Is the Holy Spirit really God?
Some say He’s just a force or power, but what if the Bible tells a different story?
This article will take you through undeniable biblical evidence that reveals the Holy Spirit as God—fully divine and the third person of the Trinity.
By the end, you won’t just see the proof; you’ll trust in it.
Let’s dive in.
Contents
Is the Holy Spirit God? – Fundamentals
To understand that the Holy Spirit is God, you must know two things:
- The Holy Spirit is a person distinct from the Father and the Son.
- The Holy Spirit is divine.
These two fundamental blocks will teach you that He is God and the third person of the Trinity.
Let’s start by establishing the personhood of the Holy Spirit.
Is the Holy Spirit a person?
What is a person?
A person is a being who has specific capacities or attributes, such as reason, emotions, morality, and consciousness.
The biblical evidence reveals these attributes for the Holy Spirit. This proves that the Holy Spirit is a person yet distinct from the Father and the Son and refutes the claim that the Holy Spirit is merely God’s impersonal force or power.
In John 16:13-15, the Holy Spirit is referred to by personal pronouns. He speaks, hears, and glorifies Jesus, which means He is distinct from Jesus.
The Holy Spirit has his own will (1 Corinthians 12:11).
The Holy Spirit has emotions: He can be tempted or tested (Acts 5:9), grieved (Ephesians 4:30), and insulted (Hebrews 10:29)
Jesus sends the Holy Spirit (John 15:26), and the Father sends the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). Thus, the Holy Spirit is distinct from both.
All three persons are present and distinguished at Jesus’ baptism (Mark 1:10-11).
Is the Holy Spirit God?
Yes, the Holy Spirit is God. He is the third person of the Godhead, and several verses discuss the divinity of the Holy Spirit.
The biblical evidence can be organized by using the C-E-C -framework. C-E-C stands for
- CLAIMS
- EQUALITY with God
- CONTINUITY with the Old Testament.
The C-E-C -framework shows: 1) the Bible directly claims that the Holy Spirit is God, 2) that the Holy Spirit is equal with God in authority, attributes, and actions, and 3) that the revelation in the New Testament follows what has been revealed about the Spirit in the Old Testament.
You can also find C-E-C in our article, “Is Jesus God?” It helps organize your scattered proof texts into easily understandable and memorable groups.
But before you check where the Bible says Jesus is God, see where it claims the same about the Holy Spirit.
The Bible claims the Holy Spirit is God
You will find the best verses to prove that the Holy Spirit is God in Acts 5:3-4. Here, Peter, the leader of the apostles, tells Ananias that when he lied to the Holy Spirit (verse 3), he lied to God (verse 4).
Acts 5:3-4
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the price of the land? While you kept it, didn’t it remain your own? After it was sold, wasn’t it in your power? How is it that you have conceived this thing in your heart? You haven’t lied to men, but to God.”
The Holy Spirit is equal to God
The Bible records multiple instances where the Holy Spirit is equal to God in authority, attributes, and actions. The names and features the Bible gives to the Holy Spirit can only be given to God, and the actions the Spirit performs can only be performed by God.
Authority
In 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, the Holy Spirit is called the Lord, “kyrios” in Greek. It is the same term used for Jesus in the New Testament and Yahweh in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament.
A perfect example of the usage is Philippians 2:10-11, which says, “every knee should bow, every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, “Kyrios. The verses quote Isaiah 45:22-23 where Yahweh says, “to me, every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.”
By referring to the Holy Spirit as the Lord, St. Paul commands the same respect and honor for the Holy Spirit as for Jesus and Yahweh in the Old Testament.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18
But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.
This is why the baptism formula that Jesus gave to the disciples states, “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Also, Jesus didn’t say “in the names,” plural, but “in the name” because all three persons are one God.
The Spirit is also included in a short Trinitarian praise in 2 Corinthians 13:14 (see image below), showing His divine status.
Attributes
The Bible gives attributes to the Holy Spirit that are unique to God, affirming the Spirit’s divine nature.
Just like the Father and Jesus, the Holy Spirit is
- Omniscient (Isaiah 40:12–14, 1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
- Omnipresent (Isaiah 40:12–14, Psalm 139:7)
- Omnipotent (Zechariah 4:6, Romans 15:19)
- Eternal (Hebrews 9:14)
- Holy (Romans 1:4)
- Truthful (John 16:13)
Actions
The Bible describes actions of the Holy Spirit that are unique to God, affirming the Spirit’s divine nature.
Just like the Father and Jesus, the Holy Spirit
- Participates in Creation (Genesis 1:2, Job 33:4)
- Gives life (Job 33:4)
- Resurrects dead (1 Peter 3:18)
- Sanctifies believers (2 Thessalonians 2:13, Galatians 5:22-23)
- Gives new life to believers (John 3:5-6; Titus 3:5)
- Inspires Scripture (2 Peter 1:21)
Is the Holy Spirit God in the Old Testament?
This section is taken from the definitive guide to the Trinity in the Old Testament.
The Holy Spirit, often called the “Spirit of God” or the “Spirit of the Lord” in the Old Testament, is mentioned around 80 times in the Old Testament, from the first chapter of Genesis to the last book, Malachi. The Old Testament even mentions the name “Holy Spirit” in Psalm 51:10-11.
The Spirit is distinct from God, has divine features, and carries out actions reserved for God. He is also spoken of as He would be a person.
The Spirit has divine features. He is omniscient in Isaiah 40:12–14, omnipresent in Psalm 139:7, and omnipotent in Zechariah 4:6.
The Spirit carries out divine actions. He participates in Creation in Genesis 1:2, Psalm 104:30, Job 33:4, and sanctification in Ezekiel 36:26-27.
God’s Spirit is a person. He speaks in Ezekiel 11:1-5, is grieved in Isaiah 63:10, and referred by personal pronouns in 2 Samuel 23:2, Isaiah 40:13.
The Spirit is distinct from God. He is distinguished from Yahweh, the LORD in Isaiah 48:16, Numbers 27:18, and Zechariah 4:6, from God in Psalm 51:10-11, and the Lord GOD in Ezekiel 36:24-28.
Note that the above-mentioned verse, Isaiah 48:16, is a Trinitarian verse. At best, it shows all three persons of the Godhead in the same verse (WEB version in the below image), and at worst, it proves that God is multi-personal and God’s Spirit is distinct from Yahweh (KJV version in the image).
The New Testament’s revelation about the Holy Spirit is entirely in line with how the Spirit is depicted in the Old Testament. Thus, Christians didn’t “create” a new religion but continued what was already partly revealed in the Old Testament.
Is the Holy Spirit God? – Conclusion
The incarnation of Jesus Christ, His ministry, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit after His ascension fully revealed the Trinity, which the Old Testament already hinted at.
The biblical evidence shows that the Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Trinity. He is fully God and acts in perfect union with the Father and the Son, yet He is not the Father or the Son.