Who is the Spirit?
Jesus says God is Spirit, and we are also told the Holy Spirit is Spirit, so how do we define the Holy Spirit?
We know his name, but we’re not so sure about what he looks like. He’s the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is difficult to define. As soon as we attempt to explain him, our language becomes less helpful than we may have hoped. Not only is our intellect too small to encompass him, but our language is also too limited to explain him. Metaphors that help us to tiptoe our way into an exploration of his character.
To describe him as an ‘entity’ or a ‘force’ sounds too impersonal; to refer to him as a ‘person’ suggests he’s human and circumscribed; to define him as a ‘member of the Godhead’ begs the question ‘what kind of member?’
To address him as an ‘individual’ sounds as if there are three gods. Even referring to the Spirit with a masculine pronoun is not necessarily the best. The Greek word (pneuma), often translated as ‘Spirit’ in the NT, is neuter while the Hebrew noun, often used to refer to the Spirit (rûaḥ), is feminine. The Spirit, the Father and Jesus are each independent and interdependent, separate but inseparable, distinctive but constantly engaged in reciprocal relationships with each other.
The Holy Spirit is a distinct person in the Godhead (Matt. 28:19; Luke 1:35; 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Thess. 4:8). As such, he is involved in many significant events, including creation (Gen. 1:2; Ps. 104:30; Isa. 32:15–20), the regeneration and transformation of believers (Titus 3:5), and eschatological2 renewal (Isa. 44:3–5). Although a variety of descriptions are offered for the Spirit—‘Spirit of God’ (1 Cor. 2:11), ‘Holy Spirit’ (Acts 16:6), ‘Spirit of Jesus’ (Acts 16:7)—only one person is being referred to. Although often referred to as ‘the third member of the Trinity’, this is not a helpful description as it could imply a divine hierarchy.
The Spirit is not subservient to the Father or Jesus. He is not their divine servant nor is he less deserving of our worship, service and honour. He is God. Indeed, ‘it is through the Spirit’s indwelling that we know God and Christ relationally, and through the same Spirit’s indwelling that we are being transformed into God’s own likeness’. All our words are inadequate to do justice to the one who predated languages; he cannot be contained by any or all of them. He, like his name ‘Spirit’, is a mystery. The marvel is that he has invited us to explore him, to commence a journey that is to be our eternal destiny—the endless discovery of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is, by definition, set apart; the term ‘holy’ (Greek hagios) best being translated as a reference to his uniqueness rather than merely his sinlessness. He is different in some respects. His character identifies his uniqueness but also does his willingness to benefit those who walk with him. He is a personal, dynamic and perfect guide. He speaks and so must be listened to. This demands developing a personal relationship with him, walking with him, learning to recognise his voice and responding to the guidance he gives.
The Spirit is actively involved in the process of salvation (1 Cor. 6:11; 12:3, 13; Heb. 2:4; 6:4; 9:8, 14; 10:29). He is committed to setting believers apart (Rom. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:2), affirming them (1 John 3:24; 4:13), pro-actively transforming them ethically and spiritually (2 Cor. 3:16–18; 6:6–7; 2 Thess. 2:13; Titus 3:5–6), inspiring and empowering them. However, the Spirit also expects believers to be active in improving their lifestyles (Eph. 5:18–19). If they are controlled by him, they will benefit from his influential presence.
His fruit will be personally and corporately experienced, and their lifestyles will increasingly become reflective of his character (Gal. 5:22–6:1). The Spirit is a limitless resource for believers with regard to their spirituality. He is the one who makes it possible for people to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5–6). He reveals to believers that they are adopted (Rom. 8:15–16), with all the privileges and responsibilities of that fact, and that they can relate to God as their Father, experiencing eternal life from the start of that relationship. His presence in their lives is evidence that believers are authentic children of God (Rom. 8:9).
The Spirit provides resources for all believers and expects them to be used, and used sensitively for every task he sets. Thus, he diversely distributes gifts (Rom. 1:11; 12:6–8; 1 Cor. 1:7; 12:4–11, 27–31; 14:1, 12) for the benefit of all, inspiring and initiating evangelism (Acts 1:8; 4:8, 31; 6:10; 7:55; 9:31; 11:24; 13:9, 52; 1 Pet. 1:12), preaching (Luke 1:15–17; 2:29–32; 4:14–15, 18–19), prophecy and other charismata. He establishes the church as a body (1 Cor. 3:16–17), and is committed to unity (Phil. 1:27; 2:1–2), welcoming folk from all people-groups and backgrounds (2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 4:3).
Believers are therefore to realize the importance of maintaining unity, protecting it as a priceless treasure. They are to recognise that the aim of the Spirit is to welcome folk from all people-groups and backgrounds and to shed the love of God through each believer. The Spirit is committed to a relationship with believers and to ensuring that that relationship is inclusive of the Father and the Son. The Spirit is to be experienced and his presence to be enjoyed, though such closeness has serious consequences, including the possibility that believers may hurt him.
Since the Spirit indwells believers and is God (Rom. 8:27), he relationally bonds the believer to God (Eph. 2:18), functioning (with Jesus) as a mediator (1 Tim. 2:4–5) between the believer and God. The Spirit choreographs the dance of God and enables believers to join in, teaching them as they go. Thus, he inspires and fills, empowers and encourages, supports and affirms all believers in an immanent and ongoing interchange. In coming to earth, he did not leave the Father and Jesus behind, for in his presence, they also are present. He is intimately present with every believer. He is the gift of Jesus to the church, but insofar as the Spirit is God, he is also his own gift to the church He is centrally presented by the biblical authors as being dynamic and desirous of encounters with believers.
The Spirit is encountered in a variety of ways, often determined by one’s personality, temperament or the current situation of the believer concerned. It is important that any particular event, where the Spirit may have manifested himself, should not be viewed as necessarily normative for all, since the dynamic and creative Spirit has the capacity to interact with believers in ways that are most appropriate to them.
Some encounter God in the presence of loud worship, others in silence; some in the cacophony of the city, others in the stillness of the countryside; some in the depths of their emotions, others in their intellect; some in prayer, others in the reading of the Bible; some often, others infrequently. The central imperative is to develop a personal relationship with him, allowing him to be the initiator of any experiences, enjoying them when they occur and enjoying him in their absence.
The Bible helpfully provides several metaphors associated with the Spirit that illustrate aspects of his being and mission. Caution is needed, however, in determining the meaning behind the metaphors because different characteristics may sometimes be intended by the same metaphor when it is used elsewhere. Thus, while fire (often associated with the Spirit) may be identified with judgment, as will be demonstrated, it can also be linked with protection (Exod. 13:21) and affirmation (Acts 2:3).
Similarly, the images of wind (Isa. 40:24; 41:16; Jer. 4:11–13) and water (Gen. 6:17; 2 Sam. 22:16; Hos. 5:10) are also associated with judgment, as well as other characteristics. All are used with reference to the Spirit. The most likely reasons for the use of varying metaphors in their respective contexts will determine their specific meaning there. It is no surprise that the Bible often uses metaphors to express characteristics of the Spirit, for he is fundamentally inexplicable.
Word pictures make it possible to explore the Spirit by comparing him with features in our experience. This will not result in a conclusive theology of the Spirit but will facilitate a greater appreciation of his being. Rather than attempt to completely understand or circumscribe the Spirit with definitions, it is more helpful to recognise that though he welcomes us to explore him, he does not anticipate that we will fully understand him. He is like the universe—an endless resource for investigation and wonder. The universe delights us, fires our imagination, leaves us speechless, reminds us of our smallness and motivates us to explore it.
So also the Spirit is our infinite source of enquiry, intrigue, exploration and discovery. The Spirit desires us to encounter him endlessly, not in order to completely understand or explain him but so that we may partner with him more intimately. In fact, although a theology of the Spirit may be developed from the Bible, which would result in us gaining a better appreciation of his character and relationship within the Godhead, that is not the reason for his being referenced throughout its pages.
The issues important to the biblical authors (and their readers) concern the practical significance of the Spirit for them. They wanted to discover how they could walk with the Spirit and what practical difference it would make in their lives.
Questions about his identity were introduced and largely passed over, but were closely followed by a desire to know how that information could help shape an appropriate response to him. Whether there is a divine hierarchy in the Godhead, how the Spirit differs from the Father and the Son and what relationship Jesus had with the Spirit were issues discussed by later theologians. The authors of the Bible were much more interested in the practical, dynamic consequences of encounters with the Spirit.
The Spirit is to be encountered and experienced.
Fee underscores this by concluding that the Spirit is more than a creedal belief and is better recognised as ‘God’s empowering presence’. It is an exploration of his activity rather than a comprehensive survey of his actuality, his roles rather than his reality, that are concentrated on by the biblical authors. They readily affirm his existence but concentrate on identifying how he can change them, not on how they can understand him. They recognise that he is inexplicable, but they desire to experience him; they acknowledge he is incomprehensible, but they aspire to encounter him; they cannot comprehend him, but they long to touch him, to be transformed by him, to be people of the Spirit.
