28 The Holy Spirit

2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death (KJV).

The Spirit of life is the Holy Spirit. Sometimes in the Old Testament it is not always clear whether a reference which uses the word Spirit is referring to the Holy Spirit or, for instance, to the breath of God’s own mouth (Psalms 33:6). In addition, the fact that He is God and as God is present in the world would involve Him in all the works of God.

The least understood Person of the Godhead is the Holy Spirit. Some find difficulty in the word Person referring to Deity. We speak of three Persons yet one God in the Godhead. In other words, there is one God that is manifest in Scripture in three distinct separate roles and personalities. That is the Lord YHWH (God the Father), Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Spirit seems a strange word to use of a person. Yet a proper understanding of the Holy Spirit is basic to many doctrines including inspiration of the Bible, aspects of salvation, and many facets of the Christian life.

To be considered a person one must possess intelligence, emotions, and will. An inanimate thing lacks these, but the Holy Spirit is not a thing because He has intelligence, emotions, and will.

1. The Holy Spirit is said to know the things of God, and that takes some intelligence (I Corinthians 2:10–11). We also read about the mind of the Spirit (Romans 8:27).

2. It is possible to grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), which is rather hard to conceive of doing to an influence or thing.

3. It is the Holy Spirit who distributes spiritual gifts as he wills (I Corinthians 12:11). The phrase might even be translated as He purposes, because it shows a definite act of the will.