A Divine Person
The Holy Spirit is a member of the Godhead, coequal with God the Father and God the Son. Throughout Scripture, beginning with the Creation and continuing through the final chapter of Revelation, we see the Holy Spirit acting with the other members of the Trinity in the
course of human history. But the work of the Spirit in the lives of men entered a new phase after the ascension of Christ to the right hand of the Father (Acts 1:1-9).
We who have limited knowledge cannot fully comprehend the concept of the Trinity—one God, but three distinct Persons who act in perfect unity and cooperation. In the Old Testament, God, the Father, spoke through a few selected people by His Spirit. Jesus, the Son, was God Incarnate, God made flesh, revealing the Father to us in His earthly ministry. God, the Holy Spirit, was sent by the Father and the Son to work through Christ’s body, the church.
The Holy Spirit is a divine Person, the third member of the Trinity, worthy of our honor and obedience. He is a divine Person who longs to minister in our lives daily, conforming us into the image of the Son and leading us into service for Him. The Holy Spirit never draws attention to Himself; He always points us to our Savior, Jesus Christ. Have you allowed this divine Person to dwell within you? Is He your Comforter, your Companion, your Guide?
Divine Association
Any reason for believing in the deity of the Father or the Son may be equally applied to the Holy Spirit. The apostle Peter states categorically that sin against the Holy Spirit is sin against God (Acts 5:3-4). Here the Holy Spirit’s deity is unmistakably asserted. Although He is a distinct Person, the Holy Spirit’s associations with the other members of the Trinity are so close that He has been called, at different times, “the Spirit of your Father” (Matthew 10:20) and “the Spirit of Christ” (Romans 8:9).
There is much scriptural evidence which reveals to us that the Holy Spirit is associated with the other members of the Godhead as a distinct, divine Person, on the same level as the Father and the Son, and in perfect unity with them. Let us look at some of the scriptural evidence.
The Baptismal Formula
Jesus Himself gave equal recognition to the Holy Spirit when He gave this command to His disciples:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20).
Since that time, many believers have followed this formula and have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—the Triune God. Note that in this command Jesus did not use the plural “in the names of.” This is further evidence of the unity in the Trinity.
This association is clearly seen in the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.
The Apostolic Benediction
One of the best loved and most often quoted benedictions of the church is another testimony of the Scriptures to the deity of the Holy Spirit. In 2 Corinthians 13:14 the apostle Paul closes his second letter to the Corinthian believers with these words:
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
This Scripture not only associates the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son in name, but also in ministry. The three attributes given to the three Persons in the Trinity in this Scripture might well remind us of the most significant way each of them has touched our lives: the undying love of the Father, who loved us so much that He gave us His own beloved Son; the never-failing grace of our Savior Jesus Christ, who died for us while we were yet sinners; and the enduring companionship of our divine Friend, the Holy Spirit. When we accept the love, the grace, and the fellowship of our Triune God, we have everything that we need to sustain spiritual life and maintain an acceptable relationship to God.
Divine Attributes
Another evidence of the deity of the Holy Spirit is that He possesses attributes which only God can posses. In addition to God’s personal qualities mentioned there, Scripture teaches us that God alone is the source and giver of life (Acts 17:24-25).
Interestingly, several Scriptures attribute these life-giving characteristics to the Holy Spirit also. In fact, one of the titles of the Holy Spirit is “Spirit of Life.” The apostle Paul said explicitly that the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11), and Jesus affirmed the same, indicating that it is the Spirit who gives life (John 6:63). In his second letter to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul proclaimed, “the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). The apostle Peter declared that Jesus “was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).
Now let’s look at some of the attributes of God which the Holy Spirit shares with the Father and the Son, as revealed in Scripture.
He Is Holy
The personal name of the third person of the Trinity which most often appears in the Bible is Holy Spirit. Since God alone possesses the quality of absolute holiness or purity, His name affirms His deity. The apostle Paul emphasized His attribute of absolute holiness when he called Him the “Spirit of holiness” (Romans 1:4). Some Bible scholars suggest that the “Holy, holy, holy” of Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8 is a recognition of the Triune nature of God.
He Is Eternal
In Hebrews 9:14, the Holy Spirit is called the eternal spirit. The word eternal in this Scripture is the same word used to describe the eternal nature of God the Father and God the Son in other Scriptures. In Contrast to the eternal Spirit, Paul says that all other things visible and invisible (which would seem to include all other spirits) were created at a point in time (Colossians 1:15-16). The Holy Spirit, however, is declared to be eternally self-existent. He has no beginning and will have no ending. He always was, He is, and He always will be. His eternal nature is a proof of His divinity
He Is Sovereign
Jesus likened the Spirit to the wind “that blows wherever it pleases” (John 3:8). Since God alone can do as He pleases, we see further evidence of the Spirit’s deity. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul refers to the Holy Spirit’s sovereign nature in his treatment of spiritual gifts. The Spirit, he notes, dispenses spiritual gifts selectively: to one He gives this gift and to another that gift. He thus exercises the divine prerogative of sovereignty, which Paul clearly describes. “He gives them to each man, just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12:11).
The word sovereign means “possessed of supreme power.” There is no power higher than God’s power. The Holy Spirit’s sovereign power is the supreme power which God alone possesses. The fact that He created us with a will and a power to make choices is something that He chose to do. He wanted us to exercise our will in making a choice to serve Him, rather than forcing us to serve him. It is only because of His sovereign will that our own wills can function.
He Is Omnipresent
The word omnipresent means “everywhere present.” The psalmist David asked of God, “Where can I go from your Spirit? . . . If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (Psalm 139:7-8). There is no place to hide from the Holy Spirit. He is at all times everywhere present No other spirit can claim this ability. Even Satan is a created being who is limited to one place at a time. He must depend on other fallen angels to help him carry out his evil work.
The divine Spirit of God does not have to depend on an organization of lesser spirits to administrate the redemptive program of God. He is personally present to strive with every sinner (John 16:7-11) and comfort every saint (John 16:13; 14:16-17). He was sent by the Father and the Son to abide in the heart of every believer and to fill every believer with His divine power (Acts 1:8). Today we are living in the “last days” of which the prophet Joel spoke, and the Holy Spirit has been “poured out” upon every believer who will receive Him. (See Acts 2:16-18) Have you experienced the divine presence of the Holy Spirit working in your life?
He Is Omniscient
Nothing is hidden from the Holy Spirit—He is omniscient (all knowing). All that has happened from the beginning of time and before is known by the Holy Spirit. Everything that is happening everywhere at the present time and all that will ever happen in the future is known in perfect detail by Him. The apostle Paul revealed the omniscience of the Holy Spirit in his letter to the Corinthians:
However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-11).
He Is Omnipotent
The Holy Spirit is “all powerful.” He is called “The power of the Most High” (Luke 1:35). In other words, the power of the Holy Spirit is the power of God. His power is unlimited—“All things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
The Holy Spirit’s power is imparted to chosen instruments of God throughout Scripture—for example, David (1 Samuel 16:13) and Micah (Micah 3:8); the disciples (John 20:19-23); and upon all who will receive (Acts 1:8).
In Zechariah 4:6 the word of the Lord came to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” This might be paraphrased “Not by human might nor by human power, but by the power of my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” Stanley M. Horton emphasizes that “‘By my Spirit’ is a fundamental principle that all who are fellow laborers with the Lord must keep in mind” (Horton, 1976, pp. 74-75). This Scripture is an affirmation of the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit.
Divine Acclamation
The deity of the Holy Spirit is also confirmed by direct statements of individuals in the Bible who call Him God. Simeon, Peter, and the apostle Paul are examples of men who made such statements.
Simeon’s Statement
In Luke’s Gospel account we are told that Simeon was a righteous and devout man who lived in Jerusalem. He was a Jew looking for the coming of the Messiah. The Scripture tells us that he received confirmation from the Holy Spirit about this event:
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus . . . Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:25-30).
In this passage the Spirit’s omniscience is seen in His revelation of the thoughts of God that would otherwise have been unknown or unknowable to Simeon. According to Peter, this prophecy, which originated with God, was communicated by the omnipotent Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21). Since there is unity in the Godhead, what applies to the one Person applies equally to the others. Hence the deity of the Holy Spirit is once again in evidence.
Peter’s Statement
Some of the believers in the early church were selling their properties and bringing the money to the apostles for distribution to the needy (Acts 4:32-36). Among these believers were a husband and wife, Ananias and Sapphira. They, too, sold their property and kept back part of the money they received, but they pretended they were giving all of it to the church. The apostle Peter sensed by the Holy Spirit what they had done.
Paul’s Statements
In both of his letters to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul made statements which give further evidence of the deity of the Holy Spirit. The first statement is made in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5: “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” Here Paul acclaims the deity of the Holy Spirit, for he dearly equates the Spirit’s power with God’s power. He gave additional evidence concerning this matter in 1 Corinthians 3:16: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” The inference here is that believers are temples of God, indwelt by God the Holy Spirit.
Again, in writing to the Corinthians Paul told them that the veil which kept the Jews from understanding the scriptures could be removed if they turned to the Lord. Then he said these words:
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
Divine Sufficiency
As we develop in spiritual understanding, it is important for us to examine the scriptural evidence which reveals the deity of the Holy Spirit, 
as well as His divine attributes and place in the Godhead. Without such knowledge, we can neither benefit fully from His daily ministry to us, nor can we give Him the place of glory and honor which is rightfully His. We often miss some important things in life when we lack information. God said through Hosea, the prophet, “my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). There was “no acknowledgment of God in the land” (Hosea 4:1). Unless we know who the Holy Spirit is and what He can do for us, and for mankind, we cannot benefit fully from His divine sufficiency.
Many of the things we have learned about the deity of the Holy Spirit have a practical application in our daily lives. There is no lack in His desire or power to meet our needs. Because He is divine, the Holy Spirit is sufficient for all of our needs. Let us look at some of the ways He wants to work in our lives. We will briefly summarize them here, as they will be developed more fully in later lessons. Our purpose for this lesson is simply to illustrate that because the Holy Spirit is one of the three Persons in the Godhead, He is fully sufficient to provide for us whatever we need.
He Imparts Spiritual Life
When Nicodemus came to Jesus, he expected to learn from Him as a teacher sent from God. He was surprised when Jesus said that he must be born again. Jesus went on to say, “Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (see John 3:5-6).
To be born of the Spirit is to receive the life of God. Without spiritual life, you can never do the things that please God.
Paul tells the Romans of the hopeless struggle he had before he allowed the “Spirit of life” to set him free from the law of sin and death. His confession is familiar to all of us, because his experience is our experience.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing (Romans 7:18-19)
He Nurtures Holiness
“Without holiness,” the Bible says, “no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). We have just seen in Romans 8:5-9 that as we surrender our lives to the control of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to remain spiritually alive and to live uprightly before God. Through the power of the indwelling Spirit we are able to obey the scriptural admonition “to be holy in all we do” (1 Peter 1:14-15). In Romans 6:22 Paul sets forth the new believer’s responsibility. Having been set free from sin, he is to become God’s slave. One benefit of this servitude is holiness. The apostle indicates that our part in the process is to cooperate with the Spirit, purifying ourselves from all that would contaminate our spiritual life (compare Romans 8:5-11 with 2 Corinthians 7:1 and Ephesian 4:22-24). When we fail in our spiritual obligation (Romans 8:12-14), namely, to keep step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25), we are disciplined for one primary purpose: “. . . that we may share in His (God’s) holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). With the Spirit in control of our lives, we will grow in holiness.
He Gives Power
As you surrender control of your life to the indwelling Holy Spirit, He gives you power:
1. To witness (Acts 1:8)
2. To be an overcomer (1 John 5:4-5)
3. For service (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
4. To test the spirits and overcome them (1 John 4:1-4)
5. Over fear, anxiety, and trials (2 Timothy 1:7; 2 Corinthians 6:4-10)
Because of the power of the Holy Spirit, you need not live your whole life a slave of fear. He gives you holy boldness to face the battles of life, and He gives you power over evil. The knowledge that the One who is with you is the “Power of the Most High” (Luke 1:35) will give you the will to resist evil and the faith to believe for victory over the attacks of the evil one (James 4:7; 1 John 4:4). You can have peace and security in any situation you face because you know that the Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus to be your protector and helper (John 14:25-27).
He Provides Companionship
When Jesus came to this earth in human form, His disciples had the privilege of close companionship with Him. This relationship was intended to be a temporary one. It would end 1) when the disciples had learned the lessons of disciple-making and were prepared to continue His ministry and 2) when His redemptive mission was accomplished. As Jesus brought His ministry to a close, He knew that His disciples relied heavily on His presence. He knew they would be like orphans without Him. To prepare them for His departure, that is, to fill the void He would leave, He asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit to take His place:
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever (John 14:16). But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you (John 16:7).
Because God sent His Holy Spirit to abide in our hearts, to be our Counselor and Guide, we never need to feel lonely. The Holy Spirit, who is omnipresent, can be a companion to every believer in the world at the same time. This quality of God enables Him to be with me as I write and with you as you study this lesson. He is ever present to teach us, encourage us, and be our companion in every circumstance. Whereas Jesus could be in only one place at a time, the Holy Spirit is everywhere present. Is it any wonder Jesus said it was for the good of His followers that He go away? In His absence the Counselor lives within each of us to provide the closest possible companionship (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Now that we have discussed the deity of the Holy Spirit and found that He longs to be your Companion and Guide, ask yourself these questions: Have I allowed the Spirit of God to impart spiritual life to me through faith in Christ’s sacrifice for me? Is He working in my life to perfect holiness in me, conforming me into the image of Christ? Is the power of the Holy Spirit working through me every day of my life? Is He ever present in my life to give me divine comfort, wisdom, and strength? I hope you have answered yes to all of these questions. Welcome Him into your life and allow Him to use you through His divine power!