Guide
What is the Holy Spirit?
Who the Holy Spirit is in the Bible, what the Spirit does, and how the Old and New Testaments describe the third person of the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit is the most mysterious person of the Trinity. Jesus you can picture. The Father you can address. The Spirit is described as wind, fire, breath, a dove, and a still small voice. The Bible treats the Spirit as fully personal and fully divine, but the language is often harder to grasp.
This guide traces the Spirit from Genesis to Acts and beyond, explaining what the Bible says the Spirit does, how the Spirit relates to the Father and the Son, and why the Spirit matters for everyday Christian life.
The Spirit in the Old Testament
The Spirit of God appears in the second verse of the Bible, moving over the face of the waters. Throughout the Old Testament, the Spirit empowers specific people for specific tasks: judges for battle, prophets for speech, artisans for craftsmanship. The Spirit comes upon Samson, Saul, David, Elijah, and others.
The prophets looked forward to a day when the Spirit would be poured out on all people, not just a chosen few. Joel 2:28 promises the Spirit on sons and daughters, old and young. Ezekiel envisions the Spirit breathing life into dry bones.
Jesus and the Spirit
Jesus was conceived by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit at his baptism, led by the Spirit into the wilderness, and filled with the Spirit throughout his ministry. He taught his disciples that the Spirit would come after he departed.
In John 14-16, Jesus calls the Spirit the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who will guide the disciples into all truth, remind them of Jesus's words, and convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Spirit continues the work of Jesus after the ascension.
Pentecost and the Spirit in the church
Acts 2 records the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. Wind and fire fill the room, the disciples speak in other languages, and Peter preaches to a crowd from many nations. Three thousand people believe. The church is born in the power of the Spirit.
From Pentecost onward, the Spirit is the normal presence of God in every believer. Paul says the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Baptism and the Spirit are inseparable in the New Testament. The church exists because the Spirit empowers it.
The fruit and gifts of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. These are the character traits the Spirit produces in believers over time.
First Corinthians 12 lists gifts of the Spirit: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. The gifts are for the building up of the church. The fruit is for the formation of the individual.
Key passages
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things.
"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."
They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,"
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.