The Bible story tells us how God began to reveal himself over a period of time through appearances to individuals, beginning with Abraham (Genesis 12), and through certain historical events, chiefly concerning Abraham's descendants, the Israelite (Jewish) people.

The Jewish people were very strong in the belief that the God who had brought them out of slavery in Egypt, met with them at Mount Sinai, given them his commandments, and who had brought them into the promised land, was the one true living God of all the earth. This was in contrast to the many gods that the surrounding nations worshipped.

Over the years God foretold through the prophets, particularly from the eighth century BC onwards, that a figure would arise among them who would bring many blessings to God's people, whether they were Israelites or from among the nations of the world. "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14 - Immanuel means "God with us" in Hebrew). "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). "I ...will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the nations" (Isaiah 42:6).

Several centuries later, during the reign of the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus, a child was born in the Jewish village of Bethlehem. At the age of 30 this individual, Jesus, began his public ministry and astounded people, both with his miracles of healing and with his claims (2). These claims included the assertion that he was the one foretold through the Old Testament writings (e.g. John 5:39,40). He said many things about himself that the Jewish religious leaders rightly recognised as putting himself on a level with God. On a number of occasions they were ready to stone him for blasphemy for making such claims. At the same time he often talked about his "Father" in heaven who had sent him into this world. Of course, if the claims of Jesus are true, then God is no longer one person, but two!

However, before Jesus was crucified, he promised his disciples that he would ask the Father to send them "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" (John 14:16,17). It is interesting that the Greek word "another" that is used here implies "another like me". This "Spirit" that Jesus spoke of came to indwell the disciples of Jesus fifty days later on the Jewish Day of Pentecost.

Now all this complicates the matter even further, for if the Spirit is also God and distinct from the Father (and we will explore this later), then we now have not just two persons, but three! For Jews who had been steeped in the Jewish tradition of one God, this must have been all rather confusing. But as the rest of the New Testament indicates, after Pentecost the early disciples of Jesus, particularly those he had trained for leadership in this new community, got it all sorted out reasonably quickly. To this evidence we now turn.

In the following pages we will look at what the New Testament has to say about the following questions:

Is Jesus really God?

Is the Holy Spirit really God?

Is the Holy Spirit personal?

Is the Holy Spirit distinct from God the Father?

Jesus is God

There are many approaches one can take when exploring this question in the New Testament. Here are some of them:

• His remarkable claims (see Is Jesus really God).

• He is constantly given the title "Lord", the word that was consistently used of God in the Greek translation of the Old Testament of the third century BC.

• He is referred to as God a number of times (e.g. John 20:28). Paul can declare, "in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). John says, "He (Jesus) is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20). In the Old Testament he is called "the mighty God" (Isaiah 9:6) the same two Hebrew words used of God in a number of places (e.g. Isaiah 10:21; Jeremiah 32:18).

• His pre-existence before coming into this world is constantly assumed and sometimes directly stated (e.g. John 1:1,14).

• He was involved in the creation of the universe and it is his power that sustains it (e.g. Colossians 1: 16,17; Hebrews 1: 2,3).

• His role as judge of the human race (e.g. John 5:25-29; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

• His achievements in reconciling men and women to God and meeting their needs on the journey through life are often described in the same terms as the achievements of God the Father. Their roles often overlap (e.g. 2 Corinthians 5:19; and compare Hebrews 8:12 with Mark 2:5-7). That Paul, an avowed monotheist, should attribute every imaginable activity to him that Judaism reserved for God alone is particularly significant.

• There are numerous passages showing that we are to give him the same love, loyalty and devotion that we are required to give to God.

• He receives the same worship of created beings, in heaven and on earth, as does God the Father (e.g. Revelation 5:11-14 - Jesus is constantly referred to as "the Lamb" in Revelation, the one who was sacrificed for us).

• There are quite a number of passages from the Old Testament, quoted in the New Testament, where the original references refer to God, while the New Testament writers refer them to Jesus (e.g. Matthew 21:15,16/Psalm 8:1,2; Philippians 2:9-11/Isaiah 45:22,23).

• There are numerous titles or metaphors used of Jesus that are also used of God, such as Saviour, Rock, Light, the Bridegroom, the first and the last, Alpha and Omega, I am, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Shepherd, Master, etc.

• The fact that Paul, a person steeped in the Old Testament understanding of the Spirit of God, should so easily call him the Spirit of Christ as well, is as strong a confirmation as one could get of Christ's full divinity (e.g. Romans 8:9).

The Holy Spirit is God

There is much more that could be said on the divinity of Jesus. However, more people have difficulty with the Holy Spirit than they do with Jesus. After all, Jesus did and said things that only God could be expected to do and say. But also he was always talking about his Father in heaven, so is obviously someone distinct from the Father. The New Testament writers distinguish Jesus from God the Father at every stage of his career - his pre-existence (John 17:5), through his presence on earth, to his ascension into heaven (1 Peter 3:22).

But who is the Holy Spirit? A student expressed his uncertainty this way, "God the Father makes perfectly good sense to me; and God the Son I can understand; but the Holy Spirit is a grey, oblong blur." I will focus the rest of this section on exploring the biblical picture that is given to us of the Holy Spirit.

To begin with, the very fact that his full title is the Holy Spirit (used about 90 times in the New Testament) points to his divinity. God is supremely the Holy One in the Bible (Isaiah 57:15). Jesus spoke of the Spirit as the Holy Spirit, as he was later to address God as Holy Father (John 17:11). In this respect Ephesians 1:13 is a significant passage. In the Greek it literally reads, "the Spirit of the promise, the Holy." Both "the promise" and the adjective "holy" are emphasised in the Greek word order. He is not only the one promised by the prophets, he is God himself who has come to live with and in his people. Significantly, Jesus is also "the Holy One" (Acts 3:14).

He is often referred to as "the Spirit of God" in both Old and New Testaments. The New Testament writers can quote passages from the Old Testament in which God speaks and say, "The Holy Spirit spoke" (e.g. Acts 28:25-27/Isaiah 6:8-10).

Paul's language can fluctuate between God, Christ, and Spirit, depending on the emphasis of a given passage. For example, he can speak of the power of God (2 Corinthians 4:7), the power of Christ (2 Corinthians 12:9) or the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:19), all of which are at work in his life. This says much about how Paul viewed Christ and the Spirit in terms of deity and inter-relationship. Or note 1 Corinthians 12, where the subject changes from God in verse 6, to the Spirit in verse 11. Similarly in Acts 5, to lie to the Holy Spirit (verse 3) is to lie to God (verse 4).

Whereas in the Old Testament the temple building signified the place where God lived among his people, in the New Testament the body of believers is the new temple, the place where the Holy Spirit lives in his people (1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:21,22). In the New Testament there is no difference between the way the presence of the Holy Spirit is spoken of and the presence of God. The presence of the Holy Spirit is the presence of God.

One of the most significant descriptions of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament is "the Spirit of life" (Romans 8:2). He is the one who "gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:6). God in the Old Testament is supremely the living God, the source of life in all that lives. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life because he is the Spirit of God. Significantly, Jesus is also spoken of as "the author of life" (Acts 3:15).

There are some offshoots from Christianity, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphians and Unitarians that deny the traditional church teaching of the Trinity. The Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus was created by God the Father before the creation of the universe. He is a minor God. According to them the Holy Spirit is distinct from God the Father, but he is in no sense personal. He is merely God's active force which he uses to accomplish his purposes in the world. Let us explore this issue.

The Holy Spirit is Personal

By "personal" we understand that the Holy Spirit has all the qualities that we usually associate with persons. We can enter into a relationship with him in a similar manner to the way we have relationships with other people. He is not just a blind, unfeeling, unintelligent force. This presents us with a problem, because in our thinking persons usually live in bodies, and the Holy Spirit is spirit, as is God the Father, and doesn't have a material body. He lives in a different dimension to that with which we are familiar.

Jesus is easier to understand, as he entered into our human experience, which involved sharing human nature and a human body. Obviously he was a person. However, when we explore the New Testament we find that the Holy Spirit is constantly spoken of in personal terms. The most obvious example of this is found in the use of the verbs that describe his activities.

Take the following examples. The Spirit:

• convicts people of guilt and judgement (John 16:8)

• guides God's people (John 16:13)

• tells things that are to come (John 16:13)

• brings glory to Jesus (John 16:14)

• hears God's truths and makes them known (John 16:13,15)

• appoints pastors over God's people (Acts 20:28)

• speaks God's message (Acts 28:25, etc.)

• bears witness together with our own spirits (Romans 8:16)

• helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26)

• intercedes on our behalf (Romans 8:26, 27)

• searches all things (1 Corinthians 2:10)

• knows the mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:11)

• teaches the content of the gospel to believers (1 Corinthians 2:13)

• lives among and within believers (1 Corinthians 3:16, etc.)

• washes, sanctifies and justifies God's people (1 Corinthians 6:11)

• gives gifts to his people as he determines (1 Corinthians 12:11)

• gives life to those who believe (2 Corinthians 3:6)

• cries out from within our hearts (Galatians 4:6)

• leads us in the ways of God (Galatians 5:18)

• has desires that are in opposition to the flesh (Galatians 5:17)

• strengthens believers (Ephesians 3:16)

• is grieved by our sinfulness (Ephesians 4:30)

• can be blasphemed (Luke 12:10) and lied to (Acts 5:3)

The Bible is more concerned to describe the Spirit's activity, what he does, than to deal directly with the question of his person, who he is. However, it is obvious that all these activities are those we associate with persons. They imply:

Intelligence - most of the verbs used above imply intelligence. The Bible speaks of "the mind of the Spirit" (Romans 8:27)

Feelings - he can be grieved or made sad. Joy is a quality often associated with the Holy Spirit

Will - he decides the gifts he gives to his people (1 Corinthians 12:11)

These are the three main characteristics which make up personality.

Several significant passages that emphasise the personal nature of the Holy Spirit:

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children" (Romans 8:16). If our own inner spirit has personal qualities, then so also must the Holy Spirit. Both "testify".

"...you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11). If Jesus is personal, then the Holy Spirit must be also.

In Romans 8 the Spirit in our hearts prays for us on earth (verse 27), while Jesus prays for us in heaven (verse 34). This again suggests that as Jesus is a person, so is the Spirit.

"I speak the truth in Christ - I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 9:1). Paul here appeals to his relationship with both Christ and the Holy Spirit for his honesty, implying that as Christ is personal, so must the Spirit also be. Another verse with similar implications is Romans 15:30.

Jesus said the disciples would be better off with the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives than they were with his company and friendship while he was with them on earth (John 16:7). That means the Spirit must at least have the personal qualities that Jesus possessed.

It is significant that the "fruit" that the Spirit produces in believers' lives, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22,23), are chiefly personal qualities, having to do with our relationships. They are also qualities often attributed to God in his relationship with us. A blind "force" or "influence" does not produce love! The Bible also speaks of the "fellowship of the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 13:14; Philippians 2:1). We may enjoy friendship with him and he creates friendship between believers.

It is true that to describe the effect of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the Bible does use impersonal metaphors such as fire, breath, wind and water. However, it is significant that Paul, who probably has more to say about the relationships that exist between the persons of the Trinity than any other writer, tends to avoid such images. Instead he uses verbs of personal action that are used elsewhere of God and Christ.

If the Holy Spirit is personal, as all the evidence indicates, then the next question to ask is: Is he a distinct person, in a very real sense separate from the Father?

The Holy Spirit is a distinct person from God the Father

A good beginning point here is to note the number of passages in the New Testament that mention all three persons of the Trinity together, often within the space of either one or two verses. The following is a list of such passages. It is not an exhaustive list as there are other passages where two of the persons are mentioned, but the presence of the third can be assumed by implication. Having listed these passages, I will look at several which are especially significant……………………..

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(2) For a full list of the claims made by Jesus about himself see my booklet, Is Jesus Really God?

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