The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit (Part 1)

The Holy is the third Person in the Holy Trinity, (the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost,) yet we hear Him spoke of far less than the first two Persons. At times, He is left out all together. The apostle Paul was shocked in Acts 19:2 when he was told by some Ephesian believers that they had never even heard of the Holy Spirit. We find today that there are many believers in that same boat. The Holy Ghost may have been preached to these modern day believers, but often His person and ministry are so understated, that a believer may discount Him entirely. Therefore, for the next 5 or six posts, I will be focusing on the Holy Spirit.

The Personality of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a Person, just like the Father and the Son. He has all the same elements that the Father and the Son have as well. He has a mind (Romans 8:27) and He intercedes to the father on our behalf. He actively searches out the human mind. (1 Corinthians 2:10) He has a will. (1 Corinthians 12:11) He has the power to forbid, (Acts 16:6-7) as well as the power to permit, (Acts 16:10.)

The bible records the Holy Spirit speaking to Phillip, (Acts 8:29,) Peter, (Acts 10:19,) some elders in Antioch, (Acts 13:2) and to seven churches in Asia Minor, (Revelation 2-3.)

The Holy Spirit loves, (Romans 15:30,) and grieves, (Ephesians 4:30.) It is important to note that the grieving attribute of the Spirit is actually an extension of His love. One can really only be grieved by those he loves.

Finally, the Holy Spirit prays, (Romans 8:26.) When I have times of trials in my life, I am always comforted by calling a Christian friend of mine and asking them to pray for me. There are even certain people who remind me that they have been praying for me almost every time I see them. How much more comforting is it to know that the Holy Spirit Himself is offering up a prayer on my behalf. In fact, even when I cannot think of the words to say, He says the words for me.

So we see that the Holy Spirit is in fact, a Person. The bible, over and over again, assigns personality traits to Him that we also see in ourselves. He is relatable, just like the Father and the Son.