Is the Holy Spirit a Person?

The Bible uses metaphors like God’s “hands,” “fingers,” or “breath” to describe His spirit, indicating that the holy spirit is not a person. (Exodus 15:8, 10) Just as a craftsman’s hands cannot act independently of his mind and body, God’s holy spirit operates solely under His direction. (Luke 11:13) Additionally, the Bible compares God’s spirit to water and links it to qualities such as faith and knowledge, further emphasizing its impersonal nature. (Isaiah 44:3; Acts 6:5; 2 Corinthians 6:6) (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2024)

The Bible clearly identifies Jehovah God and His Son, Jesus Christ, by name, but it does not assign a personal name to the holy spirit. (Isaiah 42:8; Luke 1:31) When Stephen, the Christian martyr, was granted a miraculous vision of heaven, he saw only two persons, not three. The Bible states: “Being full of holy spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw God’s glory and Jesus standing at God’s right hand.” (Acts 7:55) The holy spirit was the active force of God, empowering Stephen to witness the vision. (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2024)

Exodus 15:8, 10, “By a breath from your nostrils waters massed together; They stood still, holding back the floods; The surging waters congealed in the heart of the sea. You blew with your breath, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in majestic waters.” (Exodus 15:8, 10, New World Translation)

Luke 11:13, “Therefore, if you, although being wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more so will the Father in heaven give holy spirit to those asking him!” (Luke 11:13, New World Translation)

Isaiah 44:3, “For I will pour out water on the thirsty one And flowing streams on the dry ground. I will pour out my spirit on your offspring And my blessing on your descendants.” (Isaiah 44:3, New World Translation)

Acts 6:5, “What they said was pleasing to the whole multitude, and they selected Stephen, a man full of faith and holy spirit, as well as Philip, Prochʹo·rus, Ni·caʹnor, Tiʹmon, Parʹme·nas, and Nic·o·laʹus, a proselyte of Antioch.” (Acts 6:5, New World Translation)

2 Corinthians 6:6, “by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindness, by holy spirit, by love free from hypocrisy,…” (2 Corinthians 6:6, New World Translation)

Isaiah 42:8, “ I am Jehovah. That is my name; I give my glory to no one else, Nor my praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8, New World Translation)

Luke 1:31, “And look! you will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus.” (Luke 1:31, New World Translation)

Acts 7:55, “But he, being full of holy spirit, gazed into heaven and caught sight of God’s glory and of Jesus standing at God’s right hand,…” (Acts 7:55, New World Translation) 

What Are the Common Misconceptions About the Holy Spirit?

Misconception: The "Holy Ghost" or holy spirit is a person and is part of the Trinity, as suggested in 1 John 5:7-8 in the King James Version of the Bible (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2024).

Fact: The King James Version of the Bible includes the phrase at 1 John 5:7-8, “in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth.” However, scholars have determined that these words were not written by the apostle John and do not belong in the Bible. Professor Bruce M. Metzger stated, “That these words are spurious and have no right to stand in the New Testament is certain.” — A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2024).

1 John 5:7,8, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (1 John 5:7,8, King James Version)

1 John 5:7,8, “For there are three witness bearers: the spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.” (1 John 5:7,8, New World Translation)

Misconception: The Bible personifies the holy spirit, which proves that it is a person (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2024).

Fact: While the Scriptures sometimes personify the holy spirit, this does not prove that it is a person. The Bible also personifies concepts such as wisdom, death, and sin. (Proverbs 1:20; Romans 5:17, 21) For example, wisdom is described as having “works” and “children,” and sin is portrayed as seducing, killing, and producing covetousness. (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:35; Romans 7:8, 11) (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2024).

Similarly, when the apostle John quoted Jesus, he personified the holy spirit as a “helper” (paraclete) who would provide evidence, guide, speak, hear, declare, glorify, and receive. He used masculine pronouns like “he” or “him” when referring to this “helper.” (John 16:7-15) However, this was because the Greek word for “helper” (pa·raʹkle·tos) is masculine, requiring the use of masculine pronouns according to Greek grammar rules. When John referred to the holy spirit using the neuter noun pneuʹma, he used the gender-neutral pronoun “it.” (John 14:16, 17) (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2024).

Proverbs 1:20, “True wisdom cries aloud in the street. It keeps raising its voice in the public squares.”(Proverbs 1:20, New World Translation) 

Romans 5:17,21, “For if by the trespass of the one man death ruled as king through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of the undeserved kindness and of the free gift of righteousness rule as kings in life through the one person, Jesus Christ! To what end? So that just as sin ruled as king with death, so also undeserved kindness might rule as king through righteousness leading to everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:17,21, New World Translation) 

Matthew 11:19, ”The Son of man did come eating and drinking, but people say, ‘Look! A man who is a glutton and is given to drinking wine, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ All the same, wisdom is proved righteous by its works.” (Matthew 11:19, New World Translation)

Luke 7:35, “All the same, wisdom is proved righteous by all its children.” (Luke 7:35, New World Translation)

Romans 7:8,11, ”But sin, finding the opportunity afforded by the commandment, worked out in me covetousness of every sort, for apart from law sin was dead. For sin, finding the opportunity afforded by the commandment, seduced me and killed me through it.” (Romans 7:8,11, New World Translation)

John 16:7-15, '“Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you; but if I do go, I will send him to you. And when that one comes, he will give the world convincing evidence concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment: first concerning sin, because they are not exercising faith in me; then concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer;   then concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.   “I still have many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them now. However, when that one comes, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak of his own initiative, but what he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things to come. That one will glorify me, because he will receive from what is mine and will declare it to you. All the things that the Father has are mine. That is why I said he receives from what is mine and declares it to you.” (John 16:7-15, New World Translation)

John 14:16,17, “And I will ask the Father and he will give you another helper to be with you forever, the spirit of the truth, which the world cannot receive, because it neither sees it nor knows it. You know it, because it remains with you and is in you.” (John 14:16,17, New World Translation)

Misconception: Baptism in the name of the holy spirit proves that the holy spirit is a person (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2024).

Fact: In the Bible, the term “name” is sometimes used to represent power or authority. (Deuteronomy 18:5, 19-22; Esther 8:10) This is similar to the English phrase “in the name of the law,” which does not imply that the law is a person. When someone is baptized “in the name of” the holy spirit, they are acknowledging the power and role of the holy spirit in fulfilling God’s will. (Matthew 28:19) (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2024).

Deuteronomy 18:5, “ Jehovah your God has chosen him and his sons from all your tribes to minister in the name of Jehovah always.” (Deuteronomy 18:5, New World Translation)

Deuteronomy 18:19-22,”Indeed, I will require an account from the man who will not listen to my words that he will speak in my name.“ ‘If any prophet presumptuously speaks a word in my name that I did not command him to speak or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. However, you may say in your heart: “How will we know that Jehovah has not spoken the word?” When the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word is not fulfilled or does not come true, then Jehovah did not speak that word. The prophet spoke it presumptuously. You should not fear him.’” (Deuteronomy 18:19-22, New World Translation)

Esther 8:10, “He wrote it in the name of King A·has·u·eʹrus and sealed it with the king’s signet ring and sent the written documents by the hand of couriers on horses; they rode on swift post-horses, bred for royal service.” (Esther 8:10, New World Translation)

Matthew 28:19, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit,…” (Matthew 28:19, New World Translation)

Misconception: Jesus’ apostles and other early disciples believed that the holy spirit was a person (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2024).

Fact: The Bible and historical records do not support this. The Encyclopædia Britannica notes that the idea of the Holy Spirit as a distinct divine Person was established at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381, more than 250 years after the death of the last apostle (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2024).

In the upcoming scriptural answers eLearning article, we will explore the true pagan origins of the Trinity Doctrine.

Quiz: How Well Do You Know the Holy Spirit?

1. What does the Bible primarily refer to the holy spirit as?

 a. A person

b. A force

c. A manifestation

d. A symbol  

2. Which book of the Bible uses metaphors like "hands," "fingers," and "breath" to describe the holy spirit?

 a. Exodus

b. Psalms

c. Isaiah

d. Luke 

3. In the Bible, who referred to the holy spirit as a “helper” (paraclete)?

 a. Moses

b. John

c. Peter

d. Jesus  

4. According to the Bible, what is the primary function of the holy spirit?

 a. To judge mankind

b. To glorify God and Jesus

c. To rule over the earth

d. To create miracles  

5. Where in the Bible does the phrase “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” appear?

 a. Matthew 28:19

b. John 16:15

c. Acts 2:38

d. Luke 3:16 

6. What term is used in Greek for the holy spirit that is gender-neutral?

 a. Paraclete

b. Pneuma

c. Ruach

d. Logos 

7. Which of the following is NOT a metaphor used for the holy spirit in the Bible?

 a. Fire

b. Water

c. Wind

d. Flesh 

8. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, when was the idea of the holy spirit as a distinct divine person formally established?

 a. AD 325

b. AD 381

c. AD 500

d. AD 1000  

9. Which of the following biblical figures saw a vision of heaven and witnessed God’s glory and Jesus standing at God's right hand?

 a. Paul

b. Peter

c. John

d. Stephen  

10. Which concept in the Bible is personified alongside the holy spirit?

 a. Faith

b. Wisdom

c. Hope

d. Charity

Answer Key

1. b. A force 

2. a. Exodus

3. b. John 

4. b. To glorify God and Jesus 

5. a. Matthew 28:19 

6. b. Pneuma

7. d. Flesh

8. b. AD 381  

9. d. Stephen 

10. b. Wisdom 

For more free, Bible-based answers to everyday topics, please visit jw.org.

Bibliography

Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. (2013). New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.

Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. (2013). King James Version of the Holy Scriptures. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.

Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. (2024). What is the Holy Spirit? https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/what-is-the-holy-spirit/

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