Who is the Holy Spirit?
You know God the Father, and you know about Jesus. But the Holy Spirit can feel like the hardest one to picture. Is He a force, a feeling, a ghost?
The Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Trinity, equal with the Father and the Son. He is not a force or a feeling. He is a person: He teaches, speaks, guides and can be grieved (John 14:26; Ephesians 4:30). Jesus called Him the Helper and said it was better for us that He go away so the Spirit could come (John 16:7). When you give your life to Jesus, the Spirit comes to live in you. In plain words: Jesus walked beside His disciples; the Holy Spirit lives inside you.
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Jesus said it was better
The night before the cross, Jesus told His disciples He was leaving. They were crushed. Then He said something shocking: “It is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). Weeks later, at Pentecost, the Spirit came, and the same men who had hidden behind locked doors went out and turned the world upside down (Acts 2; 17:6).
What the Holy Spirit does
He convicts the world of sin and shows people their need for Jesus (John 16:8). He makes you born again (John 3:5–6). He lives in every believer (1 Corinthians 6:19). He teaches you and reminds you of what Jesus said (John 14:26). He guides you into truth (John 16:13). He prays for you when you don’t know what to say (Romans 8:26). He fills you with power to be a witness (Acts 1:8). He gives gifts (1 Corinthians 12) and grows fruit in you (Galatians 5:22–23).
How to walk with Him
Talk to Him and listen. Obey His nudges. Don’t grieve Him with sin you refuse to deal with (Ephesians 4:30), and don’t quench Him by shutting down what He’s doing (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Ask to be filled, and keep being filled (Ephesians 5:18).
What the Bible says
- 01
The Helper.
John 14:16–17, 26 - 02
Better that He comes.
“But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned. I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.”
John 16:7–14 - 03
Power.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””
Acts 1:8 - 04
The Spirit in you.
“You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption to sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
Romans 8:9–16 - 05
He prays for us.
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.”
Romans 8:26 - 06
Don’t grieve Him.
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Ephesians 4:30
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.
Before you start your day tomorrow, pray: “Holy Spirit, I welcome You. Lead me today.” Then listen.
Common questions
Is the Holy Spirit the same as the Holy Ghost?
Yes. “Ghost” is the older English word used in the King James Version.
Is the Holy Spirit a he or an it?
He. Jesus always spoke of Him as a person (John 16:13).
How do I know if I have the Holy Spirit?
Every believer has the Spirit living in them (Romans 8:9). He shows up as a new love for God, conviction over sin, and growing fruit in your life.
Pray with people, not alone.
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