The personality of the Holy Spirit |
The Holy
Spirit speaks. Here are some Bible verses according to which the Spirit
speaks: “Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in
the wilderness” (Hebrews 3:7-8); “Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near,
and join thyself to this chariot” (Acts 8:29); “While Peter thought on the
vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise
therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have
sent them” (Acts 10:19-20); “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the
Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have
called them” (Acts 13:2); “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he
will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to
come” (John 16:13); “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter
times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and
doctrines of devils [demons]” (1 Timothy 4:1). |
The Holy
Spirit hears, for Jesus said about Him: “Whatsoever he shall hear, that shall
he speak” (John |
The Holy
Spirit sees, for the seven eyes which the Lamb has (John saw these seven eyes
in a vision while he was on the isle of Patmos) “are the seven Spirits of God
sent forth into all the earth” (Revelation 5:6) or, as the prophet Zechariah
said, “the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth”
(Zechariah 4:10). |
The Holy
Spirit has a mind, for it is written: “And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth
what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints
according to the will of God” (Romans |
The Holy
Spirit has a will, for it is written: “But one and the same Spirit works all
these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1
Corinthians 12:11 – NKJV). |
The Holy
Spirit has an awareness of goodness, for the apostles and elders wrote to the
believing Gentiles who were in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: “For it seemed
good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than
these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from
blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep
yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well” (Acts 15:28-29). |
The Holy
Spirit loves, for Paul wrote to the Romans: “Now I beseech you, brethren, for
the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive
together with me in your prayers to God for me” (Romans 15:30). |
The Holy
Spirit searches and knows, as it is written: “The Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a
man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God
knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:10-11). |
The Holy
Spirit reveals, as it is written in the Gospel according to Luke: “And it was
revealed unto him [Simeon] by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death,
before he had seen the Lord's Christ” (Luke 2:26). |
The Holy
Spirit teaches, as it is written: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy
Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things…”
(John 14:26), and also: “And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and
unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall
answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same
hour what ye ought to say” (Luke 12:11-12), and again: “You also gave Your
good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their
mouth” (Nehemiah 9:20 - NKJV), and again: “Which things [the things that have
been freely given to us by God] also we speak, not in the words which man's
wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual
things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13). |
The Holy
Spirit guides, as it is written: ““Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is
come, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). |
The Holy
Spirit prays, as it is written: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our
weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit
Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now
He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He
makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans
8:26-27 - NKJV). |
The Holy
Spirit convinces, for Jesus said about Him: “And when he is come, he will
reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin,
because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father,
and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is
judged” (John 16:8-11). |
The Holy
Spirit regenerates, as it is written: “Except a man be born of water and of
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of
the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John
3:5-6). |
The Holy
Spirit brings the words of the Lord to our remembrance, as it is written:
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). |
The Holy
Spirit makes men overseers, as Paul said to the elders of the church of
Ephesus: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the
which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God,
which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). |
The Holy
Spirit commands, as it is written: ““Now there were in the church that was at
Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was
called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up
with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and
fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto
I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands
on them, they sent them away” (Acts 13:1-3). |
The Holy
Spirit forbids believers to do certain things on certain occasions, as it is
written: “Now when they [the apostles] had gone through Phrygia and the
region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word
in Asia” (Acts 16:6 - NKJV). |
The Holy
Spirit does not permit believers to go to certain places on certain
occasions, as it is written: “After they [the apostles] had come to Mysia,
they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them” (Acts
16:7 - NKJV). |
The Holy
Spirit can be known, for Jesus said to His disciples: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you
another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of
truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither
knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you”
(John 14:16-17). |
The Holy Spirit
can be grieved, for it is written: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30) and
again: “But they [the Israelites] rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; so He
turned Himself against them as an enemy, and He fought against them” (Isaiah
63:10 – NKJV). |
The Holy
Spirit can be resisted, for Stephen said before the Sanhedrin: “Ye
stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy
Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Acts 7:51). |
The Holy
Spirit can be tempted, for Peter said to Sapphira: “How is it that ye have
agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?” (Acts 5:9). |
The Holy
Spirit can be lied to, for Peter said to Ananias: “Why hath Satan filled
thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of
the land?” (Acts 5:3). |
The Holy
Spirit can be spoken against, as it is written: “And whosoever speaketh a word
against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh
against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world,
neither in the world to come” (Matthew 12:32). |
As you can
see, the Holy Spirit has personal characteristics and does things which only
a person can do. An impersonal force cannot speak or hear, nor can it be lied
to, spoken against, grieved, tempted, etc. |