T his present dispensation has sometimes been re ferred to as “the age of the Spirit.” Yet, strangely enough, the doctrine of the Spirit has been quite neg lected throughout most of this age. While there has been much emphasis upon the first two Persons of the Trinity, there has been little upon the Third Person. The personality and deity of the Father has been ac cepted almost without question. The personality of the Son has been accepted by all; His deity has been ques tioned by many. But when one turns to a study of the Spirit, one finds that both His personality and deity have been called into question by many, and even more shocking is the fact that among those who accept His personality and deity are many who could not support these beliefs from the Word of God or declare why they know that He is a divine Person. One of the problems which has beset Christians in their understanding of the person of the Spirit is the use of the neuter it in the Authorized Version in reference to the Spirit, as in Romans 8:16 and 26. A little research by these same persons has revealed that the word spirit in the Greek is neuter. Hence, some have concluded that the Spirit is a thing rather than a person. However, the neuter form of the noun in Greek does not prove any thing more than does the fact that in Hebrew the word for spirit is feminine. The gender of the noun is an accident of the language and should not be used in any way to influence one’s theology or understanding of
Romans 15:30 where we find the words “the love of the Spirit.” Again, it is superfluous to point out that an object, force, or power cannot love; only a person can experience affection. The Holy Spirit is often pictured in the Bible as speaking, as for example in Revelation 2:7, where the Lord Jesus says: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” The Spirit also prays on behalf of the believer: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit him self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26). The Holy Spirit, moreover, calls people to service for Christ, as in Acts 13:2, when He told the church of Antioch that Paul and Barnabas had been selected by Him for missionary service: “the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Paul for the work whereunto I have called them.” Contrariwise, He is able to restrain men from going or working where He does not wish them to go or to work. This happened when Paul was about to turn east, near the close of his second missionary journey, and the Spirit turned him west. The possession of the Gospel by the western world depended upon the ability of the Spirit to communicate His will as one person to another. Thank God that He is a person who is able to direct men! The story is told in Acts 16:6-10. Notice in particular verses 6 and 7: “Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia
Personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit (Part II of a Series of Major Study Articles) by James H. Christian, Th .D ., Prof, of Church History, Talbot Theological Seminary
and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. “After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.” The Holy Spirit teaches believers. This ability was ascribed to Him by our Lord Jesus in His last great discourse in the upper room when He said: “the. Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your re membrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). Speaking, praying, calling, forbidding, and teach ing are powers which belong to a person alone, and the Word clearly shows that the Spirit did all of these. Moreover, the Spirit is capable of receiving the same treatment and of having similar reactions as other persons. This interesting and thought-provoking truth is set forth several ¡times in the New Testament under various figures. The first of these appears in Acts 5:1-10 when two early members of the church, Ananias and Sapphira, thought that they were deceiving men only, but found out that they were lying to the Holy Spirit as well. Notice here particularly verse 3 where Peter says: “Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit . . .” That the lie was directed to the Holy Spirit and was displeasing to Him is evident from the fact that according to verse 5, immediate judg ment was visited upon Ananias: “And Ananias hearing
the Scriptures. The idea that the Spirit is a thing, an influence, or a power, and not a person, will be offset by the considerations which follow. Perhaps the first proof for the personality of the Spirit which should be brought forth is that of the names which are given to Him in the Scriptures. However, since these will be mentioned in connection with His deity, they will not be dealt with further at this point; but they should be borne in mind. The Holy Spirit possesses characteristics which belong only to a person. The Spirit inquires into God’s plan and program, “for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God”; He communicates this information to believers, “God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit”; and He understands that which He discovers and communicates, “the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God” (I Cor. 2:10, 11). Now it is evident that an inanimate object or even a force, such as the wind, does not inquire into God’s affairs, nor under stand them, nor is it able to communicate these matters to us. Furthermore, it is evident that the Holy Spirit has a will and that He is able to fulfill the desires of His will. This is evident from I Corinthians 12:8-11 where we are told that He | gives to believers the word of wisdom and knowledge, faith, and spiritual gifts ac cording to His own will. The Holy Spirit also is capable of loving others as is indicated by the apostle Paul in
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