority.
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The son, well, he became human. He walked, talked. 8 We have
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historical accounts, eyewitness testimony.
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We could visualize him, but the spirit, he's intangible, hard to
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visualize. We use symbols.
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Wind, fire, a dove. Powerful symbols, yes, but
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they're analogies, not a depiction of his actual form or
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being. And you know, the older King
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James use of Holy Ghost probably didn't help either.
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It could sound a bit spooky or ethereal.
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Rather than pointing to a distinct divine person.
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That historical language might have added another layer of
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mystery or distance for some. And there's also a risk, isn't
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there, of misunderstanding his role, misinterpreting his
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current work as somehow meaning he's well less than fully divine
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because he is sent? That's a critical point and you
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know, common confusion, sometimes called functional
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subordination versus ontological subordination.
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During this current age. The Spirit carries out the will
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of the Father and the Son. He operates, you could say, in a
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role of service within the Godhead's plan, much like the
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Son during his earthly ministry, submitted to the Father's will.
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He came to do the Father's will. That was his mission, his
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function then. But this functional role, this
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temporary ordering of tasks, must not lead us to think He has
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a lower standing in his actual being, His essence.
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He's eternally God Co equal. Yet practically speaking, some
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informal views, maybe unconsciously, do tend to
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picture the Spirit as somehow lesser than the Father and Son.
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It's sort of like the ancient era of Arianism regarding the
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sun seeing the one sent as inherently inferior in being.
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It's an easy mistake to slip into if we're not careful
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theologically. And that connects to today, too.
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Especially in certain Christian circles, just talking about the
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Spirit can spark some pretty lively discussions, even
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disagreements. It's become a bit of a charge
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topic for some, hasn't it? Well, absolutely.
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In recent decades, particularly around things like spiritual
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gifts, manifestations, experiences, the doctrine of the
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Holy Spirit has become quite debated, especially at the
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popular level. And this can lead to some
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hesitation, frankly, to even discuss the Spirit because
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people worry it might cause division or arguments.
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You know, in some contexts, identifying as charismatic is
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seen positively a side of vibrant faith.
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In others it might be viewed with suspicion or disagreement.
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So this popular level controversy means understanding
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of the Spirit sometimes remains more incomplete or muddled than
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other doctrines simply because people might avoid digging into
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it to keep the peace, or they just don't know how to navigate
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the different views. 3 The journey of the doctrine of the
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Holy Spirit through history. OK, so bearing those challenges
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in mind, the indirect revelation, the lack of imagery,
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the functional roles, the modern debates, how did the Church's
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understanding of the Holy Spirit actually develop over time?
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You mentioned it wasn't always crystal clear.
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It sounds like a doctrine that was refined often in response to
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specific questions or challenges.
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Can you walk us through that historical journey?
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Certainly. It's definitely a story of
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gradual development, often spurred on by controversy, which
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forced the church to articulate its beliefs more fully and
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precisely. It wasn't static.
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So in the earliest church, say the 1st century up to the late
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2nd century, there wasn't a lot explicitly spelled out informal
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creeds about the Spirit, and early focus was definitely on
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the Spirit as the source of scripture.
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That origin, for instance, talked about the Bible being
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written by the Holy Spirit. Divine inspiration was key.
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Some early writers like Athan Agris had this idea of prophets
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being almost seized by the Spirit.
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Like a flute player breathing through a flute.
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Very passive, but most, including Augustine, later
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sought more collaboratively. Writers using their own minds,
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memories, styles, but the Spirit stimulating them and ensuring
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accuracy, not just dictation. By the late 2nd century though,
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you start seeing a clear focus on his divine nature.
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The limit of Rome, for example, puts the Father, Son and Spirit
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together in formulations. And Tertullian he was quite
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explicit, calling the Holy Spirit God and stressing that he
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shared the same divine substance with the Father and Son.
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But even then, views varied you. Had Paul of Sam Asada.
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Seeing the Spirit is just impersonal grace, Irenaeus
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thought of him more like an attribute, God's wisdom and
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origin. Well, origin was complex.
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He came close to calling the Spirit the most honorable
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created being, which sounds a bit like later Aryan views, and
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risked splitting the Godhead too sharply almost towards tritheism
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while also talking about his subordination.
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So lots of different threads early on.
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So even very early you had this recognition of the Spirit's
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divine role, but also this real wrestling with how to define Him
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precisely. It wasn't a neat package deal
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from day one. It really highlights that
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theology is often forged in the fire of discussion and debate.
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Where did things go from there, especially as the church faced
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major challenges about Christ's nature?
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Exactly. The next big steps came in the
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4th and 5th centuries. This was the era of the great
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Christological Councils and understanding the Spirit really
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developed alongside almost as a consequence of defining who
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Jesus is. The question became, if the Son
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could be fully God and distinct from the Father, why not a third
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divine person, the Spirit? Interestingly, devotion to the
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Spirit often ran ahead of theological definition.
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People worshipped him, prayed to him, experienced his work, but
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his exact status wasn't fully nailed down doctrinally.
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Arius, famous for denying Christ's full deity, also viewed
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the spirit as a distinct person, but of a different created
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essence, not fully God. Eusebius of Caesarea similarly
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put the spirit in the third rank, created through the sun.
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This is where Athanasius becomes so crucial.
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He fought vigorously against those he called the tropogy,
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Basically people who twisted scripture to argue the spirit
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was just a creature. An Angel may be made out of
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nothing, Athanasius insisted. No, the Spirit is fully divine,
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homo lucios of the same substance, consubstantial with
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the Father and Son. His arguments were powerful,
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correcting misinterpretations of Scripture, showing the Spirit's
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intrinsic belonging to the Godhead, and arguing that since
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the Spirit makes us partakers of God, makes us God's temple by
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indwelling us, he must be divine and worthy of the same worship.
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Still, it wasn't universally settled overnight.
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Gregory of Nasianzis, writing around 380, lamented that the
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some still saw the spirit as just a force, others a creature,
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others God. And even those who believed he
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was God were sometimes timid about saying so.
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And he had groups like the Macedonians, nicknamed the
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Numatomachians, literally spirit fighters, who specifically deny
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the full deity of the Holy Spirit.
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Basil the Great, in his work on the Holy Spirit around 375, was
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key here too. He argued forcefully that the
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same glory, honor, and worship given to the Father and Son must
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also be given to the Spirit because he's not alien to the
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divine nature. He pointed to the Spirit's
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actions and his intimate relationship with the Father and
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Son. So the 4th and 5th centuries
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were really pivotal and formally affirming the Spirit's deity
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within the Trinity, thanks to figures like Athanasius and
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Basil pushing back against challenges.
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Were there also groups during this time focusing more on the
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experience of the Spirit, maybe outside these mainstream
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doctrinal debates? Yes, alongside the theological
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heavy lifting you did have early spirit focus groups, most
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notably the Montanists back in the late 2nd century.
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Montanus claimed the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete prominence
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by Jesus was speaking directly through him and his followers,
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primarily 2 prophetesses Prisca and Maximila.
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They delivered new prophecies they felt expanded on scripture
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and expected ongoing prophetic ministry.
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They also emphasized very strict moral conduct and asceticism.
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Later in the mid 3rd century you had novation ISM.
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They were also focused on moral purity, particularly regarding
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those who had lapsed under persecution, but without the
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same emphasis on ongoing prophecy as the Montanists.
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Neither of these movements, though, really shifted the
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central doctrinal trajectory concerning the Spirit.
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In the wider church they remained somewhat on the
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fringes, while the main theological work continued.
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OK, Fast forward a bit. What about the medieval period?
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It often seems like the focus shifted elsewhere in theology.
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Did the doctrine of the Holy Spirit take a backseat?
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Generally speaking, yes. There was less direct
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theological focus on the Holy Spirit during much of the
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medieval era. Part of that might be, as you
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suggested, a broader shift in theological interest away from
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the subjective internal experience of a believer, which
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is really the spirits primary domain towards more objective
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matters like sacraments, church structure, scholastic
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philosophy. The major issue concerning the
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spirit that did arise and had huge consequences was the
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Filioque controversy. This involved the Western Church
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adding the Latin word filioky meaning and from the sun to the
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Nicene Creed statement about the Holy Spirit's procession.
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So it read who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
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The Eastern Church strongly objected to this edition.
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They pointed to John 15.26 where Jesus says the Spirit proceeds
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from the Father. They emphasize the Father as the
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sole source, The Fountainhead of divinity within the Trinity.
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They might accept the Spirit proceeding from the Father
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through the Son, reflecting the Son's role in setting the
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Spirit, but not from the Son as an originating source equal to
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the Father. This theological disagreement
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over one word became a major contributing factor of the Great
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Schism between the Eastern Orthodox and Western Roman
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Catholic Churches in 1054, a huge historical split partly
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rooted in this doctrine. It's really striking how
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significant these theological distinctions were shaping the
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very structure of the church. A single word having such
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impact. OK, then we arrive at the
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Reformation period with the performers emphasis on
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scripture, grace, faith. Did they bring the Holy Spirit
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back into the spotlight? Maybe shift the focus?
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They certainly didn't change the core orthodox doctrine in the
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spirits deity established earlier, but they absolutely
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elaborated on his work, particularly in relation to
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salvation, soteriology, and the authority of Scripture.
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Martin Luther, for example, building on Agustin, spoke about
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the Spirit infusing love, grace into the believers heart,
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working faith, and enabling the new will to fight against sin.
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John Calvin though, made a really unique and influential
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contribution regarding scriptures authority.
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He argued that our ultimate confidence that the Bible is
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God's word doesn't come from the church's declaration or
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historical proofs, but from the Testimonium Spiritus scienti
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internum, the internal witness of the Holy Spirit.
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Basically, the same Spirit who inspired the authors now works
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in your heart as you read, convincing you personally and
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powerlessly that this is indeed God speaking.
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It creates certainty. Calvin was also very strong on
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the union of the Word in the Spirit.
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He warned against separating them, against looking for the
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Spirit's guidance apart from Scripture, or treating Scripture
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as merely a dead letter without the Spirit's illumination.
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The Spirit confirms and applies the Word.
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He doesn't give new revelations beyond it.
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John Wesley later had a distinct focus on the Holy Spirit in
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relation to sanctification. He spoke of a second distinct
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work of grace, sometimes called entire sanctification or
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Christian perfection, that believers should seek after
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conversion, empowered by the Spirit and all like Luther and
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Calvin was. They also talked more about what
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believers could do to cooperate with or prepare for the spirits
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work in their lives, or emphasis on human response.
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So the reformers really highlighted the Spirit's role in
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making salvation personal, confirming Scripture and
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empowering holiness. But then moving into the 18th
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and 19th centuries, the sources suggest, interest waned again in
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many circles. What happened?
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Yeah, it's another dip in focus in many theological streams.
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Several factors contributed. You have Protestants classicism,
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which while aiming for precision, sometimes became
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overly focused on correct regalera as an intellectual
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system. Faith could become mere assent
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to propositions, and the spirits immediate internal witness was
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sometimes sideline in favor of logical arguments or church
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authority. The spirit might get a brief
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mention but wasn't central. Then came rationalism, the
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Enlightenment elevation of human reason.
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This tended towards deism. God is a distant creator who set
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the universe in motion but isn't actively involved.
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Special revelation, miracles, the direct work of the spirit.
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All that was downplayed or denied the spirit is the
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personal link between God and humanity.
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Didn't fit well. Romanticism, reacting against
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rationalism, emphasized feeling and intuition.
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Friedrich Schleiermacher, a key figure, rooted religion in the
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feeling of absolute dependence. This led him to define the Holy
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Spirit rather abstractly, not so much as a distinct divine
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person, but as the common spirit or vital unity of the Christian
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community. Again, the personal distinctness
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faded. However, there was a
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countercurrent. American revivalism, especially
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on the frontier thing, was like Charles Finney.
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These movements strongly emphasize conversion immediate
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experience. The new birth all works.
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Directly attributed to the Holy Spirit.
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So in this stream of piety, the Spirit remained very much in
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focus, powering personal transformation.
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Though it's noted these revivals, while emotional and
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focused on conversion, didn't typically feature the more
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dramatic charismatic gifts seen in acts, like widespread tongues
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or healings that would have marched later.
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OK, so a period of relative neglect in formal theology
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countered by a strong experiential focus in
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revivalism, and that sets the stage for the big shift in the
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late 19th century up to today. This is where Pentecostalism and
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the charismatic movements really emerge and put the Spirit front
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and Center for millions. How did that unfold?
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Right. This marks a dramatic
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resurgence. Modern Pentecostalism is often
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traced back to specific events. There were reports of speaking
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in tongues in North Carolina around 1896, then crucially in
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Topeka, KS. In 19 O1 at Charles Palms Bethel
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Bible School, his students were studying Acts asking about the
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evidence of Spirit baptism. Agnes Osmond spoke in tongues
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and they concluded this was the initial physical evidence of
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receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, seen as a distinct
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experience after conversion, empowering believers for service
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and witness. But the event that really lit
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the fuse globally was the Azusa St.
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Revival in Los Angeles, starting in 19 O 6, led by William J
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Seymour, an African American preacher who had learned from
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Parham. These meetings were incredibly
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intense, multiracial, lasted for years and drew people from all
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over. They feature dramatic spiritual
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experiences, tongues, prophecy, healings, intense worship from
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Azusa St. Pentecostalism spread rapidly
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worldwide. Early Pentecostalism was often
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socially marginalized, found among poorer communities, and
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characterized by these very visible, sometimes ecstatic
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spiritual practices. Then starting around the 1950s
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and 60s you see the rise of the Neo Pentecostal or Charismatic
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movement. This was different people within
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established denominations. Episcopalians, Lutherans, Roman
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Catholics, Methodists, started experiencing similar spiritual
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gifts like tongues and prophecy, but remained within their
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traditional churches. This movement was more
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transdenominational, often drew from more middle and upper
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middle class backgrounds, and sometimes practice the gifts
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differently, maybe more in private prayer or small groups
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than in main church services. And then from the 1980s came
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what's often called the Third Ways, associated initially with
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figures like John Wimber and the Vineyard movement, stemming from
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his Science and Wonders course at Fuller Seminary.
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This wave also emphasizes spiritual gifts, particularly
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healing, prophecy, discernment and miracles, power evangelism
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as vital for effective ministry and evangelism today, often
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without necessarily using the baptism in the Spirit
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terminology in the same way as classical Pentecostals.
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So yeah, the last century or so has seen an explosion to focus
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on the Holy Spirit, particularly his.
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Experiential work and empowering gifts profoundly reshaping the
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global Christian landscape. 4th The nature of the Holy Spirit is
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divine being in personhood. OK, that historical overview is
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really helpful. It shows how the church has
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wrestled with and grown in its understanding.
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So now let's pivot back to the core questions.
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Based on the sources, particularly Scripture, what do
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they fundamentally tell us about the Spirit's nature?
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Is he truly God, and is he actually a person?
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These feel like the bedrock issues.
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Absolutely, and the clear answer from the sources is yes to both.
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The Holy Spirit is fully God and he is a distinct person.
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Now, as we touched on earlier, establishing his divine nature
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isn't always done through direct statements like the Holy Spirit
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is God. Although Peter comes close in
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Acts 5, often his deity is shown more implicitly through how a
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scripture speaks about him, the attributes he possesses, the
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actions he performs, and how he's associated with the Father
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and Son. Let's look at some of that
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evidence a the Spirit's divine nature.
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One key line of evidence is how Scripture uses references to God
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and the Holy Spirit interchangeably.
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The classic example is Acts 5. Peter confronts Ananias about
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holding back money from the sale of land.
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First Peter says, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the
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Holy Spirit? Then just a verse later, he says
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you've not lied to man, but to God.
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The implication is undeniable. Lying to the Holy Spirit is
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lying to God because the Holy Spirit is God.
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Paul does something similar in First Corinthians.
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In chapter 3 tells the believers, do you not know that
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you were God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
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Then in chapter 6 he says, Or do you not know that your body is a
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temple of the Holy Spirit within you?
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That being God's temple is equated with being the Spirit's
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temple. His enduring presence means God
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himself and dwells you. OK, that interchangeable
21:54
language is pretty powerful. It seems to put him on the same
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level as God right there in the text.
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What about his characteristics? Does he possess attributes that
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only belong to God? Yes, definitely the Holy Spirit
22:06
exhibits qualities unique to God.
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Take omniscience, being all knowing.
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In first Corinthians 2, Paul writes that the Spirit searches
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everything, even the deep things of God, and no one comprehends
22:18
the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
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That implies an exhaustive, intimate knowledge of God's own
22:24
mind, something only God himself could possess.
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Jesus also said in John 16 that the Spirit of truth will guide
22:30
you into all the truth and will declare to you the things that
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are to come. Comprehensive knowledge of God's
22:35
truth and future plans points to omniscience.
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Then there's His great power or ability implying omnipotence.
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While the term omnipotence isn't explicitly used for the Spirit,
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as often, his works demonstrate divine power.
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Luke 1, describing the conception of Jesus, links the
22:50
Holy Spirit coming upon Mary with the power of the Most High
22:53
overshadowing her. The virgin birth itself is a
22:56
profound display of divine power.
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Paul attributes his own ministry, success, signs,
23:00
wonders, breaching by the power of the Spirit of God.
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In Romans 15, divine enablement. And Jesus talked about the
23:06
Spirit's power to convict the world John 16, and crucially, to
23:10
regenerate hearts, John 3, about the new birth.
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That kind of inner transformation is something only
23:16
God can do. Remember Jesus saying, with God
23:19
all things are possible. The Spirit does these impossible
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things. And thirdly, His eternality.
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Hebrews 9.14 explicitly refers to the Holy Spirit is the
23:27
eternal Spirit, since only God is eternal without beginning or
23:30
end. Describing the Spirit this way
23:32
is direct affirmation of His divine nature.
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He wasn't created, He has always existed alongside the Father and
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the Son. OK, so he knows everything like
23:40
God, He has God's limitless power, and he exists eternally
23:44
like God. That builds a strong case.
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Beyond these attributes, does he also do things that only God can
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do? Are divine actions ascribed to
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him? Yes, absolutely.
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The Holy Spirit. Forms acts of scripture
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elsewhere attributes to God himself.
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Think about creation. Genesis 1.2 says the spirit of
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God was hovering or brooding over the waters in the very
24:00
beginning, involved in bringing. Order out of chaos.
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Job 26.13 says by his spirit he adorned the heavens.
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Psalm 1 of 4.30 declares when you send forth your spirit, they
24:11
are. Created and you renew the.
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Face of the ground he's presented as an active agent in
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the initial creation and ongoing sustenance of life.
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Then there's his crucial spiritual work in humans,
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regeneration, being born again. Jesus tells Nicodemus in John
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three that this happens through water and the Spirit.
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Titus 3.5 talks about the washing of regeneration and
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renewal of the Holy Spirit. This radical in a renewal is
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exclusively God's work. And remarkably, Romans 8.11 says
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the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead will also
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give life to our mortal bodies, raising the dead.
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That's a uniquely divine prerogative, demonstrating
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ultimate power over life and death, and perhaps foundational
24:44
for us his role in giving the scriptures.
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Second Timothy 3.16 famously says all scripture is God.
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Breathe, Yamoustos and Second Peter 1.21 clarifies how.
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Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy
24:56
Spirit. He is the divine author, working
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through human authors to produce God's inspired, infallible Word.
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This act of divine inspiration is solely God's work.
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That's a very compelling list of divine actions.
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Creation, regeneration, resurrection, inspiration.
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Those are definitely God size jobs.
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So how then is he presented in relation to the Father and the
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Son? Is he shown as an equal partner
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in the Godhead? Yes, consistently he's
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associated with the Father and Son on a basis of equality.
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This is huge. Look at the Great Commission of
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Matthew 28.19. Jesus says baptized in the name,
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singular name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy
25:32
Spirit. The single name covering all
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three points to their unified essence and Co equal deity.
25:37
It's not three names or three gods.
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Or consider Paul's famous blessing in 2nd Corinthians
25:41
13.14. The grace of the Lord Jesus
25:44
Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy
25:46
Spirit be with you all. All three are invoked together
25:49
as the source of divine blessing, placed on the same
25:51
level. In First Corinthians 12,
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discussing spiritual gifts, Paul explicitly coordinates them.
25:56
Different gifts, but the same Spirit, different ministries but
25:59
the same Lord Jesus, different activities but the same
26:01
Godfather who empowers them all. Again, equal footing in the
26:04
divine work. Peter does it too, in his first
26:06
letters, opening first, Peter 1.2, describing believers as
26:09
chosen by the Father, sanctified by the Spirit for obedience of
26:12
Jesus Christ. All three persons are involved
26:14
in salvation, working in concert.
26:16
These frequent natural associations of the three
26:19
together strongly indicate their equality in being and status
26:22
within the one Godhead B the Spirit's personhood.
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OK, the evidence for the Spirit being fully God seems really
26:28
solid. Interchangeable names, divine
26:31
attributes, divine actions, equal association with Father
26:33
and Son. But then the second big
26:35
question, is he a person with a mind will feelings?
26:39
Or is he more like an impersonal force?
26:41
Maybe God's power, influence, but not a distinct someone.
26:44
This feels crucial for how we relate to him.
26:46
It is crucial, and the sources are equally clear.
26:50
The Holy Spirit is a person, not an impersonal force or
26:53
influence. This is vital, especially
26:55
countering some modern or non Christian ideas that might
26:58
depersonalize him. The Bible consistently presents
27:01
him with all the characteristics of personality.
27:04
One intriguing piece of evidence is the use of masculine pronouns
27:07
for him in Greek, even though the word for spirit, numa, is
27:11
grammatically neuter. In John 16.13 to 14, when Jesus
27:14
is talking about the coming Spirit of truth, he uses the
27:17
masculine pronoun ikinos he multiple times to refer back to
27:22
the neuter noun pneuma. Grammatically, you'd expect a
27:25
neuter pronoun. Scholars see this deliberate
27:27
grammatical anomaly as Jesus emphasizing he's talking about a
27:30
person, not an IT or an abstract force.
27:33
It's a subtle but significant pointer in the original
27:35
language. You see something similar in
27:37
Ephesians 1.14, with a masculine relative pronoun referring back
27:41
to the Spirit. That's fascinating, the grammar
27:43
itself bending to accommodate his personhood.
27:45
Very subtle. What other indicators point to
27:47
him being a person? He's consistently identified
27:50
with other persons and their actions, especially within the
27:53
Trinity. Take the term Jesus uses for
27:55
him, Paracletos, often translated advocate, Helper,
27:59
Comforter. Jesus uses this for the Spirit
28:02
in John 1415 and 16. That word itself implies a
28:05
personal agent who comes alongside to help.
28:08
And significantly, in first John 2.1, Jesus himself is called our
28:11
paracletos, advocate with the Father.
28:14
So when Jesus says he will send another paracletos in John
28:17
14.16, and he uses the Greek word alos, meaning another of
28:20
the same kind, he's indicating the Spirit will be a personal
28:23
replacement, doing the same kind of personal work Jesus did,
28:25
another helper just like him. Also consider how both Jesus and
28:29
the Spirit engage in a personal act of glorifying another member
28:32
of the Trinity. Jesus of the Spirit will glorify
28:35
me. John 16.14.
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This mirrors what Jesus himself did.
28:38
His whole mission was to glorify the Father.
28:40
John 17.4. This shared function, one person
28:43
intentionally bringing honor and recognition to another, is
28:46
inherently personal. An impersonal force can't
28:48
glorify someone. And as we saw when discussing
28:50
His deity, He's constantly grouped with the Father and the
28:53
Son, who are undeniably persons. The baptismal formula.
28:56
Matthew 28.9. The Benediction, 2nd, 113.1.
28:59
Tune the discussion of gifts. Corinthians 12.4.
29:02
The Six The roles in salvation for Speeder 1.2 Placing him
29:06
alongside the Father and Son repeatedly reinforces his status
29:09
as a coequal person within the Godhead.
29:11
We also see him active alongside the Father and Son in key events
29:14
in Jesus life. At Jesus baptism, Matthew 3, all
29:17
three persons are distinctly present and active.
29:19
The Father speaks, the Son is baptized, the Spirit descends.
29:22
Jesus also attributed his exorcism sometimes to the Spirit
29:24
of God. Matthew 12.2 ignores linking the
29:27
Spirit's power directly with his own work in the Father's
29:29
Kingdom. This collaboration implies
29:31
personal agency. All right, so he interacts
29:33
personally within the Trinity and in relations, Jesus's work.
29:36
How about his interactions with us, with human beings?
29:38
Does that also point to personhood?
29:40
Yes, definitely. He's even grouped with human
29:42
persons in a way that suggests. Shared personal activity.
29:45
The decision of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 is a great
29:47
example. Their letter says it seemed.
29:49
Good to the Holy Spirit and to us.
29:51
Acts 15.28. That phrasing shows the apostles
29:54
saw the Spirit as a distinct person alongside themselves
29:56
participating in the decision making process.
29:58
Guide them to a conclusion. It implies personal deliberation
30:01
and agreement. And maybe most fundamentally,
30:03
the Holy Spirit possesses personal traits, intelligence,
30:06
will and emotions, the core components of personality,
30:10
intelligence, knowledge. Jesus promised the Spirit would
30:12
teach you all things and bring to you.
30:13
Remember it's all that I have said to you.
30:14
John 14.26 He's heard us all things, even the deep things of
30:18
God. First Corinthians 2/20 10:50 He
30:21
will guide you into all the truth.
30:22
John 16 Part 13. These are cognitive,
30:24
intellectual actions will. First Corinthians 12.11 says the
30:28
Spirit distributes spiritual gifts to each one individually
30:30
as he. Wills.
30:32
He has his own. Volition his own sovereign
30:34
determination. He decides feelings Paul
30:37
explicitly. Warns believers in Ephesians 4.
30:38
.3. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of
30:40
God. Grief is an emotion.
30:42
You can only grieve a person who feels.
30:44
You can't grieve a force like gravity or electricity.
30:47
That difference between a force and a person who can be grieved?
30:50
That really hits home, doesn't it?
30:51
It changes everything about how you might think about relating
30:54
to him, what else shows he can be related to as a person.
30:57
Well, building on that, the Spirit can be affected as a
31:00
person, Things can be done to him that only makes sense if
31:03
he's personal. We already mentioned grieving
31:05
him. Ephesians 4.30 People can lie to
31:08
the Holy Spirit. Acts 5.3 to 4 Believers are
31:11
warned not to quench the Spirit First Thessalonians 5.1 twain,
31:15
which implies resisting or suppressing his personal
31:17
prompting or work. People can resist the Holy
31:19
Spirit. Steven accused the Jewish
31:21
leaders of doing this in Acts 7.51, just as their ancestors
31:25
had resisted God's prophets. And most seriously, Jesus warned
31:28
about blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, Matthew 12.31, Mark
31:32
3.29, calling it an unforgivable sin, even more serious than
31:35
blasphemy against the Son of Man during His earthly ministry.
31:39
You simply cannot lie to grieve, quench, resist, or blasphemy in
31:42
impersonal force or abstract influence.
31:44
These are actions directed towards a personal being.
31:47
And finally, the Spirit engages in clearly personal ministries
31:50
and actions. Things like teaching, bearing
31:52
witness, guiding, convicting the world of sin, John 16.8
31:56
regenerating, interceding for us.
31:58
The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep
32:00
for words. Roman 8.26 commanding, like
32:03
telling Philip where to go in Acts 8, or the church at Antioch
32:06
to set apart Barnabas and Saul in Acts 13.
32:08
Speaking, revealing truth, eliminating Scripture, all these
32:12
actions require intelligence, volition, communication, the
32:15
hallmarks of personhood. So when you put all this
32:16
evidence together, the conclusion is really
32:18
unavoidable. The Holy Spirit is presented in
32:20
Scripture not as an it, but as a divine He, a distinct,
32:23
intelligent, volitional, emotional person who is fully
32:25
God. The conclusions from a right
32:28
understanding of the Holy Spirit.
32:29
OK, that's a comprehensive look at both his deity and his
32:32
personhood. So wrapping this up, what does
32:35
this all mean for you, the listener?
32:36
If the Holy Spirit is truly God and truly a distinct person,
32:40
what are the main implications? What are the big takeaways from
32:43
this deep dive that should shape our thinking and our lives?
32:46
Right, moving from the one to the So what?
32:47
A correct understanding here has huge practical significance.
32:51
First, it means you can have a genuine personal connection with
32:54
Him because He is a person, not just a power or influence.
32:58
You can actually relate to him personally.
32:59
You can speak to Him, listen for His guidance, cultivate
33:02
fellowship with Him. Prayer isn't just to the Father
33:05
through the sons. You can also consciously engage
33:07
with the Spirit who indwells you.
33:09
It makes your relationship with God truly 3 personal.
33:13
Second, He is due honor and reverence equal to the Father
33:16
and the Son. Because he is fully divine, He
33:19
deserves the same worship, the same respect, the same
33:21
adoration. We should never think of him as
33:24
secondary or somehow less important.
33:26
Even if his current role involves pointing to Christ, His
33:29
being, His divine nature, is Co equal.
33:31
We should consciously include Him in our worship and devotion
33:34
to the Triune God. Third, recognizing His deity and
33:37
personhood helps us appreciate the harmony in God's work.
33:40
The Spirit isn't doing His own thing, separate from the Father
33:43
and Son. He is perfectly united with them
33:45
and purpose and will. His work convicting,
33:48
regenerating, sanctifying, empowering is the application
33:51
and execution of the eternal plan conceived by the entire
33:54
Godhead. There's perfect unity and
33:56
cooperation, the Trinity's work of salvation.
33:58
And finally, maybe the most profound implication through the
34:01
Holy Spirit, God is truly God with us.
34:04
Emmanuel, the Triune God, doesn't remain distant to the
34:07
spirits indwelling. God comes incredibly close,
34:09
closer. Even though when Jesus walked
34:11
the earth physically beside his disciples, He actually enters
34:14
into and dwells within each believer.
34:16
This is an astonishing intimacy, the infinite personal God making
34:19
his home and youth through His Spirit.
34:21
That reality should change how you view yourself and your
34:23
connection to God every single day.
34:25
So you've heard today that the Holy Spirit isn't just some
34:27
vague concept or a general spiritual force.
34:31
He is a divine person, fully God, equal to the Father and the
34:34
Son, and he is actively, personally at work in the world.
34:38
And if you're a believer within your life right now?
34:41
And letting that understanding sink in really should shape how
34:44
you approach your Christian life, recognizing the incredible
34:49
access you have to God himself through His indwelling spirit.
34:53
Maybe take some time to consider how might relating to the Spirit
34:57
as a divine person, not just a power, change your daily
35:00
thoughts, your prayers, your reliance on Him?
35:02
How does it deepen your relationship with the Triune God
35:05
who is truly that near? There's a line from an old hymn
35:08
that captures it well. Praise ye the Spirit, Comforter
35:11
of Israel, scent of the Father and the Son, to bless us.
35:14
Praise ye, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
35:16
Praise ye, the triune God. Thank you for joining us for
35:19
this deep dive into the person who work of the Holy Spirit on
35:21
Reformed thinking. Until next time, may your
35:23
thinking be renewed.