Is The Holy Spirit a Personality?

Richard Hollerman

We know that this may be a strange question to many people but we ask it for there are, no doubt, thousands, and maybe millions who are interested in the answer.

And so we ask:

Question

Is the Holy Spirit a Personality? Or is He merely a force or animation that is separate and apart from personality?

Answer

By “personality” we mean “a person as an embodiment of a collection of qualities.” Joining with this, we read that a personality is “the sum total of the physical, mental, emotional, and social characteristics of an individual” (Random House Webster’s College Dictionary).  This latter definition, however, leaves the idea of an actual person with certain characteristics and seems to emphasize the characteristics themselves.

Even though the Holy Spirit, in the New Testament, seems to not have a personal “name,” per se, we can see that He does have certain characteristics that say that He is more than a “thing” or a certain conglomerate of traits. We need to observe also that we all know that the Son of God (Jesus Christ) is a Person who was born, was raised as a child, grew and performed miracles, primarily in Galilee and Judea (as well as nearby places), then He suffered and died, and His Father raised Him to Life. We also notice (and all would agree with this) that God the Father (Yahweh, in the Old Testament) performed many miracles in the New Testament.

But what about the Holy Spirit? What about the “no-name” Holy Spirit? We know that He is called “the Spirit of Christ” and “the Spirit” and “the Spirit of Jesus,” but what else? He is called “the Holy Spirit” in most places (along with simply “the Spirit”).

As I was reading through Acts 13 and 14 this morning, I came across a number of passages that indicated that He (along with the Father and the Son) was a personality. For instance, in 13:2 we read that “the Holy Spirit said.” Then in verse 13:4 we read that three evangelists (Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark) were “sent out by the Holy Spirit” (see also 13:9, 52). These are works or activities of a Person (albeit a “divine” Person) and not merely a “force.”

The Holy Spirit “speaks” at various times. We know that speaking is a work or activity of a Personality—and this personality would be the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit “spoke” to Philip (Acts 8:29) or the Spirit “spoke” to Peter (Acts 10:19), this was not the Father speaking nor was it the glorified Son speaking, but it was a third personality—the Holy Spirit. We think that this was significant.

But we also notice this:

• The Holy Spirit makes certain men overseers (Acts 20:28).
• The Spirit forbad the apostles to go to a certain area (Acts 16:6-7).
• The Spirit teaches (1 Corinthians 2:13; 14:26).
• The Spirit spoke through David (1:16).
• The Spirit indicated certain things (1 Peter 1:11-12).
• The Spirit “moved” certain men to write Scripture (2 Peter 1:21).
• The Spirit “convicts” the world (John 16:8).
• The Spirit “comforts” (Acts 9:21).
• The Spirit “helps” (Romans 8:26).
• The Spirit calls Jesus the Lord (1 Corinthians 13:3).
• The Spirit “testifies” (John 15:26).
• The Spirit “speaks” what He hears (Acts 16:13).
• The Spirit “glorifies” (John 16:14).
• The Spirit “searches” (1 Corinthians 2:11-12).
• The Spirit is “grieved” (Ephesians 4:30).
• The Spirit is “resisted” (Acts 7:51).
• The Spirit is “tested” (Acts 5:9).

This gives some indication about what the Spirit does and this can only be done by a Personality—the  Spirit of God. As to why He doesn’t seem to have a personal “name” such as “Yahweh” or “Jesus” and only the Holy Spirit, we don’t know. But inasmuch as it is this way, who are we to object?

Thus, we must conclude that the Holy Spirit is a Personality. He is “the” Personality! He must not be the heavenly Father nor the Son of God, but Jesus Christ (see John 13-17). He must be a third personality! See especially John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7-11). The Spirit would guide the apostles (He is called “the Spirit of truth”) into all the truth (John 16:13-15). Yet, as we have earlier mentioned, in John 13-17, we not only see the personality of God the Father and of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, but we also see the personality of the Holy Spirit.

In John 14:16-17 we read the words of Jesus: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” The term “another” is allos (another like Himself, not heteros, different from Himself). The Spirit, therefore, is identified as “the Spirit of truth” in v. 17. The Spirit, therefore, is “another” like Jesus but still a separate Being. (See W. E. Vine, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary).

We could go on to many other passages that reiterate this so that we may be assured. Regardless of what the Oneness people say (they are sometimes called “Sabellian” or “Jesus Only” people), we must conclude that the Spirit is a personality, separate (but joined) from God the Father and Jesus Christ. Regardless of what the Mormons say, and regardless of what liberal Protestants may say, regardless of what the so-called Jehovah’s Witnesses say, we can see that the Spirit is a personality.

We must accept the truth of Scripture regarding the Spirit. It may be difficult to understand, but still it is the truth. And that settles it.