THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON

 Last Sunday, we looked at “the importance of knowing the Holy Spirit.” Today, we are going to focus on “the Person of the Holy Spirit.”

Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the God Head distinct from God the Father and God the Son. This definition states clearly that the Holy Spirit is a Person. He is not just an ordinary person but a divine Person. Just as you have a unique personality, so does the Holy Spirit. 

 

Why is the Holy Spirit a Person? The Holy Spirit is a Person because:

1. The Bible refers to Him with personal pronouns (Jn. 15:26; Jn. 16:7-8; Jn. 16:13-15; 1 Jn. 4:4). And you say Pastor, “What of Romans 8:16, 26? Here the Bible says, “The Spirit itself…” 

 

This is certainly a mistake due to olden days English. If not, the writers couldn’t have referred to the Holy Spirit with “He” in John 16:13-15.

 

2. He has intellect. Intellect is the faculty of reasoning, knowing, thinking, and understanding. It refers to the power of the mind to comprehend, analyze, and process complex ideas.

 

Can the Holy Spirit think? Can He reason and remember things? Yes of course! Only someone with an intellect has the ability to explore, examine and search. And that is exactly what the Holy Spirit does (1 Cor. 2:9-10).

 

The Holy Spirit doesn’t just help us testify, but He Himself testifies. This is an action that requires intellect (Jn. 15:26; Jn. 16:12-15). 

 

Here Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as a guide. How does He guide someone? Jesus said that He will take of His and declare it unto you. He hears the things of God [the things that God the Father and the Son have decided to do] and speaks them to the believers in their spirit-man. And your spirit-man speaks it to your mind through your conscience, which is the voice of your spirit-man. This action of hearing and repeating requires an intellect (Rom. 8:14; Rom. 8:1-2).

 

The Holy Spirit has a mind of His own (Rom. 8:26-27). Notice three things in this passage:

 

a) The Holy Spirit helps our infirmities (weaknesses, inabilities). Which infirmity? Our inability to pray, as we ought to. The Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be [uttered] expressed in words.

b) The Holy Spirit searches the hearts [minds].

c) The Holy Spirit has a mind [“mind of the Spirit”].

 

3. He has a will. When Christ returned to heaven, He placed the Holy Spirit in charge of the church. He has a will of His own and has decision-making responsibilities on earth (1 Cor. 12:11).

 

That is to say that it is only the Holy Spirit that distributes these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. One and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills [as He decides, as He determines]. It is therefore vital that you stay in tune with the direction of the Holy Spirit.

 

4. He has emotions. The Holy Spirit is a Person with feelings. Look at how He expresses His emotions:

a) He can love: Love is the character of the Holy Spirit. Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). He is the one that imparts love into the hearts of men (Rom. 5:5).

b) He can be provoked [made angry; incited; instigated; vexed; grieved]. He can be irritated (Isa. 63:10). 

The Holy Spirit is so gentle and loving that He has been likened to a dove. He is easily wounded. He can be grieved by our actions and wrong attitudes (Eph. 4:30). 

 

Do not cause the Holy Spirit of God intense sorrow by the way you live. The heart of the Holy Spirit is so tender that He weeps so easily when He sees you living a life that is contrary to the Word of God.

 

5. The Holy Spirit has mouth because He can speak. The Holy Spirit fills us to speak with intimacy to the Father (Gal. 4:6; Rev 2:7; Acts 8:28-29; Acts 10:19-21; Acts 13:1-2; 1 Tim. 4:1). 

 

6. The Holy Spirit has eyes because He can see (Ps. 94:9). 

 

7. The Holy Spirit has ears because He can hear (Ps. 94:9; Jn. 16:13).

 

8. He can be insulted (Heb. 10:26-29). The word “insult” carries with it the idea of “treating with utter contempt.” When you fail to recognize and appreciate the significance of the death of Christ on the cross for us, you insult the Holy Spirit. 

 

What happens when you insult the Holy Spirit? When you insult Him you lose His presence. When you lose His presence, you’ll become spiritually dry and life will become hard for you. When you lose His presence, you lose the joy of the Holy Ghost because “in His presence there is fullness of joy” (Ps. 16:11). When you lose His Presence, you also lose His provisions.

 

9. He can be quenched. The world resists the Holy Spirit, but believers can actually quench Him.  An unbeliever resists Him by rejecting the message of the Gospel thereby judging themselves unworthy of eternal life. But the child of God quenches the Holy Spirit by putting off a flame that has already been burning. Remember that when you quench Him you deny Him the opportunity to touch and bless your life, and to touch the lives of others through you.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, “Do not quench the Spirit.” Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. The imagery used here is that of putting out a fire. Here the Bible was not talking to sinners, but to brethren. 

 

10. He can be resisted. To resist someone is to fight against that person. It means to oppose and stand firm against that person (Acts 7:51). 

 

Here the Bible was not talking to the saints but to the unbelievers – those who appeared to be religious but are actually rebellious. Although these religious men were physically circumcised, they were behaving like the pagans in the uncircumcised nations surrounding them. They hated Christ and fought everything He stood for. Now Stephen, defending his faith in the face of death, looked his accusers in the eye and said, “You always resist the Holy Ghost.” 

 

11. He can be lied to. One of the Commandments God gave to Moses to give to Israel was “Do not lie” (Lev. 19:11). Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead because they lied to the Holy Spirit. The couple had sold a piece of property and had pretended that they gave the entire amount to the Lord when in fact they had only given a part. When you lie to the Holy Spirit He can strike you dead (Acts 5:3-11).

 

12. He can be tempted. Each member of the Trinity can be tempted (Acts 15:10; 1 Cor. 10:9; Acts 5:9).

 

13. He can be blasphemed. To blaspheme means to treat God or sacred things disrespectfully through our words or action. When you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, it is said that you’ve committed the unpardonable sin (Matt. 12:31-32). Anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. It is an eternal sin (Mk. 3:29). 

 

Blasphemy is a willful act and not a mistake. Paul’s rejection of Christ and his persecution of the church, for instance, were accidental as opposed to willful (1 Tim. 1:13). 

 

Knowing the Person of the Holy Spirit is a must for everyone who wants to succeed in life. I challenge you to get to know Him better and make Him your Senior Partner and your life will never remain the same.

 

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!

 

 

Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor)