The reason Christians have always said the the Holy Spirit is God is because it has always been associated with attributes that only the Creator of heaven and Earth have.
We will take a look at some of the attributes of this shared glory below.
All Powerful, Knowing, Present
The Holy Spirit is said to be wherever God dwells, as David describes in Psalms
- Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8. If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10. even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12. even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
Jesus tells us that the Spirit is inside every believer, it would have to be in millions of places at once.
17. even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
In the Old Testament we learn that nobody can know the things of God because He is infinite and eternal, to know that would be to know all things
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
Andrew T. Lincoln shows us that In the Old Testament, only God is shown to have this power and being able to predict the future is His alone (Isaiah 41:21-23, 42:9, 43:8-13, 44:7-8, 46:10). God give a challenge for anyone to come forth and show that they are God by knowing the future. Once again the Old Testament ideas of who God is and what He can do are being applied by . In 1 Kings and Jeremiah we see that God is the only one that can search the hearts and minds of mankind.
- then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),
- “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
This line of reasoning is then applied to the Holy Spirit in Isaiah, challenging all to give an answer to who can instruct God.
13. Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? 14. Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
Paul tells us the that Holy Spirit Knows the depths of God, he goes on to explain that a persons thoughts are only known by the person that thinks them. But with God, the Holy Spirit knows because the Holy Spirit is God.
10. these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
In the Old Testament, the omnipotence of God is repeatedly showcased through His creation, sustenance, and miraculous interventions in human history. Genesis 1 portrays God speaking the universe into existence, highlighting His supreme power over all creation. The Psalms frequently celebrate His might and control over the natural world, with Psalm 135:6-7 asserting,
- Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. 7. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
The narrative in Exodus 14:21-22, where God parts the Red Sea, demonstrate His unparalleled authority over nature and ability to deliver His people. God's interactions with individuals like Abraham in Genesis 17:1, where He introduces Himself as "God Almighty," and His response to Job in Job 38-41, where He questions Job from the whirlwind show that there is none that can match is power. The prophets, especially Isaiah, portray God as the sovereign ruler of nations and history, with unmatched strength and control over all events and entities.
The Holy Spirit is said to have all understanding, wisdom, console and might of the LORD (Isaiah 11:2), that gives life to all creation (Genesis 1:2; Job 33:4;). It was this holy Spirit that Raised Jesus from the dead and gives us life (Romans 8:11). Mary is told that the power of the Holy Spirit is the power of God (Luke 1:35), Paul even claims that it is the source of all his miracles (Romans 15:13, 15:19) and that in believers ( 2 Timothy 1:7); Paul and Jesus also say that the power of God is the power of the Spirit
- But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
- Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5. and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6. and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9. to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10. to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
The Holy Spirit's eternal nature is affirmed in several passages, revealing His existence beyond time. In the beginning, the Spirit of God was present at creation, as seen in Genesis 1:2 or Psalm 104:30 and Job 26:13 and Isaiah 63:10-11.
- The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
The Spirit's eternal role is further emphasized in Hebrews 9:14, where He is described as "the eternal Spirit" through whom Christ offered Himself.
- How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Moreover, the Holy Spirit’s eternal presence is promised to believers. In John 14:16, Jesus declares that the Spirit will be with us forever.
- And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.
More Attributes
The Spirit embodies grace, as seen in Zechariah 12:10, where God promises to pour out a spirit of grace on His people. The Spirit is also characterized by holiness and glory, as shown in Romans 1:4 and 1 Peter 4:14. The Holy Spirit is the source of life (Romans 8:10; 2 Corinthians 3:6), breathing life into believers both physically and spiritually. Love is another divine attribute manifested through the Spirit, as referenced in Romans 15:30 and 2 Timothy 1:7. The Spirit is also the essence of truth, as John 14:17, John 15:26, John 16:13, and 1 John 5:6.