The doctrine of the Trinity identifies the Holy Spirit as the third person in the Godhead. This teaching was established at the First Council of Nicaea (325 CE) and defined the Godhead more clearly than ever. The books of the New Testament were foundational in developing the doctrine, though the Trinity is evident in the Old Testament. The first mention of the Holy Spirit is in Genesis 1:2 where the Bible calls it the “Spirit of God.” Here are the essentials about the Holy Spirit.
The Trinity
Monotheism is the doctrine that there is only one God. Judaism has always been a monotheistic religion. Christianity, which has its roots in Judaism, is also a monotheistic religion. They believe in the same God, with the primary distinction that Christianity believes Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. Yet, Christianity believes that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are God. They are not the constituent parts of God but are each God in their own right. To most people, this will seem like a contradiction to monotheism.
The Bible calls the Father God (Philippians 1:2) but calls the Son (Titus 2:13) and the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4) God as well. It is imperative to understand that from Genesis 1:1, where the term God is a translation of the plural Elohim, the plurality of the Godhead is evident. When Deuteronomy 6:4 states “The LORD our God, the LORD is one,” the word translated “one” (echad) is the same word used when saying man and wife “shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Both imply more than one person functioning in perfect harmony and purpose, though having different functions.
The doctrine of the Trinity shows that there is one God that exists in three distinct persons, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are distinct because the Father sent the Son (John 3:16), who later returned to the Father (John 16:10), and the Son and the Father sent the Holy Spirit (John 14:26 and 15:26).
The Holy Spirit, as a distinct person in the Godhead, has a unique purpose. In some cases, most notably in the Old Testament, his functions can be gleaned without being expressly mentioned. In other instances, expressed much more clearly in the New Testament, his functions are stated unequivocally.
Symbols of the Holy Spirit
There are several symbols of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. In the Sanctuary System, the seven lampstands (the Menorah) represented the Holy Spirit, an idea reinforced by Zachariah 4:1-6. Closely associated with the lampstands, is oil, which fed the flames of the lampstand. When kings, priests, or prophets were anointed, the olive oil used to anoint them represented the Holy Spirit (1 Samuel 15:1; Exodus 28:41; 1 Kings 19:16). This symbol is carried through to the New Testament where the oil was used to anoint persons who requested that the elders lay hands on them and pray for their healing (James 5:14).
The symbol of the Holy Spirit that comes to mind the most is the dove (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22, and John 1:32). Remarkably, the three persons of the Trinity come into view with the mention of a dove; Jesus (the Son of God) comes up from the water and the Holy Spirit descends on him like a dove, and the Father says: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
The Bible mentions the Holy Spirit for the first time in Genesis 1:2 when the “Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” from which God created. It implies the power of the Holy Spirit was somehow involved in the process of creation. The Holy Spirit also provided the necessary qualities when God tasked people with creating things:
“See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge, and with all kinds of skills — to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts” (Exodus 31:2-5).
On many occasions in the Old Testament, the Spirit provided the power for heroes to lead or perform tasks. Some examples are Othniel (Judges 3:9-10), Gideon (Judges 6:34), and Samson (Judges 14:6 and 9; 15:14). The Spirit of God also gave wisdom and the ability to prophesy (Genesis 41:38-39; Numbers 11:16-17, 25; 1 Samuel 10:10-11; 19:20-24).
The Holy Spirit in the New Testament
The close connection between the Holy Spirit and the ability to conceive becomes clear in the New Testament. Luke 1:34-35 shows the involvement of the Holy Spirit in Mary’s conception:
“And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be since I am a virgin?’ And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy — the Son of God.’”
This connection between the Holy Spirit and conception implies that the Holy Spirit is the person in the Godhead that allowed Elizabeth to conceive and bear John the Baptist, as well as several women in the Old Testament who were initially barren and could not conceive. There are references to God opening their wombs which refer to the Spirit of God. There are a significant number of them, among whom are Sarah (Genesis 21:1-2), Rebekah (Genesis 25:21), Rachael (Genesis 30:22-23), and Hannah (1 Samuel 1:19-20). Some scholars see a connection between the Spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters in Genesis and the amniotic fluid in the process of the creation of a new person.
The New Testament provides a list of attributes that serve as evidence that the Holy Spirit is present and active in the life of a believer. These attributes are called the “fruit of the Spirit” because they spring from the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 says: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.”
The Holy Spirit also guides the believer in knowing right from wrong because it convinces the believer of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). In this context, Jesus called the Holy Spirit a paraklētos which is the Greek term for “helper,” “intercessor,” or “advocate.” The Holy Spirit could not come as a helper before Christ ascended to heaven (John 16:7). In John 14:16, Jesus called the Holy Spirit “another helper,” implying that the Holy Spirit would continue what Jesus did as the helper. The Spirit, however, would not be limited by time and space as Jesus was in his physical form.
When Jesus was about to ascend to heaven, he said the disciples would “receive power” when the Holy Spirit took his place. That event took place at Pentecost when the disciples received the ability to speak in foreign languages they had not learned before. Some Church Fathers claim it was the ability to speak all languages known to man, a phenomenon called pan-xenolalia. Speaking in tongues is one of the gifts of the Spirit.
The gifts of the spirit refer to specific abilities a believer may receive to perform certain tasks. There is no comprehensive list of the gifts of the Spirit in the Bible. The lists the Bible provides (Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30; Ephesians 4:11, 1 Peter 4;10-11) differ from one another significantly though some show considerable overlap.
The essential difference between the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit is that every believer should have evidence of the fruit, but not everyone receives all the gifts. The Holy Spirit decides which believer receives what gift (1 Corinthians 12:11). One of the most prominent gifts of the Spirit is prophecy. 1 Corinthians 14 highlights the importance of this gift, and 2 Peter 1:21 shows that true prophecy can only come from the Holy Spirit when it says: “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
The Bible teaches that believers must proclaim the gospel message to the end, and persecution will follow. Even in that scenario, it emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit as one who empowers and encourages. Matthew 13:10-11 states:
“And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit, therefore, is not only a distinct person within the Godhead but also has unique functions.
