The Apostles' Creed: The Holy SpiritPrøve

The Spirit’s Personhood: 1 Corinthians 12:11

The Holy Spirit has far too many personal attributes for us to catalog them all, so we will simply provide four examples to demonstrate his personhood. We’ll begin by saying that the Holy Spirit has a will. This is the faculty he uses to plan, to desire and to choose. Clearly, any being that can do these things cannot be a mere force or power. As one example of his will, consider 1 Corinthians 12:11, where Paul talked about the distribution of spiritual gifts. Consider what he wrote:

One and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:11, NASB).

The Holy Spirit wants certain people to have certain gifts, and others to have other gifts. Impersonal forces do not have plans and desires. Only persons do. Therefore, the Holy Spirit must be a person.

The Holy Spirit also has the attribute of intelligence, through which he possesses knowledge and the ability to teach others. He expresses this intelligence in many ways, such as by searching and knowing the mind of God, as we read in 1 Corinthians 2:10-12, and by having his own mind as we read in Romans 8:27. He also gives wisdom and knowledge, as in 1 Corinthians 12:8. And he teaches in Luke 12:12.

Jesus himself talked about the Spirit’s intelligence in John 14:26. Consider what he told the apostles there:

The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (John 14:26).

Impersonal forces do not think, know and teach. So, the attribute of intelligence proves that the Spirit is a person.

The Holy Spirit also has emotions, internal feelings and affections that he expresses in response to other persons and events. Like his other personal attributes, his emotions prove that he is a person, and not simply a power. For example, the Holy Spirit’s love is mentioned in Romans 15:30. His joy is spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 1:6. And consider the way his grief is talked about in Ephesians 4:30:

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).

The fact that the Holy Spirit has emotions like grief indicates that he is a true person.