But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
John 16:13I want to start with something that might shake you if you have never thought about it this way. Most Christians talk about the Holy Spirit like He is a thing. A power. An influence. Something that flows from God like electricity from a socket.
But that is not what the Bible says. The Bible says the Holy Spirit is Someone. Not something. Someone.
This matters more than you might think. Because if He is just a power, you can use Him. You can turn Him on and off. You can tap into Him like a spiritual utility. But if He is a Person, you cannot use Him. You have to relate to Him. You have to listen to Him. You have to love Him.
And that changes everything.
The Name Matters
Notice how the Bible refers to Him. Not as "the Holy Power" or "the Divine Force." The Bible calls Him the Holy Spirit. The word "spirit" in the original Greek is pneuma, which can mean wind, breath, or the non-physical part of a person. But the word is always used with personal attributes when referring to the third Person of the Trinity.
He has a will. 1 Corinthians 12:11 says the Spirit distributes to each one individually as He wills. Not as a force decides. As a Person decides.
He has emotions. Ephesians 4:30 says we can grieve the Holy Spirit. You cannot grieve a force. You can only grieve a Person.
He has a voice. He speaks. He guides. He teaches. He testifies. All personal actions. All things a Person does, not a power performs.
He will guide. He will speak. He will tell. Those are personal actions. The Holy Spirit is not an it. He is a He.
The Trinity and the Spirit
One of the most confusing things about the Holy Spirit is how He fits in the Trinity. We have God the Father. We have God the Son (Jesus). And we have God the Holy Spirit. Three Persons. One God.
This is not a doctrine you can fully understand. It is a mystery. But here is what Scripture tells us. The Father is the source. The Son is the expression. The Spirit is the presence. The Father sent the Son. The Son sent the Spirit. And the Spirit is sent to be with us, in us, and to represent Christ to us.
When Jesus was walking on earth, He was limited by a physical body. He could only be in one place at a time. But after He ascended, He sent the Holy Spirit so that His presence could be everywhere at once, in every believer, at all times.
Another Advocate. Another means the same kind of relationship Jesus had with the disciples. An Advocate is someone who stands beside you. Someone who represents you. Someone who speaks for you. That is what the Holy Spirit does for us with the Father.
Why This Matters
Here is why all of this matters. If you have been treating the Holy Spirit like a power to tap into, you have been missing relationship. You have been missing the Person.
The Holy Spirit is not in your service. He is in your life. He wants to talk to you. He wants to guide you. He wants to be known and loved and listened to. He wants to be more than a theological concept or a vague spiritual feeling.
He wants to be a Person you relate to.
And that changes how you pray. It changes how you listen. It changes how you make decisions. Because you are not tapping into a cosmic force. You are talking to Someone who loves you and knows you and lives inside you.
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever, the Spirit of truth.
John 14:16-17✦ A Moment to Sit With
How have you been thinking about the Holy Spirit? As a power? A force? A feeling? Or as a Person? There is no wrong answer. Just notice what picture comes to mind when you think about the Spirit.
✦ ✦ ✦
Father, I confess that I have sometimes thought of the Holy Spirit as a thing rather than a Person. I have used Him like a tool rather than relating to Him like a friend. Today I am recognizing that the Holy Spirit is not an it. He is a He. He has a will, emotions, and a voice. And He lives in me. Help me to relate to Him as a Person. Teach me to listen to Him. Teach me to love Him. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Tomorrow we are going to look at one of the most radical truths in all of Scripture: the Holy Spirit lives inside you. Not just near you. Not just with you. In you. Your body is His temple. That is not a metaphor. That is reality.
With honesty and hope,
Claire