A Person
Is the Holy Spirit a force, a power, an energy, an effluence, an experience, or what? Actually, the answer is none of these.
1. The Spirit is a PERSON. "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth ..." ( John 16:13a; cf. John 16:7,8,13,14; Acts 15:28).
2. The Spirit can be treated as a PERSON. He can be spoken against/blasphemed ( Matthew 12:32; Mark 3:29), lied to ( Acts 5:3), tested ( Acts 5:9), resisted ( Acts 7:51), grieved ( Ephesians 4:30), and insulted ( Hebrews 10:29).
3. The Spirit acts in a PERSONal way. He can guide, speak, show ( John 16:13), teach ( John 14:26), bear witness ( John 15:26), send ( Acts 10:20), assign responsibility ( Acts 20:28), forbid ( Acts 16:6), help ( Romans 8:2), intercede ( Romans 8:26), love ( Romans 15:30), search, know ( 1 Corinthians 2:11), reveal ( Ephesians 3:5), and invite ( Revelation 22:17).
The Holy Spirit is a divine person, the third member of the Godhead. And there should be no more mystery attached to Him than to any other member of the Godhead.
Thanks Mike for your help with the Holy Spirit. It helps me
to think of Him as I
do when thinking, stud-
ying, speaking, teaching, etc. about
Jesus. The Christ(Messiah). About God.
The Father.
Thank you again Mike.
In Christ - Al