~ A place to find answers to gnawing spiritual questions ~
Question: Is the Holy Spirit considered a spirit(it) or a person? Please direct me scripturally.Answer: This is a critical question. In John 16:7, Jesus said that He (the Holy Spirit) would be sent to us by Jesus to be in the place of Jesus, since Jesus would return to heaven.
This is one of many Scriptures that indicate the Holy Spirit is a person. In John 14:16, Jesus refers to Him as "another Comforter". The implication is that this person to come would be "another like" Jesus. The Holy Spirit is a person as much as Jesus is.
He is a divine person. Scripture shows him having divine attributes. He is eternal, omnipresent and omniscient (See Hebrews 9:14, Psalms 139:7,10 Luke 1:35, I Corinthians 2:10, 11). Scripture shows him doing divine actions in creation, regeneration and resurrection (Genesis 1:2, Job 33:4, John 3:5-8, Romans 8:11).
He is also shown to be a person by having the attributes of personality - intelligence, feeling and a will ( Romans 8:27, I Corinthians 12:11, Ephesians 4:30). He does actions of a person, such as, he reveals, teaches, witnesses, intercedes, speaks, commands etc. (2 Peter 1:21, John 14:26. Galatians 4:6, Romans 8:26, Revelation 2:7. Acts 16: 6-7).
It may seem that He is not a person since he does not have a body or shape. He possesses personality but not corporeality (possessing a body). The Bible's way of describing the operations of the Spirit can seem impersonal (breath, fire, water, gift etc). Also the way some Christians refer to Him would make one think he is not a person.
But in conclusion, the Bible reveals the Holy Spirit as a spiritual person - that is a real person without a physical form but none the less real. I would encourage you to get a Bible concordance and trace all the references to the Holy Spirit. By studying them you will get to know this person better.
