First, His personality.
(1). He is described in the word
of God as a person, and not as
an influence:
John xiv. 16, 17, 25,
26.—And I will pray the
Father, and he shall give
you another Comforter, that
he may abide with you for
ever; even the Spirit of
truth; whom the world cannot
receive, because it seeth
him not, neither knoweth
him: but ye know him; for he
dwelleth with you, and shall
be in you. * * * * These
things have I spoken unto
you, being yet present with
you. But the Comforter,
which is the Holy Ghost,
whom the Father will send in
my name, he shall teach you
all things, and bring all
things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto
you.
John xv. 26.—But when the
Comforter is come, whom I
will send unto you from the
Father, even the Spirit of
truth, which proceedeth from
the Father, he shall testify
of me.
John xvi. 7-15.—Nevertheless
I tell you the truth; It is
expedient for you that I go
away: for if I go not away,
the Comforter will not come
unto you; but if I depart, I
will send him unto you. And
when he is come, he will
reprove the world of sin,
and of righteousness, and of
judgment: of sin, because
they believe not on me; of
righteousness, because I go
to my Father, and ye see me
no more; of judgment,
because the prince of this
world is judged. I have yet
many things to say unto you,
but ye cannot bear them now.
Howbeit when he, the Spirit
of truth, is come, he will
guide you into all truth:
for he shall not speak of
himself; but whatsoever he
shall hear, that shall he
speak: and he will shew you
things to come. He shall
glorify me: for he shall
receive of mine, and shall
shew it unto you. All things
that the Father hath are
mine: therefore said I, that
he shall take of mine, and
shall shew it unto you.
Acts viii. 29.—Then the
Spirit said unto Philip,
Gonear, and join thyself to
this chariot.
Acts x, 19.—While Peter
thought on the vision, the
Spirit said unto him,
Behold, three men seek thee.
Acts xv. 28.—For it seemed
good to the Holy Ghost, and
to us, to lay upon you no
greater bur den than these
necessary things.
The words
he and him
should always be used,
instead of the word it,
when speaking of the Spirit.
(2). We are baptized into His
name, and He is invoked in
prayer, showing that He is a
person as truly as the Father
and the Son:
Matt. xxviii. 19.—Go ye
therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost.
I Cor. xiii. 14.—The grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Ghost,
be with you all. Amen.
Eph. vi. 18.—Praying always
with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit,
and watching there. unto
with all perseverance and
supplication for all saints.
(3). Men are said to vex, to
blaspheme, to resist, to grieve,
to quench the Spirit, which they
could not do, unless He is a
person: unto you,
Isa. lxiii. 10.—But they
rebelled, and vexed his Holy
Spirit: therefore he was
turned to be their enemy,
and he fought against them.
Matt. xii. 31.—Wherefore I
say All manner of sin and
blasphemy shall be forgiven
unto men: but the blasphemy
against the Holy Ghost shall
not be forgiven unto men.
Acts vii. 51.—Ye stiffnecked
and uncircumcised in heart
and ears, ye do always
resist the Holy Ghost: as
your fathers did, so do ye.
Eph. iv. 30.—And grieve not
the Holy Spirit of God,
whereby ye are sealed unto
the day of redemption.
I Thess. v. 19.—Quench not
the Spirit.
(4). He does those things for us
that can be done only by a
person, for it is He who
regenerates, quickens, teaches,
reproves, helps and sanctifies
the believer:
John iii. 5.—Jesus answered,
Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God.
John vi. 63.—It is the
Spirit that quickeneth; the
flesh profiteth nothing: the
words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit, and they
are life.
John xiv. 26.—But the
Comforter, which is the Holy
Ghost, whom the Father will
send in my name, he shall
teach you all things, and
bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I
have said unto you.
John xvi. 8.—And when he is
come, he will reprove the
world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of
judgment.
Rom. viii. 26.—Likewise the
Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities: for we know not
what we should pray for as
we ought: but the Spirit
itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings which
cannot be uttered.
I Cor. vi. 11.—And such were
some of you: but ye are
washed, but ye are
sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus, and by the
Spirit of our God.
(5). Personal Acts that could
not be performed by an attribute
or influence are ascribed to
Him, as when He is said to know,
to Reveal, to bestow power, to
love, to search the deep things
of God, and to distribute of His
manifold giſts “to every man
severally as He will:”
John xvi. 13, 14.—Howbeit
when he, the Spirit of
truth, is come, he will
guide you into all truth:
for he shall not speak of
himself; but whatsoever he
shall hear, that shall he
speak: and he will shew you
things to come. He shall
glorify me: for he shall
receive of mine, and shall
shew it unto you.
Acts i. 8.—But ye shall
receive power, after that
the Holy Ghost is come upon
you: and ye hall be
witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea,
and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth.
Rom. xv. 30.—Now I beseech
you, brethren, for the Lord
Jesus Christ's sake, and for
the love of the Spirit, that
ye strive together with me
in your prayers to God for
me.
I Cor. ii. 10, 11.—But God
hath Revealed them unto us
by his Spirit: for the
Spirit searcheth all things,
yea, the deep things of God.
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.
I Cor. xii. 8-11.—For to one
is given by the Spirit the
word of wisdom; to another
the word of knowledge by the
same Spirit; to another
faith by the same Spirit; to
another the gifts of healing
by the same Spirit; to
another the working of
miracles; to another
prophecy; to another
discerning of spirits; to
another divers kinds of
tongues; to another the
interpretation of tongues:
but all these worketh that
one and the selfsame Spirit,
dividing to every man
severally as he will.
(6). It is often affirmed in the
Bible that the Spirit “said” and
“spake,” proving conclusively
that He is a person:
II Sam. xxiii. 2.—The Spirit
of the LORD: spake by me,
and his word was in my
tongue.
Mark xii. 36.—For David
himself said by the Holy
Ghost, The LORD said to my
Lord, Sit thou on my right
hand, till I make thine
enemies thy footstool,
Acts i. 16.-Men and
brethren, this Scripture
must needs have been
fulfilled, which the Holy
Ghost by the mouth of David
spake before concerning
Judas, which was guide to
them that took Jesus.
Acts xiii. 2.—As they
ministered to the Lord, and
fasted, the Holy Ghost said,
Separate me Barnabas and
Saul for the work whereunto
I have called them.
Acts xxi. 11.—And when he
was come unto us, he took
Paul's girdle, and bound his
own hands and feet, and
said, Thus saith the Holy
Ghost, So shall the Jews at
Jerusalem bind the man that
owneth this girdle, and
shall deliver him into the
hands of the Gentiles.
Acts xxviii. 25.–And when he
had said these words the
Jews departed, and had great
reasoning among themselves.
I Tim. iv. 1.—Now the Spirit
speaketh expressly, that in
the latter times some shall
depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of
devils.
Heb. iii. 7.—Wherefore, as
the Holy Ghost saith, To-day
if ye will hear his voice.
Rev. ii. 7.—He that hath an
ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the
churches: To him that
overcometh will I give to
eat of the tree of life,
which is in the midst of the
paradise of God.
Rev. xiv. 13.—And I heard a
voice from heaven saying
unto me, Write, Blessed are
the dead which die in the
Lord from henceforth: Yea,
saith the Spirit, that they
may rest from their labours;
and their works do follow
them.
Rev. xxii. 17.—And the
Spirit and the bride say,
Come. And let him that
heareth say, Come. And let
him that is athirst come.
And whoso ever will, let him
take the water of life
freely.
(7). The visible manifestations
of the Spirit show that He is a
person:
Matt. iii. 16.—And Jesus,
when he was baptised, went
up straightway out of the
water: and, lo, the heavens
were opened unto him, and he
saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove, and
lighting upon him.
Luke iii. 21, 22.—Now when
all the people were
baptised, it came to pass,
that Jesus also being
baptised, and praying, the
heaven was opened, and the
Holy Ghost descended in a
bodily shape like a dove
upon him, and a voice came
from heaven, which said,
Thou art my beloved Son; in
thee I am well pleased.
John i. 32.—And John bare
record, saying, I saw the
Spirit descending from
heaven like a dove, and it
abode upon him.
Acts ii. 3, 4.—And there
appeared unto them cloven
tongues like as of fire, and
it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled
with the Holy Ghost, and
began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave
them utterance.
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