The holy spirit is God’s great power which He uses to accomplish His purposes. In the Old Testament, God used his power to create the world and all the living plants and animals. “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters,” Genesis 1:2. God also used it to perform miracles for various Old Testament characters (like Abraham and Elijah) and many times for the nation of Israel.
The Apostle Peter states in 1 Peter 1:21 that “the prophecy (spoken by the prophets) came not in old time by the will of many, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
With the advent of Jesus, the operation of God’s spirit was for a higher purpose. Jesus, at the river Jordan after his baptism, received the holy spirit “descending like a dove” from above. This same spirit was promised to all the believers in Christ when they entered into a full dedicated life to God. A holy spirit person did not enter Jesus and later Christian followers at Pentecost. Instead, God’s holy power enters believers and transforms their hearts and minds. These become the sons of God (1 John 3:1) through the indwelling of the spirit (Romans 8:11) and they experience its transformation. (1 Corinthians 2:12).
The one text used in defense of the holy spirit being equal with God and Jesus is 1 John 5:7. However, this scripture is not found in any Greek manuscripts prior to the fifth century and is therefore omitted from modern translations.
There are other passages that use the personal pronoun, “he,” in reference to the holy spirit (John 14:16), but this is merely reflecting the fact that the Greek word parakletos translated “Comforter” is masculine and so requires a masculine pronoun to identify it. When the Greek word, pneuma, translated “spirit” is used, then the translators appropriately used the neuter pronoun, “it.” (John 1:32).
The following phrases from the New Testament use this same word, “spirit” which do not give the idea of a personality, but rather further describe characteristics that come from God; “the spirit of God” (Matthew 3:16), “the spirit of holiness” (Romans 1:4), “the spirit of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7; “the spirit of truth” (John 14:17), “the spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13), “the spirit of meekness” (Galatians 6:1), “the spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29), etc. These examples do not describe a person; rather, the holy, transforming power emanating from God.
Additional Resources:
The trinity has been a highly controversial doctrine for many centuries. Because of the strong feelings surrounding this doctrine, few are willing to delve into the Bible to see what it really says about the true nature of God and His son, Jesus. This enlightening PDF booklet is intended for the serious student who wants to know what the Bible really teaches. Download the free PDF: The Lord Our God is One Lord
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1188: “Do We Have the Purpose of the Holy Spirit Backwards?”
Distinguishing God’s power from our own desires in our daily life
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes
Episode #946: “How Can I Get the Holy Spirit?”
What the holy spirit is, what it does, who gets it and why
CQ Rewind Show Notes
For children, parents and Bible class teachers, watch these short, animated videos from the Christian Questions podcast:
CQ Kids video: “What is the holy spirit?”
CQ Kids video: “What does the holy spirit do?”
CQ Kids video: “How do Christians receive the holy spirit?”
