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Ascribing "personhood" to the Holy Spirit

There is no proof for the personality of the Holy Spirit in the OT (Old Testament).

"The OT clearly does not envisage God's spirit as a person, neither in the strictly philosophical sense, nor in the Semitic sense. God's spirit is simply God's Power. If it is sometimes represented as being distinct from God, it is because the breath of Yahweh acts exteriorly (Isa. 48:16; 63:11; 32:15)."

"Very rarely do the OT writers attribute to God's spirit emotions or intellectual activity (Isa. 63:10; Wis. 1:3-7). When such expressions are used, they are mere figures of speech that are explained by the fact that the ruah was regarded also as the seat of intellectual acts and feeling (Gen. 41:8). Neither is there found in the OT or in rabbinical literature the notion that God's spirit is an intermediary being between God and the world. This activity is proper to the angels, although to them is ascribed some of the activity that elsewhere is ascribed to the spirit of God" -New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. XIII, p. 574.

As to the NT (New Testament), it would seem that there is a gradual revelation that the Spirit of God is a person. But this seems true only if you come with the preconceived notion that God is a Trinity. The fact is there are only a few texts that can even remotely be construed as presenting the Spirit as a person, and in each case only as the result of a grammatical misunderstanding.

"The majority of NT texts reveal God's spirit as something, not someone; this is especially seen in the parallelism between the spirit and the power of God."

"When a quasi-personal activity is ascribed to God's spirit, e.g., speaking, hindering, desiring, dwelling (Acts 8 29; 16:7; Rom. 8:9), one is not justified in concluding immediately that in these passages God's spirit is regarded as a Person; the same expressions are used in regard to rhetorically personified things or abstract ideas (see Rom. 6:6; 7:17). Thus the context of the phrase 'blasphemy against the spirit' (Mt. 12:31; cf. Mt. 12:28; Lk. 11:20) shows that reference is being made to the power of God" -Ibid. p. 575

Nowhere in the Bible is the Holy Spirit shown to have manlike shape. The Father and the Son are revealed to have body parts like us-they even sit on thrones-but the Spirit is described to be like wind, oil, fire, and water.

The only shape it is ever given is that of a dove (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32), and some dispute that the Spirit looked like a dove but rather in a visible form descended like a dove. Nevertheless, the Spirit is never described to have a humanlike shape. Man was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), so man looks like God. If the Spirit were also a person in a "trinity," it too would look like a man just as the Father and Son do (John 14:9). Yet, at best, the Spirit had a dove's shape in one instance, and a man and a dove have never been mistaken for each other.

Other verses show the apostles giving praise, glory, and honor to the Father and Son without mentioning the Spirit (Romans 1:7; I Corinthians 1:1-4; Galatians 1:1-5; and so on through the epistles). If it were part of the Godhead, this would be a grave omission.

Many of the Spirit's attributes can be shown to originate in the Father or the Son. For example, the Spirit is named "Comforter" in John 14:26 (KJV), yet the Father is called "the God of all comfort" in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. Other examples include making intercession: Romans 8:26 - I Timothy 2:5 and Hebrews 7:25; and enabling spiritual understanding: 1 Corinthians 2:10 - 1 Corinthians 2:16 and 1 John 5:20.

In addition, the Spirit has no familial relationship to Christians. God is our Father and Christ is our Elder Brother. Paul says "Jerusalem above…is the mother of us all" (Galatians 4:26). The Spirit, though, is not a person but a gift of God, the mind and power of God working in and through us (2 Timothy 1:7).

When we look at the salutations found in nearly all of the New Testament letters, we find that all but two mention the Father and the Son only. Consider:

  • Romans 1:7: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
  • 1 Corinthians 1:3: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
  • 2 Corinthians 1:2: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
  • Galatians 1:3: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
  • Ephesians 1:2: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
  • Philippians 1:2: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
  • Colossians 1:2-3: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father."
  • 1 Thessalonians 1:1: "Grace to you and peace."
  • 2 Thessalonians 1:1: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
  • 1 Timothy 1:2: "Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
  • 2 Timothy 1:2: "Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
  • Titus 1:4: "Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior."
  • Philemon 1:3: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
  • Hebrews (not explicitly mentioned)
  • James 1:1: "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ"
  • 1 Peter 1:2: "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you."
  • 2 Peter 1:2: "May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."
  • 1 John 1:3 "that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ."
  • 2 John 1:3: "Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love."
  • 3 John (not explicitly mentioned)
  • Jude 1:1: "To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you."
  • Revelation 1:4-5: "Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth."

The two exceptions are 1 Peter 1:2 and Revelation 1:4, 5, yet these give vague reference to the Spirit. For example, Revelation 1:4 reads in part, "and from the seven spirits who are before his throne." If the Holy Spirit is the third "person" of the Trinity, then why is he seven spirits and not one? Certainly "personhood" cannot be ascribed to seven spirits.

So, why do the apostles give greetings from the Father and the Son in each of their letters, but no greetings from the Holy Spirit? Is it possible that this is evidence that there is no other personality? That the apostles never were taught and never believed in such a person?

In the Bible, there are various titles and definitions that are applied to the Holy Spirit. As these are carefully studied, it becomes evident that all of them describe characteristics that stem from God and Christ and do not necessitate an additional personality. Note these examples.

  • "The Spirit of God" (Matt. 3:16)
  • "The Spirit of Christ" (1 Pet. 1:11)
  • "The Spirit of Holiness" (Rom. 1:4)
  • "The Spirit of Truth" (John 14:17)
  • "The Spirit of a Sound Mind" (2 Tim. 1:7)
  • "The Holy Spirit of Promise" (Eph. 1:13)
  • "The Spirit of Meekness" (Gal. 6:1)
  • "The Spirit of Understanding" (Isa. 11:2)
  • "The Spirit of Wisdom" (Eph. 1:17)
  • "The Spirit of Glory" (1 Pet. 4:14)
  • "The Spirit of Counsel" (Isa. 11:2)
  • "The Spirit of Grace" (Heb. 10:29)
  • "The Spirit of Adoption" (Rom. 8:15)
  • "The Spirit of Prophecy" (Rev. 19:10)

Even the most avid Trinitarian would find it necessary to define "Spirit" in most usages as an influence or power. Personhood of the Trinity just does not fit into these descriptions.

There is another side to this matter which is very revealing. There is also an "unholy spirit" that is referred to frequently in the Scriptures. This spirit is described in opposite terms to that of the Holy Spirit. Note the following:

  • "The Spirit of Fear" (2 Tim. 1:7)
  • "The Spirit of Divination" (Acts 16:16)
  • "The Spirit of Bondage" (Rom. 8:15)
  • "The Spirit of Antichrist" (1 John 4:3)
  • "The Spirit of the World" (1 Cor. 2:12)
  • "The Spirit of Slumber" (Rom. 11:8)
  • "The Spirit of Error" (1 John 4:6)

Would anyone propose to add personhood to these spirits or to suppose that these various designations, unitedly considered, prove there is another evil being apart from Satan, the adversary of God? Not very likely, because it is commonly recognized that these terms, which generally signify the wrong spirit, all have their chief exemplification in Satan. A separate personality is not required, nor is a host of personal spirits needed to justify the listings.