Personality) o f tne Holy Spirit Is the Holy Spirit an Atmospheric Influence, or the Living Third Person of the Godhead? EDWARD H. BICKERSTETH, 1870 CCORDING to the Scriptures (1) The Holy Spirit possess es such qualities as a person only can possess: (2) He
And the self-determining will of the Spirit. Thus, as quoted above, He di vides His gifts to every man severally as He wills. Compare also Jno. 3:8; Acts 16:6, 7. Now will is the very es sence of personality. Perhaps there is no stronger argument against the ten ets of Sabellius, who would have con founded the personality of the Father and the Son, than the words of our Lord, “ I came down from heaven not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me.” The same proof, seeing that the Spirit likewise possesses a self regulating will, establishes His person ality. 2. The Spirit performs such actions as a person only can perform. Thus we read in Scripture, He created the worlds and gives life to those who live. He strives with the ungodly. He convicts the world of sin, right eousness and judgment. He performs miracles. He caused the Virgin Mary to con ceive. He inspired the sacred writers. He speaks expressly of events in the latter times. He saith to the Churches the mes sages of the Son of Man. He appoints ministers in the Church. He commands and forbids. He new creates the soul. He intercedes for us in prayer. He teaches, and comforts, and guides us into all truth. He sheds abroad the love of God in the heart. He seals the soul unto the day of re demption.
performs such actions as a person only can perform: (3) He is capable of suffering such injuries as a person only can suffer: and (4) He is expressly called another Comforter, and is desig nated by the use of masculine pronouns, though the noun Itself, Spirit, is neu ter. 1. He possesses such qualities as a person only can possess. What are the chief qualities of a person? Are they not intelligence, affection, will? Now the Scripture testifies of— The knowledge of the Spirit. “ God hath revealed them to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God; for what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God.” That the Spirit here is not a mere quality of Divine nature, as consciousness is of the hu man mind, appears from the first clause, “ God hath revealed them to us by His Spirit,” which clearly implies a person al distinction, for it could not be said that a man makes anything known to others by his consciousness. The Divine love of the Spirit. “ I be seech you,” writes St. Paul, “ for the love of the Spirit;” a plea exactly cor responding with one he had used short ly before— “ I beseech you by the mer cies of God” :— and a personal quality, which could alone enable Him, to per form His gracious office of “ shedding abroad the love of God in the hearts” of believers.
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