The Personality of the Holy Spirit

2 Corinthians 13:14


"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit ..."


The Holy Spirit is identified with the Father and the Son in such a way as to indicate personality.


There are two great arguments here. The first is the baptismal formula: "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19). Here He is associated with the Father and the Son in a way that of necessity points to His personality.


The second argument is based on the apostolic benediction in 2 Corinthians 13:14: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit ...". Obviously the Holy Spirit is a person in line with the person of the Father and of the Son.


A most interesting way we can prove the personality of the Spirit is by showing that He is identified with us, with Christians, in a way that indicates that He is a person. In Acts 15:28 we read, "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden that these necessary things." This was a decision arrived at by members of the early church, and as they were persons, so He must be a person. You cannot say, "It seemed good to a power and to us," because the power would be working in us. But here is someone outside us - "It seemed good to Him and to us."


Personal qualities are ascribed to the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures. He is said, for example, to have knowledge. Paul argues, "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:11).


A Thought to Ponder: The Spirit is identified with us, with Christians, in a way that indicates that He is a person.


~Martyn Lloyd-Jones - "Walking With God"