There are many misconceptions about the identity of the Holy Spirit. Some view the Holy Spirit as a mystical force. Others understand the Holy Spirit as the impersonal power that God makes available to followers of Christ. What does the Bible say about the identity of the Holy Spirit? Simply put, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit is God. The Bible also tells us that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, a Being with a mind, emotions, and a will.
The fact that the Holy Spirit is God is clearly seen in many places in the scriptures, including Acts 5:3-4 . In this verse, Peter confronts Ananias for lying to the Holy Spirit, telling him that he had “not lied to men, but to God.” This is a clear statement that lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God. We can also know that the Holy Spirit is God because He possesses the attributes or characteristics of God. For example, His omnipresence is seen in Psalm 139:7-8 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, lo, You are there.” Then, in 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 we see the characteristic of the Holy Spirit’s omniscience. “But God has revealed them to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For what man knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”
We can know that the Holy Spirit is truly a divine Person because He has a mind, emotions, and a will. The Holy Spirit thinks and knows ( 1 Corinthians 2:10). The Holy Spirit can be grieved ( Ephesians 4:30 ). The Spirit intercedes for us ( Romans 8:26-27 ). The Holy Spirit makes decisions according to His will ( 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 ). The Holy Spirit is God, the third “Person” of the Trinity
. As God, the Holy Spirit can truly function as a Counselor and Comforter, just as Jesus promised ( John 14:16 , 26 ; 15:26 ).