To begin with, let us start with what the Holy Spirit is not. You see, the Holy Spirit has been seen, understood, and represented in many ways, which is not the case. It is important we know what He is not.

What He is not

He is not It.

"The Holy Spirit is not 'it'." In other words, he is not an object or a thing. As a result, it is not right to refer to the Holy Spirit as “It is the Spirit of God” or “I have received the Holy Spirit; it is in me." 

He is not a Force at All

The Holy Spirit is not a force at all. Some people have likened the Holy Spirit to a force, just like electricity that can be tapped or a metaphysical element or idea. That is not true about the Holy Spirit. It is merely a guess about the Holy Spirit. Even though the Holy Spirit comes with power, He is not power nor a force.

He is not a Dove or a Cloud

Many times online, you can see the Holy Spirit is represented as a dove. It is also wrong and untrue. He is not an animal. The only time the Spirit of God was likened to a dove was when John described the way He descended on Jesus Christ in the Jordan River (John 1:32). Thus, the way He descended and lighted on Jesus was like a dove descending.

He is not a Feeling

Others have also reduced the Holy Spirit to feelings. You will hear them say, “I feel the Holy Spirit."  He is not a feeling that you feel, even though you can feel his presence sometimes. As a result, some people are constantly searching for the Holy Spirit through their feelings. The feeling is not Him. The Spirit can communicate with you through your feelings sometimes, and other times He can use other means to communicate. But He is not a feeling.

He is not a Wind or Fire

In communication, similitudes are sometimes used to enable us to communicate effectively. For instance, you may say that I walk like a buffalo. What you are trying to say is that my walk resembles that of a buffalo. However, you are not saying that I am a buffalo, right? My walk may resemble a buffalo, but I am more than my walk. Similarly, the Holy Scripture uses similitudes like wind and fire to express some of the characteristics of the Holy Spirit, and we have reduced the Spirit of God to fire and wind (Acts 2:1–4). He may have a character like the wind because He cannot be seen with the optical eyes and yet He is so real. This doesn’t make Him a wind.

 

 

Who is he?

In the Holy Scriptures, you will find out that some translations use the Holy Spirit. Other translations use the Holy Ghost, especially the King James Version. Both refer to the same Spirit of God. Who is the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost? The Holy Spirit is a person. He is God. What does the Holy Scripture mean by saying the Spirit of God is a person?

Even though the Holy Spirit cannot be seen with the optical eyes, He is a person who has a mind (Romans 8:27), thinks, speaks (John 16:13), and has a will. This is the person of the Holy Spirit.

What does the Holy Scriptures mean by the Holy Spirit is God? Remember, God is triune (three persons in one), the same way every human is triune (spirit, soul, and body). Your body is you, your soul is you, and your spirit is you. Jesus is the word of God personified. The Spirit of God is the presence of God, such that God does not have to get up from His throne to do anything or to be somewhere. Where His Spirit is, God is present there. Through the Holy Spirit, God can be here and there at the same time.

This tells us that the Holy Spirit is equal to God and as powerful as God. He proceeds (flows out of, issues or originates) from God (John 15:26). Jesus instructed His disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. This may sound like three Gods. But look at this – God the Father is not older than the Son and the Spirit, whereby we can see them separately. First, all three are eternal. Second, God is distinguished as a Father because He is the Source of all. Jesus came out of Him and the Spirit proceeds from Him. From eternity past, Jesus existed as the Word in the bosom of the Father, and in due time He came out of God to take on human flesh and dwelt among us. The Spirit of God proceeds from the Father, but as a person. He [the Holy Spirit] has not taken on flesh as Jesus did when He dwelt among us. But He can dwell in the flesh (or in a man). Isn’t this wonderful?

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His Names revealed in Scripture tell Who He is

As indicated earlier, you will find that the Spirit of God is referred to as the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit. However, there are more names given to the Holy Spirit to describe His character and His personality, amongst others. Some of these include:

• The Atonement and Salvation Ministry Names of the Holy Spirit. The Helper (John 15:26), the Oil of Gladness (Hebrews 1:9), the Spirit of Faith (2 Corinthians 4:13), the Spirit of Adoption (Romans 8:15), the Spirit of Grace (Hebrews 10:29), the Spirit of Him Who Raised Jesus from the Dead (Rom 8:11), the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2)

• Names that Reveal the Holy Spirit’s Grooming Ministry in the Life of the Believer.The Helper (John 15:26), the Holy Spirit Who Is in You (1 Corinthians 6:19), a New Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26), the Spirit of Grace (Zechariah 12:10), the Spirit of Supplication (Zechariah 12:10).

• The Teaching Ministry Names of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of a Sound Mind (2 Timothy 1:7) and the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13; John 14:17).

• The Creation Names of the Holy Spirit.The Breath of God (Job 33:4), the Finger of God (Exodus 8:19), the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2)

• The Revival Ministry Names of the Holy Spirit.The Breath of Life (Genesis 2:7), the Fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19), the Power of the Highest (Luke 1:35), the Rivers of Living Water (John 7:38),