Is the Holy Spirit God?
Answered from the commentary of Samuel Ridout, Michael Hardt, A. J. Pollock and 13 others
Yes, the Holy Spirit is God: "the Spirit is God," the third Person of the Godhead, equal with the Father and the Son in the unity of the one God, of one substance, knowledge, will and purpose. The plainest ground is Acts 5:3-4, where Peter charges Ananias with lying "to the Holy Ghost" and then says he has "not lied unto men, but unto God." The one called the Holy Ghost in one verse is called God in the next, and no one can lie to an influence, only to a Person. To this the authors join the attributes that belong to Deity alone. He is "the eternal Spirit" of Hebrews 9:14, and God alone is eternal. He is everywhere present in Psalm 139:7. He knows all things, searching "the deep things of God," in 1 Corinthians 2:10-11. Creation is ascribed to Him in Job 33:4. He divides gifts "as He will," which is a sovereignty proper only to God, in 1 Corinthians 12:11. Hence the conclusion: "Thus the Spirit is omnipresent, eternal, omniscient and omnipotent. He is God". The baptismal form of Matthew 28:19 confirms it, with one name, not names, of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The benediction of 2 Corinthians 13:14 does the same, for none would join with the Father and the Son one who was not divine. Some grant that Scripture nowhere says "the Holy Spirit is God" in so many words, yet they hold its testimony to be as convincing as if it had.
Being God, He is also a distinct Person, not God the Father nor God the Son, and not a mere influence, power or emanation. To deny Him is called a denial of God. That He is "sent" by the Father and the Son (John 15:26; Galatians 4:6) implies no inferiority, because He voluntarily takes that place in working out the divine counsels while remaining co-equal in Deity. On 2 Corinthians 3:17 the authors differ. Most hold that "the Lord is the spirit" does not mean the Holy Ghost, since to identify the Lord Jesus with the Holy Ghost would confound the second Person with the third. One writer reads the words as a convertible statement of the essential oneness of the Son and the Spirit, and another warns against separating the Persons while distinguishing them. From all this the authors draw a solemn warning. God the Holy Ghost now dwells in the church and in each believer as in His temple, so that sin is measured by His presence and lying to Him is lying to God. The comfort they draw is that the salvation begun by God is made good in us by none less than God Himself.
Verses: Acts 5:3, Acts 5:4, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 2 Corinthians 3:17, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Corinthians 2:10, 1 Corinthians 2:11, Psalms 139:7, Psalms 139:8, Hebrews 9:14, Genesis 1:2, John 14:16, John 14:17, John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 12:4, 1 Corinthians 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:6, 1 Corinthians 12:11, Matthew 12:31, Matthew 12:32, Ephesians 4:30, Isaiah 6:8, Isaiah 6:9, Isaiah 6:10, Acts 28:25, Acts 28:26, Acts 28:27, Hebrews 3:7, Hebrews 3:8, Hebrews 3:9, Psalms 95:7, Psalms 95:8, Psalms 95:9, Hebrews 10:15, Hebrews 10:16, Hebrews 10:17, Jeremiah 31:33, Jeremiah 31:34, 2 Peter 1:21, 2 Timothy 3:16, Romans 8:9, Romans 8:10, Romans 8:11, Luke 1:35, Job 33:4, Psalms 104:30, John 3:5, John 3:6, John 3:7, John 3:8, Titus 3:5, Ephesians 2:18, 1 Peter 1:2, Romans 15:30, Isaiah 63:10, Acts 13:2, Acts 13:4, Acts 20:28, Galatians 4:6, 1 Corinthians 12:3
The above is AI generated summary based on the writers below.
What the commentators say
The passages the answer is drawn from, the most direct first, with the words that bear on the question marked.
"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life" (Job 33:4). God the Creator is almighty, omnipotent. None but Him can call into being. When therefore creation is ascribed to the Holy Spirit, it in the strongest way teaches both His personality and His Deity.
Thus the Spirit is omnipresent, eternal, omniscient and omnipotent. He is God.
Let us turn to a few more passages showing more particularly His personality. "Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? … thou hast not lied unto men but unto God" (Acts 5:3-4). Men cannot lie to an influence, or deceive what is not a person. A divine being had taken up His abode in the Church, which He formed at Pentecost, and it was to Him that Ananias had lied. So in like manner, when the saints were waiting on God at Antioch, preparatory to the first expansive work of the Church, it was the Holy Ghost who said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them" (Acts 13:1-2). This but illustrates the personal oversight and direction of the sovereign Spirit as described in 1 Cor. 12:11, "All these things worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will."
the Holy Spirit is eternal (Heb. 9:14); the Holy Spirit is coequal (on one level) with the Father and the Son (Matt. 28:19); the Holy Spirit is omnipresent (Ps. 139:7); the Holy Spirit is omniscient (1 Cor. 2:10–11); the Holy Spirit is omnipotent (only God can create (Job 33:4) or raise up (1 Pet. 3:18)).
Acts 5 furnishes a further proof: Peter charges Ananias with having lied to the Holy Spirit and, in the next verse, says: ‘Thou hast not lied to men, but to God’ (verses 3 and 4). Hence the Spirit is God.
The Holy Spirit is God, as the Father is God, and the Son is God, in the Unity of the Godhead, of One Substance, One in knowledge, counsel, will, purpose. We are obliged in speaking of them together to put their names in a certain order. Scripture gives the order in baptism, that those baptised are baptised in the name (not names) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (Matt. 28:19). But we must be careful not to make any distinction in the Persons of the Godhead in the way of One being more prominent than the Other.
The Holy Spirit is GOD, equal with the Father and the Son in the unity of the Godhead, Three in One and One in Three, One in knowledge, purpose, power, will.
But all these mistakes about the Holy Ghost arise from not knowing Him. "Ye know Him," said our blessed Lord, "for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." The eternal Godhead of the Holy Ghost is plainly and abundantly set forth in Scripture, and the attributes and sovereign actings of God are ascribed to Him. He is called the eternal Spirit. The psalmist speaks of His omnipresence, saying, "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?" The apostle Paul alludes to His omniscience — "He searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." In Acts 5 He is called God. In the third verse Peter charges Ananias with lying to the Holy Ghost; and in the next verse says to him, "Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." The sovereign actings of the Holy Ghost are seen in Acts 13:2, in saying, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them;" and in Acts 16:6 He forbids them to preach the word in Asia. And when they assayed to go into Bithynia, we are told that "the Spirit suffered them not." Thus we see that the Holy Ghost dwelling in the church is called God; and we also see His sovereign actings with the servants of the Lord in regard to their work. We have noticed also some of His divine attributes. Who else but God could thus act?
Hebrews 9:14, says, “Christ. … through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God.” Here we are told the Spirit of God is eternal. Now that predicates Deity. None but Deity can be from eternity without beginning and without end. The adjective “eternal” applied in this absolute sense, ascribes Deity to the one so described.
Some theologians would have us believe that the Holy Spirit is an influence and not a Person. There cannot be an influence apart from a Person. We may talk about the influence of the prevailing winds and such like and come to the conclusion that there can be influence apart from a Person, But on reflection this cannot be so. Agur, the son of Jakeh, knew better when he asked the question, “Who has gathered the wind in His fists?” (Prov. 30:4). He knew that behind the wind was a Person. To try to make out there can be an influence apart from a Person is the stultification of common sense.
"The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:10-11). Omniscience, an other attribute of Deity alone, is before us here as belonging to the Spirit. He knoweth, and searcheth all things, knoweth the end from the beginning, for He is God.
"Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there, if I make my bed in hell, behold Thou art there" (Ps. 139:7-8). Here one of the attributes of God — His omnipresence — is ascribed to the Holy Spirit. Indeed, He is spoken of as God — "Thy presence."
"Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God" (Heb. 9:14). Here we have another attribute — that of eternity. The Spirit of God is ever existent. "Lord Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting Thou art God" (Ps. 90:1-2). Such language could only be applied to the Eternal, and is suggested by the phrase, "the eternal Spirit."
This adjective, ETERNAL, constitutes the assertion of the Deity of the Holy Spirit, for God alone is ETERNAL. It is remarkable that this adjective is used only in the case of the Spirit, and not in those of the Father and the Son, though the Deity of these is amply stated in the Scriptures.
Sovereignty, too, an attribute of Deity, is attributed to the Holy Spirit.
Verses
- Acts 5:3–43But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled thy heart that thou shouldest lie to the Holy Spirit, and put aside for thyself a part of the price of the estate? 4While it remained did it not remain to thee? and sold, was [it not] in thine own power? Why is it that thou hast purposed this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied to men, but to God.
- 1 Corinthians 3:16Do ye not know that ye are [the] temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwells in you?
- 1 Corinthians 6:19Do ye not know that your body is [the] temple of the Holy Spirit which [is] in you, which ye have of God; and ye are not your own?
- 2 Corinthians 3:17–1817Now the Lord is the Spirit, but where the Spirit of [the] Lord [is, there is] liberty. 18But we all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory, even as by [the] Lord [the] Spirit.
- Matthew 28:19Go [therefore] and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit;
- 2 Corinthians 13:14The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, [be] with you all.