This is a lesson in the Crossroads programme, a discipleship programme written by Dr Kevin Smith and offered by the South African Theological Seminary. This lesson is about the Person of the Holy Spirit.

2. The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit 1
- The Person of the Spirit

3. Introduction

4. Introduction
The doctrine of the Trinity hinges on six truths:
1. The Father is God.
2. The Father is a separate person.
3. The Son is God.
4. The Son is a separate person.
5. The Spirit is God.
6. The Spirit is a separate person.
Only the two statements that are highlighted are
questioned by those who deny the Trinity.

5. Introduction
Those who deny the Trinity usually deny two things,
namely:
• Jesus Christ is God.
• The Holy Spirit is a person.
They acknowledge that Jesus is a separate person, but
deny that he is God. The acknowledge that the Spirit is
God, but deny that he is a separate person; they treat
him as God’s active force or presence.

6. Introduction
As far as the Holy Spirit is concerned, if we are to
believe in the Trinity we must establish that he is
(a) God, and
(b) a separate Person.
Since Scripture clearly treats the Holy Spirit as God, this
is seldom questioned. But some do doubt whether the
Holy Spirit is a separate person.

7. Lesson Outline
A. The Holy Spirit Is God
• Here we need to establish that the word of
God treats the Holy Spirit as part of God.
B. The Holy Spirit Is a Person
• Here we need to establish that the word of
God treats the Holy Spirit as a person, distinct
from the Father and the Son, yet equal to
them.

8. 1. The Holy Spirit as God

9. The Holy Spirit as God
Since this point is not generally disputed, we shall
briefly mention a few major evidences.
1. The Holy Spirit is called God.
2. The Holy Spirit communes with God.
3. The Holy Spirit communicates as God.
4. The Holy Spirit is characterised as God.
5. The Holy Spirit acts as God

10. The Holy Spirit as God
The Holy Spirit [is] In Acts 5:3-4, the Holy
Spirit is explicitly called
1. called God
God. To lie to the Holy
Spirit is to lie to God.

11. The Holy Spirit as God
The Holy Spirit [is] The Holy Spirit appears
alongside the Father and
1. called God
the Son as an equal
2. communes with God member of the Trinity in
texts like Matthew 28:19
and 2 Corinthians 13:14.

12. The Holy Spirit as God
The Holy Spirit [is] What the Holy Spirit says,
God says. The Holy Spirit
1. called God
is God. When quoting OT
2. communes with God scriptures, the NT can say
‘God said’ or ‘The Spirit’
3. communicates as God
with equal authority.

13. The Holy Spirit as God
The Holy Spirit [is] There are many texts
which characterise the
1. called God
Holy Spirit as possessing
2. communes with God all the attributes of God,
such as being omnipotent,
3. communicates as God
omniscient, and omni-
4. characterised as God present.

14. The Holy Spirit as God
The Holy Spirit [is] What the Holy Spirit
does, God does. “The
1. called God
work of the Holy Spirit is
2. communes with God the work of God”
(Williams). The Spirit’s
3. communicates as God
works include
4. characterised as God creation, providence, the
incarnation, regeneration,
5. acts as God
and so on.

15. 2. The Holy Spirit as a Person

16. The Holy Spirit as a Person
We are going to look at five lines of evidence showing
that the Holy Spirit is a Person rather than a force.
1. Personal pronouns
2. Personal titles
3. Personal acts
4. Personal relationships
5. Personal treatment

17. The Holy Spirit as a Person
Five Evidences The Holy Spirit is a
1. Personal pronouns ‘He’, not an ‘It’!
The word of God treats the
Holy Spirit as a Person by
calling the Spirit ‘he’, ‘his’, and
‘him’. These pronouns
suggestion a person, not a
force.

18. John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you
another Counsellor to be with you forever— the
Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept
him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.
But you know him, for he lives with you and will
be in you.

19. John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you
another Counsellor to be with you forever— the
Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him,
because it neither sees him nor knows him. But
you know him, for he lives with you and will be
in you.
You could not speak about a glass of water or a container of
liquid nitrogen in this way.

20. John 16:13-14
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will
guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his
own; he will speak only what he hears, and he
will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring
glory to me by taking from what is mine and
making it known to you.

21. John 16:13-14
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will
guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his
own; he will speak only what he hears, and he
will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring
glory to me by taking from what is mine and
making it known to you.
You could not speak about your arm or hand or any part of your
body this way.

22. The Holy Spirit as a Person
Five Evidences The Holy Spirit is
1. Personal pronouns ‘another Helper’.
2. Personal titles Jesus promised that he would
send ‘another Helper’ to take
his place with his disciples. The
new Helper would be another
like him. This clearly implies
that the Spirit is a person just
as Jesus was a person.

23. The Holy Spirit as a Person
John 14:16-17, ESV John 14:25-26, ESV
And I will ask the Father, and These things I have spoken to
he will give you another you while I am still with you.
Helper, to be with you forever, But the Helper, the Holy
even the Spirit of truth, whom Spirit, whom the Father will
the world cannot receive, send in my name, he will teach
because it neither sees him you all things and bring to your
nor knows him. You know him, remembrance all that I have
for he dwells with you and will said to you.
be in you.

24. The Holy Spirit as a Person
John 15:26, ESV John 16:7, ESV
But when the Helper Nevertheless, I tell you the
comes, whom I will send to truth: it is to your advantage
you from the Father, the Spirit that I go away, for if I do not go
of truth, who proceeds from away, the Helper will not come
the Father, he will bear witness to you. But if I go, I will send
about me. him to you.

25. The Holy Spirit as a Person
Five Evidences The Holy Spirit speaks
1. Personal pronouns to believers.
2. Personal titles The Holy Spirit communicates
in ways that only a person can
3. Personal acts communicate. Scripture often
describes him performing
communicative acts that could
not be said of an impersonal
force.

26. The Holy Spirit as a Person
a) He speaks Acts 13:2
While they were
worshiping the Lord and
fasting, the Holy Spirit
said, “Set apart for me
Barnabas and Saul for the
work to which I have
called them.”

27. The Holy Spirit as a Person
a) He speaks Romans 8:26-27
b) He intercedes In the same way, the Spirit helps
us in our weakness. We do not
know what we ought to pray
for, but the Spirit himself
intercedes for us with groans that
words cannot express. 27 And he
who searches our hearts knows
the mind of the Spirit, because
the Spirit intercedes for the saints
in accordance with God’s will.

28. The Holy Spirit as a Person
a) He speaks John 15:26
b) He intercedes When the Counsellor
c) He testifies comes, whom I will send
to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who
goes out from the Father,
he will testify about me.

29. The Holy Spirit as a Person
a) He speaks John 14:26
b) He intercedes But the Counsellor, the
c) He testifies Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my
d) He teaches name, will teach you all
things and will remind you
of everything I have said
to you.

30. The Holy Spirit as a Person
a) He speaks John 16:8
b) He intercedes When he comes, he will
c) He testifies convict the world of
guilt in regard to sin
d) He teaches and righteousness and
e) He convicts judgment.

31. The Holy Spirit as a Person
a) He speaks Acts 20:28
b) He intercedes Keep watch over
c) He testifies yourselves and all the
flock of which the Holy
d) He teaches Spirit has made you
e) He convicts overseers. Be shepherds
f) He chooses of the church of
God, which he bought
with his own blood.

32. The Holy Spirit as a Person
a) He speaks Acts 15:28
b) He intercedes It seemed good to the
c) He testifies Holy Spirit and to us not
to burden you with
d) He teaches anything beyond the
e) He convicts following requirements.
f) He chooses
g) He evaluates

33. The Holy Spirit as a Person
Five Evidences The Holy Spirit shares a
1. Personal pronouns personal relationship in
the Trinity.
2. Personal titles
3. Personal acts The Holy Spirit is named alongside
the Father and Son in the baptismal
4. Personal relationships formula and the benediction. Since
the Father and Son are persons, this
only makes sense if the Holy Spirit is
also a person. If he were just God’s
active force, why list him separately
from God?

34. The Holy Spirit as a Person
Five Evidences Matthew 28:19
1. Personal pronouns
Therefore go and make
2. Personal titles disciples of all
3. Personal acts nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father
4. Personal relationships
and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit.

35. The Holy Spirit as a Person
Five Evidences 2 Corinthians 13:14
1. Personal pronouns
May the grace of the Lord
2. Personal titles Jesus Christ, and the love
3. Personal acts of God, and the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit be with
4. Personal relationships
you all.

36. The Holy Spirit as a Person
Five Evidences We can treat the Holy
1. Personal pronouns Spirit like a Person.
2. Personal titles The Holy Spirit can be treated
3. Personal acts like a person. That is, we can
treat him in ways that only
4. Personal relationships make sense if he is a person,
not if he is a force.
5. Personal treatment

37. The Holy Spirit as a Person
The Holy Spirit can be Ephesians 4:30
1. grieved
And do not grieve the
2. resisted Holy Spirit of God, with
3. insulted whom you were sealed for
4. tested the day of redemption.
5. lied to
6. quenched
7. blasphemed

38. The Holy Spirit as a Person
The Holy Spirit can be Acts 7:51
1. grieved
You stiff-necked
2. resisted people, with
3. insulted uncircumcised hearts and
4. tested ears! You are just like your
5. lied to fathers: You always resist
6. quenched the Holy Spirit!
7. blasphemed

39. The Holy Spirit as a Person
The Holy Spirit can be Hebrews 10:29
1. grieved How much more severely do
2. resisted you think a man deserves to
3. insulted be punished who has trampled
the Son of God under
4. tested foot, who has treated as an
5. lied to unholy thing the blood of the
6. quenched covenant that sanctified
him, and who has insulted the
7. blasphemed Spirit of grace?

40. The Holy Spirit as a Person
The Holy Spirit can be Acts 5:9
1. grieved
Peter said to her, “How
2. resisted could you agree to test
3. insulted the Spirit of the Lord?
4. tested
5. lied to
6. quenched
7. blasphemed

41. The Holy Spirit as a Person
The Holy Spirit can be Acts 5:3
1. grieved
Then Peter
2. resisted said, “Ananias, how is it
3. insulted that Satan has so filled
4. tested your heart that you have
5. lied to lied to the Holy Spirit and
6. quenched have kept for yourself
some of the money you
7. blasphemed
received for the land?”

42. The Holy Spirit as a Person
The Holy Spirit can be 1 Thessalonians 5:19
1. grieved
Do not quench the Spirit.
2. resisted
3. insulted
4. tested
5. lied to
6. quenched
7. blasphemed

43. The Holy Spirit as a Person
The Holy Spirit can be Matthew 12:31
1. grieved
Therefore I tell you, every
2. resisted sin and blasphemy will be
3. insulted forgiven people, but the
4. tested blasphemy against the
5. lied to Spirit will not be forgiven.
6. quenched
7. blasphemed

44. 3. The Holy Spirit as Our Personal God

45. The Holy Spirit as Our Personal God
Because we recognise the Holy Spirit as a divine
person, he can be the object of our
1. celebration in worship
2. communion in prayer
3. cooperation in ministry

46. The Holy Spirit as Our Personal God
Celebration in Worship Matthew 12:32
If he is fully God, it is only Anyone who speaks a
natural to celebrate him in word against the Son of
our worship. We worship Man will be forgiven, but
the Triune God: anyone who speaks
Father, Son, and Holy against the Holy Spirit will
Spirit. We should speak to not be forgiven, either in
and about the Spirit with this age or in the age to
love and honour. come.

47. The Holy Spirit as Our Personal God
Communion in Prayer 2 Corinthians 13:14
We can enjoy personal May the grace of the Lord
fellowship with the Spirit. Jesus Christ, and the love
In our prayers, we speak of God, and the fellowship
to him and he speaks to of the Holy Spirit be with
us. He also speaks to us you all.
through the word of God.

48. The Holy Spirit as Our Personal God
Cooperation in Ministry Acts 1:8
The Holy Spirit empowers But you will receive power
us for ministry. He leads; when the Holy Spirit
we follow. He is not a comes on you; and you
force that we manipulate. will be my witnesses in
He is the all-wise and all- Jerusalem, and in all Judea
powerful Lord to whom and Samaria, and to the
we listen and yield. ends of the earth.

49. Conclusion

50. Conclusion
• If people deny the Trinity, they deny that (a) Jesus
is God and (b) the Holy Spirit is a person.
• The word of God teaches that the Holy Spirit is
both (a) God and (b) a person.
• Since the Holy Spirit is our personal God, we can
celebrate him in worship, commune with him in
prayer, and cooperate with him in ministry.