The Holy Spirit is God, or Deity. He has the essence, quality, and character of Deity -- not of animals, men, or even the angels. Because we honor and revere God, we also honor and revere the Holy Spirit. God is not approached with anything less than adoration and praise. (Psalm 148; Ecclesiastes 5:1,7). The same is true of the Holy Spirit.
How is God defined?
- ...The being, perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness, whom men worship as creator and ruler of the universe. {Webster's New Collegiate Dict., 1973}
- Divinity, deity ... to denote the divine nature, power, providence of the one, true, God; as in Acts 17:29. {Thayer's Lexicon}
- The usual Greek word for God, as the only true God -- is equivalent to the Hebrew words Elohim (indicating His power and preeminence -- translated God in Gen.1:1: 2:3) and Jehovah (indicating His unoriginated, immutable, eternal, and self-sustaining existence). {Vine's Dictionary of NT Words}
- I AM; The Almighty; Godhead; Godhood; Deity; Divinity; Divine Nature.
In an effort to fully understand what we mean when we say that the Holy Spirit is DEITY, let us examine some of God's (Deity's) attributes.
- He is Self-Existent, Eternal, and Immutable.
- He has Universal Presence, Infinite Knowledge, Wisdom, and Power.
- He is Perfectly Holy, Loving, and Good.
- He has Perfect Hate and Severity, Infinite Authority and Dominion.
These are not attributes associated with men or with angels. They can be ascribed only to God; and the Holy Sprit, as Deity, shares all of them. Let's look into them more deeply.
God is Self-Existent (Quality of uncreated existence). Self-existence is a quality of deity, not of anything created. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 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 1:1,2} He is the uncreated Creator of the universe. There is no excuse for not accepting Him (Romans 1:20; 2 Peter 3:5).
The workings of His material creation are a testimony to God's existence. "Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising." {Acts 17:29}
His divine revelation, the Bible, testifies to God's existence:
- It is Perfect -- Perfect unity, perfect internal consistency, and perfect accuracy (historical, geographical, and archaeological).
- It is Prophetic -- Thirty-one percent of the Bible is prophetic. It is the only prophetically accurate book ever written. It is 100% correct; there are no exceptions! There were more than 300 prophecies concerning Christ. He fulfilled them all!
- It is Preserved -- The oldest, most accurate book ever written has been preserved by God's divine promise and providence (1 Peter 1:24,25). No book has been more hated and despised by its enemies. On every front, it has suffered attacks from those who try to wipe from men's minds its credence as a book of authority.
God is Eternal. In Psalms 90:1,2, we read: "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlastings to everlasting, You are God." He was the Creator before He created. The world had a beginning, but God did not. From eternity to eternity, God alone stands beyond time; He cannot be measured or limited by it. Man returns to the dust from which he came (Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 12:7). Isaiah 46:9 says: "there is none like God." This is also true of the Holy Spirit -- He has always existed.
God is Immutable. (His nature, or character, is constant; it never changes.) "I said O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days; your years are throughout generations. Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but you will endure; Yes, they will grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years have no end." {Psalms 102:24-27} This passage contrasts God's immutable nature with the fleeting, temporary nature of man. Man dies -- God never will. Immutability is a characteristic of Deity, and only of deity. The Holy Spirit is also immutable.
God has Universal Presence. (All things are always in His presence.) The Lord's eyes are everywhere, all the time. "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." {Hebrews 4:13} God even knows our thoughts (Psalms 139:7-12). He dwells in the heavens that go beyond the material universe -- but His knowledge and power extend to all creation (Acts 17:24,25). Animals, men, and angels do not possess this quality.
God has Infinite Knowledge and Wisdom. (He is omniscient.) God knows and understands everything, but He was not taught; He is the source. "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!" {Romans 11:33} Created beings have only the limited knowledge granted and revealed to them by God. Animals (Job 39:13-17). Man (Deuteronomy 29:29; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13). Angels (1 Peter 1:12).
God has Infinite Power. (He is omnipotent.) God demonstrated His infinite power by speaking the world into existence (Psalm 33:6-9). He is greater and more powerful than every created thing (Isaiah 40:12-17). With God, "all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). Animals, men, and angels have limited power, and that is subject to God's judgment.
God is Perfectly Holy. God is consecrated, set apart from, and above all sin. He is pure, clean, incapable of wrong, and unable to tolerate wickedness. "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone." {James 1:13} Animals, men, and angels cannot claim perfect holiness. All have sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8).
God is Perfectly Loving and Good. God is love (1 John 4:8). He is the fullness of perfect love, which He manifests through physical and spiritual blessings (Matthew 5:45; James 1:17; John 3:16; 1 John 4:9). Man can only strive toward such a standard, but God achieves it perfectly!
The Bible tells us that God has all of these qualities. The Bible also says the Holy Spirit is God; that means He shares God's nature and possesses the same attributes. There are only three who do -- but that's another lesson.