the introduction

It is difficult for us to talk about the Holy Spirit, or to try to describe this secret whose name we do not know, for it announces itself by many names: the wind, the anointing, the Spirit, the Holy One, the Comforter, peace, joy, love... However, what is beyond doubt is that The nature of the Holy Spirit is sublime and perfect. It is completely similar to the nature of the Father and the Son, not only because the Spirit bears the same names, and not because it is a partner with them in all the work, but also because, like them, it is not perceived by observation. Just as the divinity of the Father and the Son transcends human thinking, so is the divinity of the Holy Spirit (John 14:17), which is the holiness of God Himself. He, as the fathers of the fourth century say, expresses in the “communion” of the hypostases what is “shared in the divine nature.” In Him, the fullness of unity is completed in multiplicity and multiplicity in unity. As Saint Athanasius of Alexandria says: “In him the Trinity finds its perfection.”[1]. The union that exists between the Holy Spirit and the other two hypostases is an existential union, and the Holy Spirit is a person who exists by himself in God, and is united with him existentially at the same time. He is the Person (hypostasis) and God, united with the Father and the Son in essence and having, as well as them, personal independence.

In this modest research, we will address the topic of emphasizing the divinity and personality of the third hypostasis of the Holy Trinity according to the verses of the Bible. We will begin by presenting the divine and personal attributes and works that characterize the Holy Spirit in both Testaments, confirming them with the most important biblical verses related to each of them. In the end, we will present a list of the most important references that we used, which those interested can return to in order to expand and provide additional information on the topic of the divinity and personality of the Spirit. Jerusalem, which the possibility of this modest research did not allow us to refer to or delve into.

First - The divinity of the Holy Spirit:

The Constitution of Faith of the Orthodox Church describes the third hypostasis of the Holy Trinity as: “The Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, who is worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets.” This testimony is a clear declaration by the Orthodox Church of the divinity of the Holy Spirit. The Church has extracted this doctrine from the Holy Bible in its Old and New Testaments, and of course from the honorable tradition. The Holy Spirit is the same in the Old and New Testaments. He spoke in the mouth of the prophets in ancient times before Christ (2 Samuel 23:2). After the coming of Christ, he descended upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Now, we will quickly review the verses that confirm the divinity of the Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments:

1 - In the Old Testament:

Reading the books of the Old Testament as true spiritual reading, asking God to bestow upon us His Holy Spirit in order to open our hearts and enlighten our minds, we must find many verses that conclusively confirm to us the divinity of the essence of the Holy Spirit, which is a divine essence. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament possesses complete divine attributes and works:

He is God Himself:

The Holy Spirit has one essence with the Father and the Son. The word “Spirit of God” or “Spirit of the Lord” mentioned in many verses of the Bible indicates that it is not from nothing, but rather it is from the essence of God and resides in Him.[2]Then he is a god:

The Spirit of God is called:

• “And the land was emptySpirit of God He floats on the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2)
• “Spirit of God You made me, and the breath of the Almighty gave me life.” (Job 33:4)
• “I will not hide my face from them, for I have delivered spiritual against the family of Israel” (Ezekiel 39:29)

The Spirit of the Lord is called:

• “Spirit of the Lord He filled the ends of the earth” (Wisdom 1:7)
• “It will be upon you Spirit of the Lord Then you will prophesy with them and be transformed into another man” (1 Samuel 10:6).
• “So it was.” Spirit of the Lord And He judged Israel...” (Judges 3:10)

Being everywhere:

It is an attribute of God alone (Jeremiah 23:24), (1 Kings 8:27). Since this characteristic applies to the Holy Spirit according to the verses of the Old Testament, there is no doubt that He is a complete God:

• “The Spirit of the Lord has filled the ends of the earth” (Wisdom 1:7)
• “Where can I go from your face and from your spirit, where can I flee? If I ascend to the heavens, you are there, and if I sleep in the bottomless pit, there you are. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell at the uttermost parts of the sea, there you are also.” (Psalm 139:7-9)
• “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Come, O spirit, from the four winds.’” (Ezekiel 37:9)

Creation:

God is the Creator. This idea has been associated with the name “Jehovah,” as he is the one who gives existence. It is He who made and created all things (Genesis 1:1), (Proverbs 8:22-31), (Psalm 104, 8). We find that this power specific to “Jehovah” has the same degree of specificity as the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament:

• “You send your soul And they are created And you renew the face of the earth” (Psalm 103:30)
• “It is the Spirit of God who made me, and the breath of the Almighty has given me life” (Job 33:4)
• “And the Lord God formed man and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).

Thus we find that the Spirit of God is also the source of beings and life, so He is God.

Complete knowledge:

God alone has complete knowledge. He knows everything. He knows His people (Amos 3:2), He knows the prophets even before they were born (Jeremiah 1:5), and He knows all those whom He has chosen by His eternal decree (Exodus 33:17). The application of this divine attribute to the Holy Spirit clearly indicates that the Holy Spirit is undoubtedly God:

• “The Spirit of the Lord fills the universe, through which everything is held together for Him Know every word“(Wisdom 1:7-8).
• “And the Spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, will come upon him Spirit of advice And strength is the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2).

Holiness and righteousness:

Holiness is something connected to the mystery of God. It is the basic characteristic that distinguishes God Himself, for His name is holy (Psalm 33:21, Exodus 3:14). Just as God was called in the Old Testament, so is the Spirit (the Spirit of God). The attribute of holiness has always been associated with the attribute of goodness. God is good, “For you, O Lord, are good” (Psalm 86:5), “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever” (Job 16:34). The fact that two of the attributes of God alone are attributes of the Holy Spirit, this indicates that the Old Testament emphasizes the divinity of the Holy Spirit:

• “Do not cast me out from before your face And your Holy Spirit To take it away from me.” (Psalm 51:13)
• “And who would have known of Your will unless wisdom was given and sent? Your Holy Spirit(Wisdom 9:17)
• “But they rebelled and became sad His Holy Spirit And you will turn to them into enemies and fight against them” (Isaiah 63:10).
• “Your good soul He will guide me in a straight land.” (Psalm 143:10)
• “And I gave them Your good soul To teach them” (Nehemiah 9:20)

wisdom:

The verses of the Old Testament emphasized that God is the source of wisdom, for He is the Wise Himself. Wisdom came out of his mouth like a breath, for it is the radiance of eternal light and the pure mirror of God’s work (Wisdom: 25-27). She resides in heaven (Sirach 24:7), sits on the throne of God, and lives an intimate relationship with him (Wisdom 9:4 and 8:3). This indicates that wisdom is undoubtedly from God, so it is divine, and the Holy Spirit was called the spirit of wisdom, which indicates the Old Testament’s emphasis on the divinity of the Holy Spirit:

• “So I prayed and discernment was given to me, and I prayed and it came to me Spirit of wisdom(Wisdom 7:7)
• “And all the wise men of heart whom I have filled have spoken Spirit of wisdom(Exodus 28:3)
• “And who would know your will unless you give wisdom and send from on high your Holy Spirit” (Wisdom 9:27).

If we want to expand on the topic of the relationship of wisdom with the Holy Spirit, we can review the following verses: (Wisdom 1:6, 7:7 and 22-23, 9:9). All of these verses confirm the close connection of wisdom with God, as it is His breath and spirit. So the Holy Spirit undoubtedly has a divine essence.

Power over everything:

The God of Israel is capable of all things in heaven and earth (Deuteronomy 4:23-93), and nothing is difficult for Him (Jeremiah 32:17), (Genesis 18:14), and His words have complete power (Wisdom 18:15). This ability is the same for his soul as well:

• “By the word of the Lord the heavens were strengthened, and all their powers were strengthened by the spirit in him” (Psalm 33:6)
• “By his breath the heavens were transformed, and his hands started the fleeing serpent” (Job 26:13)
• “It is the Spirit of God who made me, and the breath of the Almighty has given me life” (Job 33:4)

Raising the dead:

God is the only one capable of raising the dead. He alone has the authority of life and death (1 Samuel 2:6) because he has power over hell itself (Amos 9:2). He is the one who will make the dead live, and those who sleep in the dust wake up (Isaiah 26:19), (Psalm 41:3, 80:19). This same authority was given to the Spirit, so He is a God equal in essence to the Father:

• “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley, which was full of dried bones, thus said the Lord God to the bones. Behold, I am entering into you Spirit and you will live...And he said to me, Prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit, Thus says the Lord God: Come, O spirit, from the four winds, and blow upon these slain, that they may live...And blow upon them. Spirit and live And a very great army rose at his feet.” (Ezekiel 37:1, 5, 9, 10)

2 - In the New Testament:

After our quick reading of some verses of the Old Testament that clearly indicate the divinity of the Holy Spirit, the New Testament in turn confirms this divinity. Its pages are filled with very strong and very clear references to the divine personality and effectiveness of the Holy Spirit. The verses of the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles confirm this divinity through divine attributes and actions given to the Holy Spirit, equating Him with the other two hypostases, the Father and the Son. Some of these verses were mentioned by the Son himself:

He is God Himself:

• “Why has Satan filled your heart (the words are directed to Ananias) so that you lie to the Holy Spirit? You didn't lie to people, you lied to me God” (Acts 5:3-4), “Why did you two agree to a trial? Spirit of the Lord(Acts 5:9)
• “God is a spiritAnd those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

The Apostle Paul says in the third chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that you are the temple of the Spirit? And the Spirit of God He dwells in you” (3:16), and he continues his words in the sixth chapter, saying: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are a name for yourselves?” (9:6)

The Spirit of God is called:

• “Do you not know that you are the temple of God? May God bless you He lives in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16)
• “When Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. And behold, the heavens opened to him and he saw Spirit of God descending upon him like a dove” (Matthew 3:16).
• “And do not be sad Spirit of God Holy One, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
• “But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if anything Spirit of God dwelling in you” (Romans 8:9)
• “If I were BSpirit of God Cast out demons, for the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28).

Regarding the “Spirit of God,” we can review the following verses: (1 Corinthians 2:10-12), (Matthew 12:18), (1 Corinthians 6:11), (1 Peter 1:11), (John 4:13)...etc.

Attendance everywhere:

As in the Old Testament, so in the New Testament, the Spirit of God is present everywhere, just as God is:

• “The Spirit blows wherever he wishes, and his voice is heard... so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8)
• “You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you” (Romans 8:9)
• “But the Holy Spirit bears witness in every city, saying, ‘Behold, bonds and afflictions await me’” (Acts 20:23).

Spiritual birth and regeneration:

Just as the Holy Spirit was present during the creation of the world with the Father and the Son (the Old Testament), so he is in the New Testament. With the difference that in the New Testament there was no need to create another world, but rather the need was to rebirth this knowledge in a renewed, spiritual way - after sin had wreaked havoc on it - so that it could enter the Kingdom of God.

Through the Holy Spirit, our union with the Son is achieved so that we become children of God by adoption, of course, according to grace. Therefore, the Apostle Paul says:

• “Not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5)

This is what Jesus Christ himself meant in his conversation with Nicodemus: “Verily, truly, I say to you, unless a person is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven” (John 5:3). Of course, this birth is not a physical birth as Nicodemus understood it (3:4), but rather a spiritual birth in which believers are joined to Christ by the Holy Spirit, where the Son gives them his life, which is the result of the new spiritual birth (spiritual birth).

Who can give birth to a new spiritual birth to the world, and who can unite believers in God except God Himself? This is further evidence of the divinity of the Holy Spirit.

Complete knowledge:

• “But the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (Luke 14:26)
• “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth...” (John 16:13)
• “For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God...No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10,11).

Power over everything:

“For to one are given by the Spirit words of wisdom, to the other words of knowledge according to the same Spirit. Another has faith in the one Spirit. And to another there are gifts of healing by the same Spirit. For another is the working of mighty works, for another is prophecy, and for another is the discerning of spirits. And there are other types of tongues. And for another there is an interpretation of tongues. But all these things the one Spirit does, dividing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Corinthians 12:8-11).

Power over life and death:

• “And if the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your dead bodies through His Spirit dwelling in you” (Romans 8:11)
• “For whoever sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, and whoever sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit” (Galatians 6:8)
• “It is the Spirit that gives life, but the flesh is of no use, and the words that you spoke are the words of the Spirit and of life” (John 6:63)

Equality of the other two hypostases:

The Holy Spirit has the same rank as the Father and the Son. He is equal to them in everything. The New Testament has always placed the three hypostases in the same degree, emphasizing one essence for the three hypostases, and this was stated by Jesus Christ himself:

• “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:18)
• “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14)
• “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Holy One who is born of you will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

Divine dignity:

In the Old Testament, the presence of one blasphemer among the people was enough to desecrate them (Leviticus 24:26), so everyone who blasphemed God deserved death (Exodus 20:7). The name of God is very sacred and cannot be touched. This matter was renewed in the New Testament with the Son and the Holy Spirit. Rather, we note that whoever blasphemes the Son can be forgiven, to the point that a person can fall into error regarding the identity of the Son of Man (Matthew 12:32), and this is considered a sin through ignorance (Luke 23). :34). But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven neither in this world nor in the next. Because this blasphemy involves a voluntary rejection of divine revelation by attributing the relationships that the Son had with the Spirit - for example - to Satan (Matthew 12:24, 28). Of course, this is important evidence of the divine status that the Holy Spirit holds in the Trinity, as he is a complete God with divine prestige and dignity:

• “Truly I say to you, all sins are forgiven the sons of men and the blasphemes they blaspheme, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit does not have forgiveness forever, but is subject to eternal damnation.”
• “How much worse punishment do you think will be deemed worthy of him who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has deemed the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and has despised the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29)

Forgiveness of sins:

God is a God of forgiveness (Exodus 20:25). He is a merciful and compassionate God (Daniel 9:9). He forgives transgression, transgression, and sin (Luke 15). However, this authority rests with God (Mark 2:7), and who can forgive the sins of creation except the Creator? The New Testament gives the right to exercise this authority to the Father (Matthew 6:1), (Ephesians 24:3), as well as to the Son (Matthew 2:10, 26:28), (Colossians 3:3), and also to the Holy Spirit, thus confirming the equality of the three hypostases in divinity:

• “And so were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (Colossians 6:11).
• “Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38)

He gives commandments:

• “And while they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Separate out for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” (Acts 13:2)
• “Then he came to us, took Paul’s girdle, and bound himself hand and foot, and said, ‘This says the Holy Spirit. The man who has the girdle will be bound by the Jews in Jerusalem and delivered into the hands of the Gentiles” (Acts 21:11).

He speaks in church:

Who has the right to speak in the church as if he has authority other than God Himself, who founded the church?

• “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7).

Second - The personality of the Holy Spirit:

Some claim that the Holy Spirit is not God, but rather the “act or power” of the Father and the Son. This statement has already been rejected. The Father sends the Holy Spirit in the name of the Son (John 14:26) and calls him another Comforter (14:16), and he gives life like the Father and the Son (1 John 33:4), (Genesis 33:6). It is agreed that impersonal force is not sent. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is a divine force with a personal entity and existence, like the Word and wisdom of God[3]. He is a complete person who, with the Father and the Son, constitutes the one triune God. He was not separated from the Son in incarnation. The love of the Holy Spirit, like the love of Christ, is not an abstract love, but rather a personal and complete love. This love, of course, only exists between people[4]. Below we will list some verses from the Old and New Testaments that confirm that the Holy Spirit has a personal entity and existence:

1- In the Old Testament:

The Old Testament attributes to the Holy Spirit a single personality existing in itself, with God Himself, present and effective in the world and in man alike. It is understood from the books of the Old Testament that the Holy Spirit is “God active by power.” Therefore, He is a personality with special characteristics, and personal deeds are attributed to Him. The Spirit in the Old Testament is a person within the scope of His being God. The Holy Spirit appears in the Old Testament with semi-independent characteristics at times, which approach the limits of a distinct personality, and these characteristics can only apply to a person.[5].

He speaks to the prophets:

• “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me, and the word of the Lord was on my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2)
• “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. My Spirit is upon you, and my words which I put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth… saith the Lord, from now on and for ever” (Isaiah 59:21).
• “Then the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet. Go lock yourself in the middle of your house. And when I have spoken to you, open your mouth and say to them, Thus says the Lord God. Whoever listens, let him hear, and whoever abstains, let him abstain. For they are a house of rebellion” (Ezekiel 3:24, 27).
• “And you spoke to all the wise men of the earth, whom you have filled with the spirit of wisdom” (Ezekiel 28:3).

Ershad speaks:

• “Your good Spirit guides me in a right land” (Psalm 143:10)
• “According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, and my Spirit remains in your midst” (Haggai 2:5)
• “He (Moses) said, ‘If your face does not go before us, do not bring us up from here.’” (Exodus 33:15)
• “The Spirit of the Lord has spoken through me, and his word is on my tongue…the Rock of Israel has spoken to me” (2 Samuel 23:2)

Foretells, teaches:

• “And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be transformed into another man” (1 Samuel 6:10)
• “If only all of the Lord’s people were prophets, so that the Spirit of the Lord might come upon them” (Numbers 11:29)
• “And you gave them your good spirit to teach them” (Nehemiah 9:20)
• “And I will put my spirit in you, and you shall live; and I will put you in your own land, and you shall know that I have spoken the Lord, and I will do it, says the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:14)
• “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and to keep my judgments, and to do them” (Ezekiel 36:27).

He preaches, consoles:

• “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me To preach The poor...to proclaim an acceptable year to the Lord and a day of vengeance to our God To console To all who mourn... to give them beauty instead of ashes... and a cry of praise in place of a wretched spirit, and they will be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord for glorification” (Isaiah 61:1-3)

rule, rule:

• “And it befalls him Spirit of the Lord...No Serving According to the sight of his eyes, he does not judge according to the hearing of his ears. But he will judge with justice the poor, and judge with justice the wretched of the earth, and will strike the earth with the wrath of his mouth, and slay the hypocritical with the breath of his lips: and righteousness shall be the girdle of his back, and faithfulness the girdle of his loins.” (Isaiah 63:10). Purely personal.

Men of God choose:

• “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one, in whom my soul is well pleased. I have put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1)
• “And the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Cushan-rishthaim king of Aram into his hand: and his hand prevailed against him” (Judg. 3:10)
• “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel arose and went to Ramah” (1 Samuel 16:12).
• “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the captives” (Isaiah 61:1)
• The Holy Spirit is a person as long as we can grieve him: “But they rebelled and grieved his holy spirit, and he turned to them an enemy, and he fought against them” (Isaiah 63:10).

2 - In the New Testament:

After emphasizing the personality of the spirit in the Old Testament, the New Testament verses related to the Holy Spirit come to confirm one after another the reality of this divine hypostasis. The Father gave Himself completely to the Beloved Son and in His infinite love He wanted to give Him something else, but only a person who is Himself a gift can give it, and that person is the Holy Spirit.[6] Who after Pentecost will be the person of permanent, living and effective communication between believers and Christ:

He teaches and remembers:

• “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26)

He convicts of sin:

• “And when he comes, he will convict me of sin and of righteousness and of judgment” (John 16:8)

The world speaks on books:

• “Men and brothers, this scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit had spoken beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus” (Acts 1:16).

He speaks to the prophets:

• “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21)

He addresses the apostles:

• “Then the Spirit said to me, Philip, ‘Come forward and accompany this chariot’” (Acts 8:29).
• “While Peter was thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Behold, three men are looking for you.’” (Acts 10:19)

Bishops establish:

• “Take heed, therefore, to yourselves and to all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28)

Calls to the work of the Lord:

• “And while they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Separate out for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” (Acts 13:2)

Obstructs specific actions:

• “And after they had passed through Phrygia and the country of Galatia, the Holy Spirit forbade them to speak the word in Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit did not let them” (Acts 16:6).

Leading the Believers:

• “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God” (Romans 8:11)

He searches the depths of God:

• “So God revealed it to us by His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (Colossians 2:10).

Pray for us:

• “And the Spirit also helps our weaknesses. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings indescribable” (Romans 8:26).

pridect:

• “So they departed, not agreeing with one another, when Paul said a certain word, ‘It was well that the Holy Spirit spoke well to our fathers by the prophet Isaiah’” (Acts 28:25).
• “But the Spirit quickly says that in recent times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1)
• “But the Holy Spirit bears witness in every city that bonds and tribulations await me” (Acts 20:23).

The Holy Spirit is a person as long as we can:

• We resist it: “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised hearts and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers were, so are you” (Acts 7:51).
• We insult him: “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven by men. But men will not forgive blasphemy against the Spirit.” (Matthew 12:31)
• We try it: Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?” Behold, the feet of those who buried your foot are at the door, and they will carry you out” (Acts 5:9).
• We disdain it: “How many punishments do you think he deserves who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has deemed the blood of the covenant by which he is sanctified a common thing, and has despised the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29)
• We lie to him: “And Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back the price of the land?” (Acts 5:3)
• We make him sad: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30)

Conclusion

Thus, we find from the above biblical verses that they confirm the divinity and personality of the Holy Spirit in both the Old and New Testaments alike. The Holy Spirit is not, as some claim, a stranger to the nature of the Father, and how can He be a stranger when He comes from His essence? This is what Saint John of Damascus confirms: “We must acknowledge, with piety, that the Holy Spirit exists in the simple, non-combined divine nature, and it is not permissible for us to consider that the Holy Spirit is a stranger who enters God from the outside, as it happens to us who are composites (body and spirit). Because when we heard about the word of God, we did not consider that He had no personal existence. It is not acquired by learning, nor is it pronounced by sound, nor does it dissipate into the air and disappear. Rather, it exists in essence, and possesses free will, action, and total power. When we learned about the Holy Spirit who accompanies the word and manifests its action, we did not consider that it is a spirit without personal existence, because the greatness of the divine nature would be despised if we considered that the Holy Spirit, which possesses an existence and entity, is similar to our spirit, which has no entity or existence.[7].

Saint Basil asks: “How can someone who knows things that cannot be spoken be a stranger to God or hostile to Him?” Can he contradict the Bible, as long as the Bible says that God dwells in us by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22)? Isn’t saying that the spirit does not share in divinity something of impiety?[8]. The Holy Spirit, then - as is clear to us from the Holy Bible - is the breath of divine life. It is the Spirit of God that inspires the prophets. He is also the one who sanctifies believers. The Son sent him from the Father to us, not just a divine attribute, but a divine hypostasis through whom we live and with him, and we ask him as the Church does at the third hour daily: “O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, present in every place, and filler of all things, treasurer of good things and giver of life, come and dwell.” In us, purify us from every defilement, and save our souls, O Righteous One.”

 

requester [*] Romanos David
Currently Bishop of Brazil

 

Sources

_The Holy Bible, Catholic Version, Dar Al-Mashreq LLC, fifth edition, Beirut, Lebanon.

the reviewer

_Plato, Metropolitan of Moscow, The Delightful Compendium of the Most Special Orthodox Doctrines, ed. Father Youhanna Hazboun, Al Nour Publications, Beirut-Lebanon, 1957.

_ Al-Feghali, Paul (Al-Khoury), The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, Biblical Stations Series 13, Bible Societies, Biblical Association, Lebanon_1998.

_ Evdokimov, Paul, The Holy Spirit in the Orthodox Heritage, Series on Christian Thought between Yesterday and Today 8, edited by Bishop Elias Najma, Publications of the Police Library and Orthodox Publications, Lebanon-Beirut, 1989.

_ Al-Miskeen, Matthew (Father), Saint Athanasius the Great, St. Anba Makar Monastery Press, Cairo - 1981.

_ Elivizopoulos, Anthony (Father), Increase Orthodoxy, Know Your Church Series 18, edited by Father Constantine Yenni, Al-Nour Publications, 1980.

_ Post, George, Index of the Bible, Fifth Edition, Association of Evangelical Churches in the Middle East, Beirut-Lebanon, 1981.

_ A group of authors, The Holy Spirit, Know Your Church series 15, Al-Nour Publications, 1983.

_ Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Dar Al-Mashreq LLC, fourth edition, Bible Societies, Beirut-Lebanon, 1999.

_ Yacoub Malti, Tadros (the Hegome), The Holy Spirit between Glorious Christmas and Continuous Renewal, Dar Al-Ilm Al-Arabi Press - Cairo, 1981.

_ Attiya, George (Father), Amali, The Subject of Beliefs 1, unpublished.

_ Karkur, Seraphim (Deacon), pamphlet against Jehovah’s Witnesses, unpublished.

– Orphanos, Markos, The Procession of the Holy Spirit, Athens, 1979.

– Styliano Ppoulos, Theodore, Spirit of Truth, Holy Cross, Orthodox press, Massachusetts, 1986.

 

 

---

[1] A group of authors, The Holy Spirit, Know Your Church Series 15, Al-Nour Publications, 1983, p. 80.

[2] Atiya, George (Father), Amali, the subject of beliefs, unpublished, p. 63.

[3] Elivizopoulos, Anthony (Father), Increase Orthodoxy, Know Your Church series 18, translated by Father Constantine Yenni, Al-Nour Publications 1983, p. 109.

[4] Previous reference, p. 115.

[5] Al-Miskeen, Matthew (Father), Saint Athanasius the Apostolic, St. Anba Makar Monastery Press, Cairo, 1981, p. 579.

[6] A group of authors, The Holy Spirit, Know Your Church Series 15, Al-Nour Publications, 1983. p. 10

[7] Zad Al-Orthodoxy, p. 108.

[8] Previous reference, p. 112.

[*] This page was given to us by His Eminence when he was a deacon and he told us that it was one of his works while studying in Balamand. We did not ask His Excellency at the time about its history and in what year he was studying.
We have placed the title “student” before the name of His Eminence the Bishop, in order to point out that this study was not written by him as a bishop, but as a student in Balamand. His Excellency now holds a doctorate in theology from Greece... (Al-Shabaka)