The Holy Spirit is the most neglected member of the Godhead, as people fail to recognize His deity and greatness. There very well may be more said about the Holy Spirit than about any other member of the Godhead; yet people are the most ignorant of Him. Many believe the Holy Spirit to be some type of impersonal force or power that can be tapped in to. This is a false view for many reasons. The first reason being that the Holy Spirit has a personality, something unable to be had by a force.
We see the personality of the Holy Spirit represented by proper pronouns throughout the scriptures, often referred to as he (John 15:26; 16:13). The qualities that describe the Holy Spirit are ones that a force or power could not have. Just as the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit has knowledge (I Corinthians 2:10-12). Just as the other two parts, He too is love (Romans 15:30). The Holy Spirit has a mind (Romans 8:27), He shows a deep sorrow when He is grieved (Ephesians 4:30), and He is able to speak His words in a voice (Acts 13:2). All of these personality traits are inconsistent with a force or power, but are consistent with God.
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come upon men (Judges 6:34; 11:29) and would also depart from men (I Samuel 16:14). The Holy Spirit would depart from men when they were not in a right relationship with God. For example, when David was not right with God, he prayed, “take not thy Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11). At Pentecost, the Spirit of God no longer left those who believed. From Pentecost forward, the Holy Spirit began indwelling the believer permanently, never to depart, sealing them forever (Ephesians 4:30).
The Holy Spirit is part of the Deity and is called God (Acts 5:3-5). When Ananias lies to the Holy Ghost, another name for the Holy Spirit, the sin was not committed against man, but against God. The Holy Spirit is equal to the Father and possesses all the divine attributes that only God has. He is eternal (Hebrews 9:14), omniscient (I Corinth 2:10-11), omnipresent (Psalms 139:7-12), and omnipotent (Job 33:4). In Isaiah 6, the passage refers to God and when referenced again in Acts 28, it references God as the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is identified in the baptismal formula (Matthew 28:19) as well as the apostolic benediction (II Corinthians 13:14).
The Holy Spirit has been and continues to be active in many accomplishments. He was present and active in creation (Genesis 1:2). Jesus Christ was conceived by the Spirit of God (Luke 1:35). The Spirit is also given credit for the resurrection (Romans 1:4; 8:11). The inspiration of the Scriptures is another major occurrence that the Holy Spirit takes part in (II Peter 1:21).
The Holy Spirit is active in ministering to the believer. In prayer, the Holy Spirit makes intercession for saints (Romans 8:26-27). He sanctifies believers, making them more like Christ and separated from the world (I Peter 1:16). The Holy Spirit also ministers to believers by comforting them with peace. He teaches them by guiding them into all truth and helps them to have understanding of the scriptures (John 16:12-15).
Not only he was the Holy Spirit active in the creation of the Scriptures but He is also the interpreter of them (John 16:14). He will teach them to us, giving us understanding (John 14:26) and guides the Christian into all truth (John 16:13). He is active in salvation (I Corinthians 6:11), regenerates the believer (Titus 3:5), indwells, and then seals the believer.
There are various responses that believers can have toward the Holy Spirit. The believer can resist (Acts 7:51) and vex the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 53:9-10). Believers can tempt Him (Acts 5:1-9) and quench Him (I Thessalonians 5:19-20). Believers can also live and walk in the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), and as a result manifest the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
The Holy Spirit