Part 5 (1/2)

(2) _He testifies._ ”But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall bear witness of me” (John 15: 26).

(3) _He teaches and quickens the mind._ ”But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you”

(John 14:26).

(4) _He guides._ ”I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye can not bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth” (John 16: 12, 13).

(5) _He leads and forbids._ ”And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden of the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and when they were come over against Mysia, they a.s.sayed to go into Bithynia; and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not” (Acts 16:6, 7).

(6) _He searches._ ”But unto us G.o.d revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of G.o.d” (1 Cor. 2:10).

In the above pa.s.sages the Holy Spirit is said to speak, to testify, to quicken, to teach, to guide disciples, to lead, to forbid and to search.

All these things unite in showing the Holy Spirit to be a person, for nothing but a person can do them.

2. HE HAS THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERSON.

We will mention a few of them:

(1) _Mind._ ”And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the _mind of the Spirit_” (Rom. 8:27).

(2) _Knowledge._ ”Even so the things of G.o.d none knoweth, save the Spirit of G.o.d” (1 Cor. 2:11).

(3) _Affection._ ”Now I beseech you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the _love of the Spirit_, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to G.o.d for me” (Rom. 15:30).

(4) _Will._ ”But all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even _as he will_” (1 Cor. 12:11).

(5) _Goodness._ ”Thou gavest also thy _good Spirit_ to instruct them”

(Neh. 9:20). Goodness, will, affection, knowledge and mind are all characteristics of a person. By no stretch of the imagination can they be ascribed to a mere impersonal influence or principle. These five characteristics form the fingers in the hand of certainty by which we grasp the personality of the Holy Spirit.

3. HE SUFFERS SLIGHTS AND INJURIES THAT CAN ONLY BE ASCRIBED TO A PERSONALITY.

(1) _He can be grieved and vexed._ ”And grieve not the Holy Spirit of G.o.d, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).

”But they rebelled, and grieved his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them” (Isa. 63:10).

(2) _He can be despited._ ”Of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of G.o.d, and hath counted the blood of the covenant where-with he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath _done despite_ unto the Spirit of grace” (Heb.

10:29).

(3) _He can be blasphemed_. ”Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come” (Matt. 12:31, 32).

(4) _He can be resisted_. ”Ye stiff-necked and uncirc.u.mcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51).

(5) _He can be lied unto_. ”But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land?” (Acts 5:3).

A mere principle can not sustain any of the above slights. Nothing but a personality can be blasphemed, lied to, resisted or grieved.

4. HE IS A DIVINE PERSONALITY. This will be seen from the following attributes, which are the attributes of G.o.d:

(1) _Eternity_. ”How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the _eternal_ Spirit offered himself without blemish unto G.o.d, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living G.o.d?” (Heb. 9:14).