Who is the Holy Spirit?

When you think of God, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a bearded man sitting on a bed of clouds or preaching to a crowd on a hill. God the Father and His Son Jesus are the most recognisable members of the threefold divine community we call God. There’s even a dedicated worldwide annual holiday that honours the birth of Jesus. A side of God that is less talked about, but no less equally important, is the Holy Spirit. But who is the Holy Spirit? If He really is a member of the Godhead, then He must be important.

To fully appreciate the Holy Spirit, we must understand who He is, what His roles are and how He impacts our lives. Thankfully, the Bible provides no shortage of information about Him.

who is the Holy Spirit?

First, we must understand who the Holy Spirit is. To start, we must establish His divine nature. The Bible presents the Holy Spirit as being equal with God the Father and His Son Jesus (Matthew 28:19) and was present with Them during the creation of the world (Genesis 1:2). Having established His divine nature, we must now investigate His personhood. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal magical force that can be manipulated. Rather, He is a being with His own thoughts and personality. He can be lied to (Acts 5:3) and can express sorrow when we hurt others (Ephesians 4:30-32).

what does He do?

Having established who He is, we can now better understand His purpose. The Bible establishes clear roles for each member of the threefold God. God the Father is the Creator and Ruler of everything (Genesis 1:27) and the One responsible for sustaining all life (Acts 17:28). Meanwhile, God the Son—Jesus—is the Rescuer of the world, and who was also involved in its creation. Through Jesus we have been forgiven—that is, freed from the weight of our past mistakes (1 John 1:7)—and are reconciled with God the Father (Romans 5:10). The Holy Spirit’s role, on the other hand, is more “behind-the-scenes”—but no less important.

The Holy Spirit’s role, on the other hand, is more “behind-the-scenes”—but no less important

When you watch a stage play, there are many people running around in the background working to keep the audience’s attention focused on the star performers. They make sure the lights are working, create the costumes, move props in-between scenes as well as a bunch of other tasks. Without these people working in the background, a play can’t work as smoothly as it should, if at all. The Holy Spirit plays a similar role. Although Jesus enables us to have right relationship with God the Father, the Holy Spirit helps us know right from wrong (John 16:8) and draws us closer to God despite our conflicted nature (Romans 5:5).

We won’t be able to fully explore every role of the Holy Spirit here but at the very least, we should understand three of His roles in our lives. Namely, that He is our Helper, our Comforter and our Intercessor.

Helper

One of the most important roles of the Holy Spirit is to help us understand God’s words found in the Bible (John 16:13). Ever since the Bible was written, many strange theories about its interpretation have arisen, leading to the formation of many different sects and sub-cultures. So, how do we determine which teachings align with God’s character and which ones don’t? This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. Recalling that He helps us differentiate between right and wrong, the Holy Spirit takes this a step further and convicts us as to which teachings are consistent with God’s character. Have you ever read the Bible or watched a sermon and suddenly you had a “Eureka!” moment—as if something you had been struggling to understand for so long finally makes sense? That’s the Holy Spirit guiding you.

Have you ever read the Bible or watched a sermon and suddenly you had a “Eureka!” moment?

If you wish to know whether your inspirational moment is really from the Holy Spirit, the Bible presents a simple test. Simply search the Scriptures (Acts 17:11), check if the teaching proclaims the divinity and humanity of Christ (1 John 4:2,3) and, after confirming them, stick to teachings proven to be true and are consistent with the rest of the Bible.
(1 Thessalonians 5:21). There might be mistakes made along the way, but an important thing to remember is that if we’re on a faith journey, the Holy Spirit helps us grow “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord” (2 Peter 3:18). The Holy Spirit is there every step of the way. 

Comforter

Next, The Holy Spirit is our Comforter. Each one of us goes through stages of grief or heartache at some point in our lives, whether it is from the passing of a loved one, regret over our actions (I know for sure that there are some regrets I would like to erase from my memories) or something else. During these times, He comforts and encourages us. More than comforting us, He also empowers us to move forward. Jesus faced many hardships in His life, yet it was through the Holy Spirit’s comfort and empowerment that He was able to push on with His ministry (Luke 4:14).

Intercessor

Finally, The Holy Spirit acts as an Intercessor, advocating on our behalf. Sometimes we do not understand what we should be praying for or if what we want is beneficial for us. I’ve already lost track of the times where I can’t find the right word to use for a specific request I have when praying or have asked for the wrong thing. This is where the Holy Spirit steps in. He takes our prayers, intercedes on our behalf and ensures that we get what we need even if it’s not readily apparent to us at that moment (Romans 8:26,27).

how does He affect us?

Now that we understand His role, we can grasp how He impacts our lives. All relationships change people in some way, whether it is a friendship or something more special. Thankfully, we have already explored some of His impact. He gives us the ability to understand the Bible. He intercedes on our behalf, bringing us closer to God. He is also comforts us in our sorrow and pain.

The most visible impact the Holy Spirit can have on us, though, is the manifestation of desirable personality traits in us—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22)—collectively referred to as the “fruits” of the Holy Spirit. You may have heard of people who have led broken lives or felt lost and empty before finding Jesus, leading to a renewed life. This is an example of the fruit of the Holy Spirit working through them. The same transformation is freely offered to you if you choose to follow Jesus.

You may have heard of people who have led broken lives or felt lost and empty before finding Jesus, leading to a renewed life

For a “background player”, the Holy Spirit is more important to the Christian faith than most of us often realise. Wherever you are on your faith journey—whether you’re decades along or haven’t even started yet—you can always count on the Holy Spirit to have your back. As you spend time with Jesus, why don’t you invite the Holy Spirit to join you as well? You may find you’re all the better off for it.