SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY > PNEUMATOLOGY
God the Holy Spirit: His Personality
A. The Importance of His Personality
In teaching the fundamental truths as relating to the Holy Spirit, special emphasis should be made of the fact of His personality. This is because the Spirit does not now speak from Himself or of Himself; rather, He speaks whatsoever He hears (John 16:13; Acts 13:2), and He is said to come into the world to glorify Christ (John 16:14). In contrast to this, Scripture represents both the Father and the Son as speaking from Themselves; amd this, not only with final authority and by the use of the personal pronoun 7, but presenting them as being in immediate communion, cooperation, conversation — the one with the other. All this tends to make less real the personality of the Holy Spirit who does not speak from or of Himself. Accordingly, in the history of the church, the personality of the Spirit was for some centuries slighted; only after the doctrine of the Father and the Son was defined as in the Nicene Creed (A.D. 325) was the Spirit recognized as a personality in the creeds of the church. As the orthodox doctrine was later defined, the scriptural truth that the Godhead subsists or exists in three persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — became generally recognized. Scripture is entirely clear that the Holy Spirit is just as much a person as God the Father and God the Son, and yet, as seen in the study of the doctrine of the Trinity, the three persons form one God not three Gods.
B. The Personality of the Holy Spirit in Scriptures
1. The Spirit is said to do that which is possible only for a person to do. (a) He reproves the world: “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). (b) He teaches: “He shall teach you all things” (John 14:26; note also Neh. 9:20; John 16:13-15; 1 John 2:27). ( c ) The Spirit speaks: “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6). (d) The Spirit intercedes: “But the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26). (e) The Spirit leads: “led of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:18; cp. Acts 8:29; 10:19; 13:2; 16:6-7; 20:23; Rom. 8:14). (f) The Spirit appoints men to specific service: “The Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them” (Acts 13:2; cp. Acts 20:28). (g) The Spirit is Himself subject to appointment (John 15:26). (h) The Spirit ministers: He regenerates (John 3:6), He seals (Eph. 4:30), He baptizes (1 Cor. 12:13), He fills (Eph. 5:18). 2. He is affected as a person by other beings. (a) The Father sends Him into the world (John 14:16,26), and the Son sends Him into the world (John 16:7). (b) Men may vex the Spirit (Isa. 63:10), they may grieve Him (Eph. 4:30), they may quench (resist) Him (1 Thess. 5:19), they may blaspheme Him (Matt. 12:31), they may lie to Him (Acts 5:3), they may disrespect Him (Heb. 10:29), they may speak against Him (Matt. 12:32). 3. All Bible terms related to the Spirit imply His personality. (a) He is called “another Comforter” (Advocate), which indicates that He is as much a person as Christ (John 14:16-17; 26; 16:7; 1 John 2:1-2). (b) He is called a Spirit and in the same personal sense as God is called a Spirit (John 4:24). ( c ) The pronouns used of the Spirit imply His personality. In the Greek language the word “spirit” is a neuter noun which would naturally call for a neuter pronoun, and in a few instances the neuter pronoun is used (Rom. 8:16,26); but often the masculine form of the pronoun is used, thus emphasizing the fact of the personality of the Spirit (John 14:16-17; 16:7-15).
C. As a Person of the Godhead the Holy Spirit Is Co-equal With the Father and the Son
1. He is called God. This fact will be seen by comparing Isaiah 6:8-9 with Acts 28:25-26; Jeremiah 31:31-34 with Hebrews 10:15-17. (Note also 2 Cor. 3:18 ASV, and Acts 5:3, 4 – ” W h y hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? . . . thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God”.) Though the judgments of God have fallen so drastically on some who have lied against the Spirit (Acts 5:3) and though men are evidently not permitted to swear in the name of the Holy Spirit and though He is called The Holy Spirit, it is certain that He is not more holy than the Father or the Son, absolute holiness being the primary attribute of the Triune God. 2. He has the attributes of God (Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13; 1 Cor. 2:9-11; Heb. 9:14). 3. The Holy Spirit performs the works of God (Job 33:4; Ps. 104:30; Luke 12:11-12; Acts 1:5; 20:28; 1 Cor. 6:11; 2:8-11; 2 Pet. 1:21). 4. As indicated above, the use of the personal pronouns affirm His personality. 5. The Holy Spirit is presented in Scripture as a personal object of faith (Ps. 51:11; Matt. 28:19; Acts 10:19-21). As an object of faith, He is also One to be obeyed. The believer in Christ, walking in fellowship with the Spirit, experiences His power, His guidance, His instruction, and His sufficiency, and confirms experientially the great doctrines concerning the personality of the Spirit which are revealed in Scripture.
God the Holy Spirit: His Advent
The coming of the Spirit into the world on the day of Pentecost must be seen in relationship to His work in previous dispensations. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was in the world as the omnipresent God; yet He is said to come into the world on the day of Pentecost. During the present age He is said to remain in the world but will depart out of the world — in the same sense as He came on the day of Pentecost — when the rapture of the church occurs. In order to understand this truth of the Holy Spirit, various aspects of the Spirit’s relationship to the world should be considered.
A. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
Throughout the extended period before the first coming of Christ, the Spirit was present in the world in the same sense in which He is present everywhere, and He worked in and through the people of God according to His divine will (Gen. 41:38; Exod. 31:3; 35:31; Num. 27:18; Job 33:4; Ps. 139:7; Hag. 2:4-5; Zech. 4:6). In the Old Testament the Spirit of God is seen to have a relationship to the creation of the world. He had a part in the revelation of divine truth to the saints and prophets. He inspired the Scriptures which were written, and had a ministry to the world in general in restraining sin, in enabling believers for service, and in performing miracles. All these activities indicate that the Spirit was very active in the Old Testament; however, there is no evidence in the Old Testament that the Holy Spirit indwelt every believer. As John 14:17 indicates He was “with” them but not “in” them. Likewise there is no mention of the sealing work of the Spirit or of the baptism of the Holy Spirit prior to the day of Pentecost. Accordingly, it may be anticipated that after Pentecost there would be a greater work of the Spirit than in preceding ages.
B. The Holy Spirit During the Life of Christ on Earth
It is reasonable to suppose that the incarnate, active presence of the Second Person of the Trinity in the world would affect the ministries of the Spirit, and this we find to be true. 1. In relation to Christ, the Spirit teas the generating power by which the God-man was formed in the virgins womb. The Spirit is also seen descending, in the form of a dove, upon Christ as the time of His baptism. And again, it is revealed that it was only through the eternal Spirit that Christ offered Himself to God (Heb. 9:14). 2. The relation of the Spirit to men during the earthly ministry of Christ was progressive. Christ first gave assurance to His disciples that they might receive the Spirit by asking (Luke 11:13). Though the Spirit had previously come upon men according to the sovereign will of God, His presence in the human heart had never before been conditioned upon asking, and this new privilege was never claimed at that time by any one, as far as the record goes. At the close of His ministry and just before His death, Christ said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17). Likewise, after His resurrection the Lord breathed on them and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost” (John 20:22); but in spite of this temporary gift of the Spirit they were to tarry in Jerusalem until they should be endued with power permanently from on high (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4).
C. The Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
As promised by the Father (John 14:16-17,26) and by the Son (John 16:7), the Spirit— who as the Omnipresent One had always been in the world — came into the world on the day of Pentecost. The force of this seeming repetition of ideas is seen when it is understood that His coming on the day of Pentecost was that He might make His abode in the world. God the Father, though omnipresent (Eph. 4 : 6 ) , is, as to His abode, “Our Father which art in heaven” (Matt. 6:9). Likewise God the Son, though omnipresent (Matt. 18:20; Col. 1:27) as to His abode now, is seated at the right hand of God (Heb. 1:3; 10:12). In like manner the Spirit, though omnipresent, is now as to His abode tabernacling here on the earth. The taking up of His abode on the earth was the sense in which the Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. His dwelling place was changed from heaven to earth. It was for this coming of the Spirit into the world that the disciples were told to wait. The new ministry of this age of grace could not begin apart from the coming of the Spirit. In the chapters which follow, the work of the Spirit in the present age will be presented. The Spirit of God first of all has a ministry to the world as indicated in John 16:7-11. Here He is revealed as convicting the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. This work which prepares an individual to accept Christ intelligently is a special work of the Spirit, a work of grace, which enlightens the Satan-blinded mind of unbelieving men, in respect to three great doctrines. 1. The unbeliever is made to understand that the sin of unbelief in Jesus Christ as his personal Savior is the one sin that stands between him and salvation. It is not a question of his worthiness, his feelings, or any other factor. The sin of unbelief is the sin which prevents his salvation (John 3:18). 2. The unbeliever is informed concerning the righteousness of God. While on earth Christ was the living illustration of the righteousness of God; upon His departure the Spirit is sent to reveal the righteousness of God to the world. This includes the fact that God is a righteous God who demands much more than any man can do himself, and this eliminates any possibility of human works being the basis for salvation. More important, the Spirit of God reveals that there is a righteousness available by faith in Christ and that when one believes in Jesus Christ he can be declared righteous, justified by faith, and accepted by his faith in Christ, who is righteous both in His person and in His work on the cross (Rom. 1:16-17; 3:22; 4 : 5 ). 3. The fact is revealed that the prince of this world, that is, Satan himself, has been judged at the cross and is doomed to eternal punishment. This reveals the fact that the work on the cross is finished, that judgment has taken place, that Satan has been defeated, and that salvation is available to those who put their trust in Christ. While it is not necessary for an unbeliever to understand completely all these facts in order to be saved, the Holy Spirit must reveal enough so that as he believes he intelligently receives Christ in His person and His work. There is a sense in which this was partially true in ages past, as even in the Old Testament it was impossible for a person to believe and be saved without a work of the Spirit. However, in the present age, following the death and resurrection of Christ, these facts now become much more clear, and the work of the Spirit in revealing them to unbelievers is part of the important reason for His coming into the world’s sphere and making it His residence. In His coming to the world on the day of Pentecost, the work of the Spirit in the church took on many new aspects. These will be considered in later chapters. The Holy Spirit is said to regenerate every believer (John 3:3-7,36). The Holy Spirit indwells every believer (John 7:37-39; Acts 11:15-17; Rom. 5:5; 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19-20). As indwelling the believer, the Holy Spirit is our seal unto the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30). Further, every child of God is baptized into the body of Christ by the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). All these ministries apply equally to every true believer in this present age. In addition to these works that are related to the salvation of the believer, there is the possibility of the filling of the Spirit and of walking by the Spirit which opens the door to all the ministry of the Spirit to the believer in the present age. These great works of the Spirit are the key not only to salvation but to effective Christian living in the present age. When the purpose of God in this age is brought to completion by the rapture of the church, the Holy Spirit will have accomplished the purpose of His special advent into the world and will depart from the world in the same sense that He came on the day of Pentecost. A parallel can be seen between the coming of Christ to the earth to accomplish His work and His departure into heaven. Like Christ, however, the Holy Spirit will continue to be omnipresent and will continue a work after the rapture similar to that which was true before the day of Pentecost. The present age is, accordingly, in many respects the age of the Spirit, an age in which the Spirit of God is working in a special way to call out a company of believers from both Jew and Gentile to form the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit will continue to work after the rapture, as He also will in the kingdom age —which will have its own special characteristics and probably will include all the ministries of the Holy Spirit in the present age except that of the baptism of the Spirit. The coming of the Spirit should be regarded as an important event, essential to the work of God in the present age, even as the coming of Christ is essential to salvation and God’s ultimate purpose to provide salvation for the whole world and especially for those who will believe.
Source: Lewis Chafer & John Walvoord, Major Bible Themes, (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House, 1974), 87-95.