The Christian Belief of God The Holy Spirit

Who is the Holy Spirit of Christian belief? If you'd like to know what Christians believe about the Holy Spirit, then read on. If you don't want to know, then stop here and exit the thread. This is NOT PROSLYTIZING of the Holy Spirit nor a call to conversion of any kind. That's not the intent. This is for education purposes.


The Holy Spirit is a Person. A divine Person. GOD. Equal in dignity and majesty with the God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit is one member of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit has an intellect and will and with those characteristics freely knows and loves as God. We were slowly made aware of the reality of God the Father. God the Father was revealed to us through the prophets and patriarchs that there was one God and only one. Then we were also made aware of the Messiah, Jesus, who was the God the Son. Then the Son began to reveal to us that He would send His Advocate, the Holy Spirit. And we came to realize that this Holy Spirit is also God. One God, three divine Persons. They are “consubstantial” meaning that God the Holy Spirit is of the same divine substance or the same divine nature as the God the Father and the God the Son. “Con” means “with,” and “substantial” means “substance.” It also means that they act in perfect unity. They share the same will and act in unison in fulfilling this will. They share the same power as God and act as one God.

Scriptural support for belief in God the Holy Spirit is extensive. The Bible says that there is only one God (Isa. 44:6; 45:18; 46:9; John 5:44; 1 Cor. 8:4; James 2:19) and it is also true that three persons are called God in Scripture:

The Father (1 Pet. 1:2), Jesus (John 20:28; Heb. 1:8), and the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4).

Each of these three possesses the attributes of deity—including omnipresence (Ps. 139:7; Jer. 23:23-24; Matt. 28:20), omniscience (Ps. 147:5; John 16:30; 1 Cor. 2:10-11), omnipotence (Jer. 32:17; John 2:1-11; Rom. 15:19), and eternality (Ps. 90:2; Heb. 9:14; Rev. 22:13).

Each of the three is involved in doing the works of deity—such as creating the universe: the Father (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 102:25), the Son (John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2), and the Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:2; Job 33:4; Ps. 104:30).

The Bible indicates that there is three-in-oneness in the godhead (Matt. 28:19; cf. 2 Cor. 13:14) and also that The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity (Matt. 28:19).

The Holy Spirit has the three primary attributes of personality: a mind (Rom. 8:27), emotions (Eph. 4:30), and will (1 Cor. 12:11). Personal pronouns are used of him (Acts 13:2). Also, he does things that only a person can do, including: teaching (John 14:26), testifying (John 15:26), commissioning (Acts 13:4), issuing commands (Acts 8:29), and interceding (Rom. 8:26). The Holy Spirit is often called The Sanctifier or The Saint Maker in the Church, sanctifying (making holy) all who follow Jesus and all who seek the will of the Father. He acted in a very unique and powerful way when He inspired the human authors of the Scriptures in their writings. The Holy Spirit teaches and guides the Church leading it to all truth and was active at Pentecost which was the birth of the Church. He is also intimate with Christians in prayer, leading us in surrender and love to God, transforming us into saints. 24 Bible Verses About the Holy Spirit and Sanctification . He has been active all through salvation history since the beginning of scriptural history at the creation of the world all the way to the end in Revelation. In Genesis 1:2, we find Him moving about the surface of the waters, and in Revelation 22:17, He and the bride cry with one voice.

God the Holy Spirit. Blaspheme against Him will not be forgiven. This wasn't said of God the Father nor of God the Son - "And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." - Matthew 12:31

God the Holy Spirit is found all through scripture - from the creation of the world on page one right up to Revelation at the very end of the Bible. Far too many bible verses to list them all. But here are a few to get a feel for Who the Holy Spirit is and you can see Him active all through salvation history.

Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them. - Isaiah 63:10

And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. - Matthew 12:31

“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! - Acts 7:51

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. - Ephesians 4:30

How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? - Hebrews 10:29

You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. - Nehemiah 9:20

When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. - John 15:26

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” - Acts 13:2

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. - Romans 8:26-27

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. - Romans 15:30

All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. - 1 Corinthians 12:11

The Holy Spirit was present during each stage of Christ’s life. When the angel appeared to Mary, the mother of Jesus, he declared: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Lk 1:35).

“When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him” (Mt 3:16)

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you” (Jn 14:16-17)

It should be noted that Christians believe that they have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, most believe they receive the Holy Spirit at baptism, and that they can be further 'filled with the Holy Spirit'. That the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, can and does fill those who follow Jesus and who try to do the holy Will of God the Father. Many people who seek a relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit say they experience the presence of God the Holy Spirit in a special filling way.

There is scriptural evidence to support that this happens - John the Baptist was full of the Spirit in his mother’s womb (Lk 1:15); Elizabeth, when Mary greeted her (Lk 1:41); and Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, when he prophesied (Lk 1:67). Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, was led by the same Spirit into the desert (Lk 4:1). The disciples were filled with the Spirit in the upper room, and Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, stood up to preach on the day of Pentecost (Ac 2:14). The young Stephen, full of the Spirit, saw the glory of God when he was stoned (Ac 7:55-56); and Paul, inspired by the Spirit, rebuked a sorcerer (Ac 13:9-11). Old Testament saints like Bezalel (Exodus 31:3; 35:30), Joshua (Deuteronomy 34:9), Samson (Judges 13:25; 15:14), and Micah (Micah 3:8) were filled with the Holy Spirit.

There is no formula for being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is a gift from God. It is for the sanctification of the person as well as uplifting of the Church.

Ephesians 5:15–20 - “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. . . . Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”


Again ... this is NOT PROSLYTIZING. This is just for educational purposes only for those who are interested to know what the Christian church teaches about God the Holy Spirit. No call for conversion or anything else comes with this information.

Nice thread!
Thought I'd share this, from C.S. Lewis' letters.

Reflections: The Real Gift

It is quite right that you should feel that “something terrific”has happened to you…Accept these sensations with thankfulness as birthday cards from God, but remember that they are only greetings, not the real gift.I mean that it is not the sensations that are the real thing. The real thing is the gift of the Holy Spirit which can’t usually be—perhaps not ever—experienced as a sensation or emotion. The sensations are merely the response of your nervous system. Don’t depend on them. Otherwise when they go and you are once more emotionally flat (as you certainly will be quite soon), you might think that the real thing had gone too. But it won’t. It will be there when you can’t feel it. May even be most operative when you can feel it least.

C.S. Lewis Institute

The Holy Spirit is the Fathers reflection of Himself and She's female from the perspective of the attributes She possesses. Christ is male from the perspective of the attributes He possesses.

If you can feel the Holy Spirit within you or have felt the Holy spirit, you know She's female.

originally posted by: Cwantas
If you can feel the Holy Spirit within you or have felt the Holy spirit, you know She's female.

I am baptized therefore I have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within me. I also have had a stereotypical 'infilling' of the Holy Spirit in a special way that would have knocked me over if I wasn't already kneeling at the time. There is no 'female' or 'male' feeling to it.

originally posted by: FlyersFan

originally posted by: Cwantas
If you can feel the Holy Spirit within you or have felt the Holy spirit, you know She's female.

I am baptized therefore I have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within me. I also have had a stereotypical 'infilling' of the Holy Spirit in a special way that would have knocked me over if I wasn't already kneeling at the time. There is no 'female' or 'male' feeling to it.

The spirit of The Father is in us from birth, assuming you're of The Father and not the evil one, although the spirit of The Father resides in the evil one too.

Me myself I'm wholly male but I know for a fact that the spirit that resides within me is female.

The spirit of The Father resides in all creation.... She resides in everything.

Women are stronger than men spiritually because of this, they are more intuitive also because of this, and it's also the reason they are more adept at all things mystical, which is wholly forbidden.

Our original state was Adam, wholly male with the spirit of The Father "female" then Adam was separated into male and female to make it easier for the evil one to trap and defile the spirit of The Father, and is the reason why in Christianity male and females have roles that should compliment the two into one, to protect the spirit from being defiled. It's the reason why today in the west women are being pushed into forefront of everything, to defile
the holy spirit that dwells within us, and we can see this happening before our very eyes. The goal is to become Adam again, to restore us to what we originally were.

Couple of questions:
1: Can we/should we worship the Holy Spirit? I hear praise and worship songs about GOD the Father and about Jesus, but never songs that worship and magnify the Holy Spirit. Do we worship the Holy Spirit as GOD? If not, why not?

2: The epistles: Mostly Paul, but others also, (Peter, John,) offer salutations at the beginning of their letters to the churches with,
"Grace and peace to you from GOD our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ."
Why no mention of the Holy Spirit in the greetings?

Thanks

originally posted by: Lucius Driftwood
Can we/should we worship the Holy Spirit?

God the Holy Spirit is God and therefore worthy of worship.

2: The epistles: Mostly Paul, but others also, (Peter, John,) offer salutations at the beginning of their letters to the churches with,
"Grace and peace to you from GOD our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ."
Why no mention of the Holy Spirit in the greetings?

I have no idea why they didn't mention the Holy Spirit in the greetings.
They mentioned the Holy Spirit elsewhere.

originally posted by: Lucius Driftwood
Couple of questions:
1: Can we/should we worship the Holy Spirit? I hear praise and worship songs about GOD the Father and about Jesus, but never songs that worship and magnify the Holy Spirit. Do we worship the Holy Spirit as GOD? If not, why not?

2: The epistles: Mostly Paul, but others also, (Peter, John,) offer salutations at the beginning of their letters to the churches with,
"Grace and peace to you from GOD our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ."
Why no mention of the Holy Spirit in the greetings?

Thanks

The Bible isn't absolute truth although there is truth in the Bible, if something is say for example 99% true and 1% a lie, it's essentially a lie and shouldn't be believed to be wholly true.

I love Paul's advice in Galatians, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit" (Galatians ch5 v25). This only makes sense when we appreciate the original ambiguity of the word, which can also mean "wind" or breath".

He's inviting a comparison with what happened at the creation of Adam, when God breathed "the breath of life" into him (Genesis ch2 v7). The point is that the single breath we take when we are born is not enough. If we want to keep on living, then we must keep on breathing. We come to life by means of the breath of life, but we have to "walk by" the breath of life, taking it in continuously.

The same thing applies to spiritual life. We come to life in a spiritual sense by means of the Spirit. But Paul says we should not stop there. We should be "walking by" the Spirit, drawing strength and guidance from the Spirit continuously.

a reply to: Cwantas

No, the Holy Spirit is not female, this is just so wrong.
You attribute human quality to God because you need to
God the Father is not male, God identifies as male so we can relate to Him, doesn’t make God a male
You can’t project your self interests onto God, be it the Father or the Spirit
No question the Spirit, like God the Father has feminine traits, just to call the Spirit female, your u just make that up

a reply to: Cwantas

Even if the bible does have a couple of errors, I don’t care
You are talking for yourself not me

Jesus is perfect, my faith is in Jesus, not the inerrancy of the bible
Clearly you have little faith if any

Errors in the bible, Jesus died for me, not the bible.
Never really understood the bible has to be perfect for Jesus and my faith to have to be perfect

a reply to: Cwantas

The Bible isn't absolute truth although there is truth in the Bible, if something is say for example 99% true and 1% a lie, it's essentially a lie and shouldn't be believed to be wholly true.

The Bible isn't meant to be a textbook. It's a collection of many books written by appx 40 different authors over appx 1500 years. It contains actual historical accounts, as well as parables and allegories.

Your statement is a non sequitur. You say there is truth in the Bible, but it's essentially a lie?

originally posted by: FlyersFan

The Holy Spirit is a Person

Since you are Catholic, I'll use lots of Catholic sources below (besides the Bible that is), most at the end.

Concerning the Bible verses that speak of the holy spirit in personal terms, note what Catholic theologian Edmund Fortman says about this in The Triune God: “Although this spirit is often described in personal terms, it seems quite clear that the sacred writers [of the Hebrew Scriptures] never conceived or presented this spirit as a distinct person.”

In the Scriptures it is not unusual for something to be personified. Wisdom is said to have children. (Luke 7:35) Sin and death are called kings. (Romans 5:14, 21) At Genesis 4:7 The New English Bible (NE) says: “Sin is a demon crouching at the door,” personifying sin as a wicked spirit crouching at Cain’s door. But, of course, sin is not a spirit person; nor does personifying the holy spirit make it a spirit person.

Similarly, at 1 John 5:6-8 (NE) not only the spirit but also “the water, and the blood” are said to be “witnesses.” But water and blood are obviously not persons, and neither is the holy spirit a person.

In harmony with this is the Bible’s general usage of “holy spirit” in an impersonal way, such as paralleling it with water and fire. (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8) People are urged to become filled with holy spirit instead of with wine. (Ephesians 5:18) They are spoken of as being filled with holy spirit in the same way they are filled with such qualities as wisdom, faith, and joy. (Acts 6:3; 11:24; 13:52) And at 2 Corinthians 6:6 holy spirit is included among a number of qualities. Such expressions would not be so common if the holy spirit were actually a person.

Then, too, while some Bible texts say that the spirit speaks, other texts show that this was actually done through humans or angels. (Matthew 10:19, 20; Acts 4:24, 25; 28:25; Hebrews 2:2) The action of the spirit in such instances is like that of radio waves transmitting messages from one person to another far away.

Jesus spoke of the holy spirit as a “helper,” and he said it would teach, guide, and speak. (John 14:16, 26; 16:13) The Greek word he used for helper (pa·raʹkle·tos) is in the masculine gender. So when Jesus referred to what the helper would do, he used masculine personal pronouns. (John 16:7, 8) On the other hand, when the neuter Greek word for spirit (pneuʹma) is used, the neuter pronoun “it” is properly employed.

Most Trinitarian translators hide this fact, as the Catholic New American Bible admits regarding John 14:17: “The Greek word for ‘Spirit’ is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English (‘he,’ ‘his,’ ‘him’), most Greek MSS [manuscripts] employ ‘it.’”

So when the Bible uses masculine personal pronouns in connection with pa·raʹkle·tos at John 16:7, 8, it is conforming to rules of grammar, not expressing a doctrine.

Various sources acknowledge that the Bible does not support the idea that the holy spirit is the third person of a Trinity. For example:

The Catholic Encyclopedia: “Nowhere in the Old Testament do we find any clear indication of a Third Person.”

Catholic theologian Fortman: “The Jews never regarded the spirit as a person; nor is there any solid evidence that any Old Testament writer held this view. . . . The Holy Spirit is usually presented in the Synoptics [Gospels] and in Acts as a divine force or power.”

The New Catholic Encyclopedia: “The O[ld] T[estament] clearly does not envisage God’s spirit as a person . . . God’s spirit is simply God’s power. If it is sometimes represented as being distinct from God, it is because the breath of Yahweh acts exteriorly.” It also says: “The majority of N[ew] T[estament] texts reveal God’s spirit as something, not someone; this is especially seen in the parallelism between the spirit and the power of God.”—Italics added.

A Catholic Dictionary: “On the whole, the New Testament, like the Old, speaks of the spirit as a divine energy or power.”

Hence, neither the Jews nor the early Christians viewed the holy spirit as part of a Trinity. That teaching came centuries later. As A Catholic Dictionary notes: “The third Person was asserted at a Council of Alexandria in 362 . . . and finally by the Council of Constantinople of 381”—some three and a half centuries after holy spirit filled the disciples at Pentecost!

No, the holy spirit is not a person and it is not part of a Trinity. The holy spirit is God’s active force that he uses to accomplish his will. It is not equal to God but is always at his disposition and subordinate to him.

a reply to: FlyersFan

The Holy Spirit does many works within the believer. It has been recorded [acts 9:17-18] that Paul received the Holy Spirit "before" he was baptised. There are other events like this one. And the Spirit of God worked in many in the Old Testament and were not water Baptised. Although some were anointed with oil just before or afterwards.

Further Irenaeus [early church father] - Against the Heresies, Chapter 8
" But we do now receive a certain portion of His Spirit, tending towards perfection, and preparing us for incorruption, being little by little accustomed to receive and bear God; which also the apostle terms “an earnest,” that is, a part of the honor which has been promised us by God"

What he is saying here is that every single "believer" does indeed receive a "portion" of the Spirit of God and it increases in that believer as his faith grows. The portion as God gives it to the believer indeed an honor.

The Holy Spirit is "forever" and there is no reason to even think he will ever stop his work. It may change with time as needed, but the HS will not cease to work
Belief in the HS is indeed part of the Christian belief.
Wisdom also comes with this belief and increases with time as Irenaeus stated.
And true wisdom imparted by the Spirit is only....only of God. All other wisdom is of man and is imperfect

a reply to: whereislogic
This whole question is muddled by the fact that the word "Person", as used in English language discussion of the Godhead, does not mean "person" as used in ordinary common speech ("individual human being"). Whenever you see any source denying that the Holy Spirit is a "person", they are talking about the modern common-use sense of the word. The doctrine of the Trinity does not intend to say that God comprises three individual people.

The theological use of "Person" comes straight from the Latin PERSONA, which is an attempt to translate the Greek HYPOSTASIS. And all that really means is that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct "somethings". The point is that they are in some sense distinct from each other, but not to the extent that they become three different people.

a reply to: DISRAELI

John L. McKenzie, S.J., in his Dictionary of the Bible, says: “The trinity of persons within the unity of nature is defined in terms of ‘person’ and ‘nature’ which are G[ree]k philosophical terms; actually the terms do not appear in the Bible. The trinitarian definitions arose as the result of long controversies in which these terms and others such as ‘essence’ and ‘substance’ were erroneously applied to God by some theologians.”—(New York, 1965), p. 899.

After all, according to the Nouveau Dictionnaire Universel, “The Platonic trinity, itself merely a rearrangement of older trinities dating back to earlier peoples, appears to be the rational philosophic trinity of attributes that gave birth to the three hypostases or divine persons taught by the Christian churches. . . . This Greek philosopher’s [Plato, fourth century B.C.E.] conception of the divine trinity . . . can be found in all the ancient [pagan] religions.”—(Paris, 1865-1870), edited by M. Lachâtre, Vol. 2, p. 1467.

I think it's a good idea to try to avoid pagan philosophy as a reliable source for how to understand the word "person" or Scripture in general for that matter. Especially when it's used to hide contradictory statements (as the acknowledgements I quoted from those Catholic sources are contradictory to Catholic beliefs concerning the holy spirit as expressed by the OP). The Bible warns: “Look out that no one takes you captive by means of the philosophy and empty deception according to human tradition, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ;” “We have much to say about him, and it is difficult to explain, because you have become dull in your hearing. For although by now* [Lit., “in view of the time.”] you should be teachers, you again need someone to teach you from the beginning the elementary things of the sacred pronouncements of God, and you have gone back to needing milk, not solid food. For everyone who continues to feed on milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is a young child. But solid food belongs to mature people, to those who through use have their powers of discernment* [Or “their perceptive powers.”] trained to distinguish both right and wrong.” (Col 2:8; Hebrews 5:11-14)

The New Catholic Encyclopedia states: “The formulation ‘one God in three Persons’ was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formulation that has first claim to the title the Trinitarian dogma. Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.”—(1967), Vol. XIV, p. 299.

In The Encyclopedia Americana we read: “Christianity derived from Judaism and Judaism was strictly Unitarian [believing that God is one person]. The road which led from Jerusalem to Nicea was scarcely a straight one. Fourth century Trinitarianism did not reflect accurately early Christian teaching regarding the nature of God; it was, on the contrary, a deviation from this teaching.”—(1956), Vol. XXVII, p. 294L.

To this day scholars readily admit that the Bible contains no reference to any Trinity, that it was the result of ‘creative theology,’ an attempt to fuse fourth-century “Christianity” with Greek philosophy. As one historian said of Michael Servetus: “In place of a doctrine whose very terms​—Trinity, hypostasis, person, substance, essence—​were not taken from the Bible but invented by philosophers, and whose Christ was little more than a philosophical abstraction, he wished to get men to put their faith in a living God, in a divine Christ who had been a historical reality, and in a Holy Spirit forever working in the hearts of men.” He believed the three were one only in the sense of John 17:21 and considered holy spirit to be God’s active force, not a person.

“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (John 17:21; KJ)

“I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe that you sent me.” (CEV)

a reply to: whereislogic
Only the word HYPOSTASIS itself was borrowed from philosophy. The theologians recognised the obvious distinction between Father, Son and Holy Spirit and were searching around in human language for a way of describing it.

Let us not wander away from my point, which is the word they borrowed was NOT intended to express what is conveyed by the modern common usage of the word "person", viz "separate individual character". So any argument based on the assumption that this is the meaning is going to get muddled.

a reply to: whereislogic

I gave the scripture showing that the Holy Spirit is indeed God and is separate from God the Father and God the Son while remaining one with them.

Matthew 28:19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost