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1 Samuel 16:11–13; Matthew 3:11–16; Acts 2:2
1. Who is the Holy Spirit and what is he like?
1. Introduction
Have you ever been in a situation where you can’t remember someone’s name? It happens to me all the time. It’s considerably more confusing if you are trying to meet someone and you don’t know what she or he looks like. This has also happened to me. Some years ago, I was speaking at a conference in Boston, Massachusetts and I was running late for the session. I arrived just in time and saw the leader from the back of the lecture hall. Because he did not know what I looked like, however, he did not realize that I had arrived. He knew my name but not my face.
There’s someone we know whose name we know, but I suspect our knowledge about who he is and what he does for us may be limited. We know his name but we’re not so sure about what he looks like. He’s the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. I want to introduce him to you more intimately for he does much more for us than we can imagine.
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. It is important to remember that not only is our intellect too small to encompass him but also our language is too limited to explain him. At best, it provides metaphors that help us to tiptoe our way into an exploration of his character. Much time has been spent on deciding how best to refer to the Spirit. 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. Theologians have struggled to make sense of the Trinity and also to present it in language that is understandable to believers.1 Creeds have been devised that have sought to exclude error and have resulted in succinct expressions of propositional truth, though often needing the mind of a lawyer to understand the facts expressed therein. Defining the members of the Godhead as persons, modes, separate beings have all served to confuse as much as they have helped to explain the Trinity. In it all, the discovery of the personal nature of the Spirit has all too often been lost. It is sufficient to say that 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 a number of 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, Fee identifies the Spirit as being central to Trinitarian thought for ‘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’.3
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 a number of respects. His character identifies his uniqueness but also does his willingness to benefit those who walk with him. Indeed, it is a marked characteristic of the Spirit that he chooses to partner believers and to develop them as they grow, endeavouring to ensure that they are more and more like Jesus in their lifestyles. 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 recognize 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.4 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 the 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), prophecy5 and other charismata.6 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 recognize 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 relationship with believers and to ensure 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. As Pinnock aptly writes, the Spirit ‘choreographs the dance of God’ and enables believers to join in, teaching them as they go.7 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. Although he is supra-spatial and supra-temporal, he is also 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 a number of 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.8
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 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 of importance to the biblical authors (and their readers) relate much more to the practical significance of the Spirit to them. They wanted to discover how they could walk with the Spirit and what practical difference it would make in their lives. Questions relating to his identity were introduced and then largely passed over but were closely followe...
