Some people believe the Holy Spirit is not a person that possesses personality, but an influence, or impersonal force, or active force. This is not the view expressed in the Bible. As pointed out above, Jesus not only referred to the Holy Spirit with various, but also referred to the Holy Spirit as a "He," and never an "It" (John 14:16-17; 16:13).

The Holy Spirit is sentient, meaning He is alive, conscious, able to perceive, and has the ability to experience sensations and feelings. In other words, the Holy Spirit possesses qualities common to man, though the Holy Spirit is deity and possesses a spiritual form rather than a physical body.

The Holy Spirit has a mind (R0m. 8:27). He possesses knowledge (1 Cor. 2:9-11), judgment (Acts 15:28), and will (1 Cor. 12:11). The Holy Spirit decided what person received which miraculous gift (1 Cor. 12:11). Do impersonal forces make decisions?

The Holy Spirit experiences love (Rom. 15:30). When have you known an impersonal force that could love? Can the wind love; can the tide? He also possesses the quality of goodness (Neh. 9:20).

In addition, the Holy Spirit has the ability to perform the following actions (note that the verbs below will differ depending upon your translation):

How many impersonal forces, however active, can perform such a variety of tasks?

Like God the Father and Christ, the Holy Spirit is deity, a part of the Godhead. As such, He possesses qualities common only to God and Christ. In fact, Peter speaks of the Holy Spirit and God interchangeably in Acts 5:3-4, 9.

The Holy Spirit is omniscient or all knowing (1 Cor. 2:10-11). He is omnipresent or everywhere at once (Psalm 139:7-10). He is eternal (Heb. 9:14); thus, He has no beginning. In fact, He was present at the creation of the universe (Gen. 1:2).

As a member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit had a distinct role in the scheme of redemption from the beginning. He was involved in the redemption of man from the beginning (Heb. 9:14). He, along with God, was present at the baptism of Christ (Mt. 3:16-17) and the Holy Spirit was involved in the working of miracles (Mt. 12:28; Rom. 15:19).

After Christ’s resurrection and ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit had three missions (more on these in future articles; see John 14:26, 15:26, 16:7-14):

The Holy Spirit continues to play a role in the "regeneration of men" (John 3:5; Tim. 3:4-6). Although we do not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit today (see "Prove All Things," Vol. I, No. 12), we are baptized in the name "of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt. 28:19). This expression reinforces not only each distinctive personality of the Godhead, a distinction observed by Jesus (John 14:16, 26; 15:26) and Paul (2 Cor. 13:14), but also the fact that one God exists eternally in three different persons (1 John 5:7). In fact, the word "God" in Genesis 1:1, "Elohim," is plural, not singular (notice also "us" and "our" in Gen. 1:26).

Men disrespect the Holy Spirit. People lie and resist Him (Acts 5:3, 7:51-53). They insult and blaspheme Him (Heb. 10:26-29; Matt. 12:31-32). Men grieve the Holy Spirit and turn Him against them, making Him their enemy (Eph. 4:30; Isa. 63:10). How is your relationship with the Holy Spirit?

Although the Holy Spirit can influence men (2 Pet. 1:20-21); He is not a mere influence. The Holy Spirit is a divine person.