Before beginning our study about the Holy Spirit, let's answer an important question--Who is He? When we know and understand who He is, we will be more able to understand His role, work, character, and the part He plays in God's divine plan.

Names attributed to the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament contains 88 distinct references to the Holy Spirit. In these references, 18 names are applied. The Old Testament does not give the Holy Spirit as much prominence as does the New Testament. He is mentioned in half of the Old Testament books, and 16 contain no specific reference to Him. In most of the OT references, He is called the Spirit of God.

• "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." {Genesis 1:2}
• "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." {Isaiah 11:2}
• "You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst." {Nehemiah 9:20}

We see in Genesis 1:2, His relation to the material universe. The word "moved" carries with it a sense of "hovering" or "brooding." The world was unformed and void. In some way, the Spirit of God fashioned this formless waste into a wonderful creation.

He is mentioned again during the time when Noah lived. "And the LORD said, My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." {Genesis 6:3} For 120 years, while Noah was building the ark, He entreated men to repent.

We see His reaction to the individual. "But they rebelled and grieved the Holy Spirit; so He turned Himself against them as an enemy." {Isaiah 63:10} He was grieved by the disobedience of God's people who lived under Moses' Law.

The New Testament refers to the Holy Spirit 264 times, using 33 different names. Five of these names are common to both the Old and New Testaments. This leaves 52 different Holy Spirit appellatives in the New Testament. Seventeen denote His relationship with God; five, His relation to the Son; five, His divine nature; seven, His own character; and 17 concern His relation to man.

• "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" {Hebrews 9:14}
• "Searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow." {1 Peter 1:11}
• "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit." {Matthew 1:18}
• "The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." {John 14:17}

Commonly, one of two possible views is held concerning the Holy Spirit:

1. He is a divine influence, proceeding from the Father; an emanation, form, or manifestation of the divine; or an impersonal force. The majority of the religious world holds this position.
2. He is a person, active in all the ways of a distinct personality. Only by examining the Scriptures, do we conclude that the second position is correct.

The Holy Spirit is a Divine personality; he is not an impersonal force, or some kind of divine impulse. He doesn't possess mystical powers, or fly around like a ghost! He possesses the characteristics of a real person!

He has a MIND. "Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." {Romans 8:27}

He has KNOWLEDGE. "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God." {1 Corinthians 2:11}

Just like a person, He feels AFFECTION. "Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me." {Romans 15:30}

The Spirit also has a WILL. "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." {1 Corinthians 12:11}

What the Spirit does manifests personality. He:

• SPEAKS--"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons." {1 Timothy 4:1}
• TESTIFIES--"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me." {John 15:26}
• TEACHES--"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." {John 14:26}
• GUIDES--"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." {John 16:13}
• SEARCHES--"But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God." {1 Corinthians 2:10}
• LEADS and FORBIDS--"Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them." {Acts 16:6,7}
• INVITES--"And the Spirit and Bride say come! And let him that hears say come! And let him who thirsts come! Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." {Revelation 22:17}

What can be done to Him manifests personality. He can be:

• GRIEVED--"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." {Ephesians 4:30}
• DESPISED--"Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace." {Hebrews 10:29}
• BLASPHEMED--"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." {Matthew 12:31,32}
• RESISTED--"You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you." {Acts 7:51}
• LIED TO--"But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?" {Acts 5:3}
• RECEIVED--"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me." {John 13:20}
• REJECTED--"He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me." {Luke 10:16}

***A mere principle or influence cannot sustain any of these slights. Only a personality can be so treated. A person has life, thought, will, action, individuality, character, and influence. The Holy Spirit has all of these qualities. Therefore, He is a living, speaking, acting, and loving personality.***

He can be considered a person because of His WORK:

He assisted during the creation. "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." {Genesis 1:2}

• In the midst of chaos, the Spirit achieved design, beauty, and order! God was the CREATOR; Christ was the AGENT; and the HOLY SPIRIT was the ORGANIZER.
• He was the AGENT in Christ's incarnation. "And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." {Luke 1:35}
• He INSPIRED the Scriptures. "But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." {1 Corinthians 2:9-12}
• He CONVICTS the world of RIGHTEOUSNESS and JUDGMENT. "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." {John 16:8-11}
• He DWELLS in the Christian. "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." {Ephesians 1:13,14}
• He was the agent in the RESURRECTION of Christ. "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit." {1 Peter 3:18}

By now, you should know who He is.