SEMESTER 3
141 – The Holy Spirit – The Personality of
BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CORRESPONDENCE
COURSE: THEOLOGY III LESSON # 41
THE HOLY SPIRIT (THE PERSONALITY OF)
INTRODUCTION:
1. Nowhere in religion does there exist more misunderstanding, error and even superstition than in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
2. It is very important, to practical Christian living, that we have right views concerning His person, operation and manifestations.
3. This lesson is directed to the fact that the Holy Spirit is a person, i.e., He has personality with self-determined, feeling intelligence. This requires:
i. Intelligence.
ii. Emotion.
iii. Volition.
4. That the Holy Spirit is, indeed, a divine person, is proved by:
I. HE IS MENTIONED WITH THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE TRINITY
1. Believers are to be baptized in His name. (Mat. 28:19
)
2. The communion of the Holy Ghost was mentioned along with the grace of the Son and the love of the Father. (II Chro. 13:14)
II. HIS ASSOCIATION WITH OTHERS IN PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
1. It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us. (Acts 15:28)
2. The personal pronoun us, suggests that the conjunction and, couples two personal beings, or groups.
III. PERSONAL FEELINGS ARE ASCRIBED TO HIM
1. Personal will, or volition, is ascribed to Him. (I Cor. 12:11)
2. Personal emotion (grief) is ascribed to Him. (Eph. 4:30)
IV. PERSONAL ACTS ARE ASCRIBED TO HIM
1. He searches the deep things of God. (I Cor. 2:10)
2. He speaks. (Mat. 10:20, Acts 10:19-20, Acts 13:2, Rev. 2:7, and multitudes of others.)
3. He teaches. (Luke 12:12, Jn. 14:26, I Cor. 2:13)
4. He leads and guides believers. (Jn. 16:13, Rom. 8:14)
5. He intercedes for believers. (Rom. 8:26)
6. He gives gifts to believers. (I Cor. 12:7-11)
7. He calls men to service. (Acts 13:2, Acts 20:28)
V. HE IS AFFECTED AS A PERSON, BY THE ACTS OF OTHERS
1. He feels the rebellion of men, i.e., vexation, or grief. (Isa. 63:10, Eph. 4:30)
2. He can be blasphemed as the Father, or the Son. (Mat. 12:31)
3. He may be lied to. (Acts 5:3)
VI. THE USE OF THE MASCULINE PRONOUN
1. In Jn. 16:13 and 14, the pronoun he is used, by Christ, repeatedly.
2. This is a case where doctrinal truth takes place over grammatical order, for pneuma is always neuter as in Rom. 8:16 and 26.
VII. THE APPLICATION OF THE MASCULINE NOUN “PARAKLETOS”
1. This is the Greek word for comforter in Jn. 14:26, Jn. 15:26 and Jn. 16:7.
2. Strong says this word cannot be translated comfort, or taken as the name of any abstract influence.
3. This Comforter, Teacher, Advocate, must be a person of masculine gender.
(I most gladly acknowledge the work of T. P. Simmons and A. H. Strong in this outline.)